Week 5 Recap/New Power Rankings

Clark Cougars- Hughes Holiday Tournament Champions

Two junior prospects proved to be worthy of the hype as they turned in monster performances out of town while some great local action, led by the Turpin @ Walnut Hills thriller, also highlight the week that was….

Week Five Top Performers

·         Devin Williams- ’13 Withrow PF: Williams went to Michigan and turned in two MVP performances, and the game winning basket in third game, as Withrow went 3-0. For the tourney Williams averaged 25.0 points while shooting over 65% from the field and grabbing 12.3 rebounds a game. 

·         Joshua Davenport- ’13 Moeller SF: Davenport had scoring games of 20, 21, and 30 in three games in Florida, two of them ending in Moeller wins. Josh also shot over 60% from the field.

Withrow PF Devin Williams

·         Max Hassell- ’12 Clark PG: The emerging prospect led his team to two wins, and the championship, at the Hughes Holiday tournament by averaging 24.0 points per game. 

·         Angel Rivera- ’14 Hughes PG: The undersized guard is making a splash on the scene by proving that he is one of the elite passers in Ohio, which he displayed for the entirety of his team’s two games at the Hughes Holiday Classic, where they finished 2^nd.

·         Ali Barnes- ’13 Lakota West PG: An All-Tournament Team performer in Lexington, Barnes averaged over 15 points as West finished 2-2, with both losses coming to Top 5 ranked teams from Kentucky.

·         Isaiah Johnson- ’13 Walnut Hills C: “Big Dog” dominated with 22 and 16 against Elder and followed it up by being a presence with 13 and 13 in the buzzer beater home win over Turpin.

·         JD Sprague- ’12 Mason PG: Sprague was the catalyst as the Comets dominated Loveland and Milford. Sprague displayed both scoring and passing abilities for an underrated Mason team.

Week 6 Power Rankings 01/01/12

Division I

1.       Withrow: The Tigers regain the top spot in the rankings after a 3-0 run in Detroit, including a win over defending state champions Kalamazoo Central.

2.       Moeller: The Crusaders made it to the finals in Florida before taking their first loss.

3.       Princeton: The Vikings were off this week.

4.       LaSalle: Lancers fan were happy with the Oak Hills rivalry win this week in their only game.

5.       Winton Woods: The Warriors are still on the rise, but only played once this week (blowout win).

6.       Middletown: A disappointing loss for the Middies to Springboro drops them down one spot.

7.       Mason: Comets are clicking on all cylinders after dominating two FAVC teams.

8.       Walnut Hills: Buzzer beater win over Turpin has the Eagles feeling the momentum.

9.       Turpin: The confident Spartans are getting better. A buzzer beater loss at Walnut doesn’t drop them far.

Turpin SG Zach McCormick drives the lane
in their thrilling buzzer beater loss at Walnut Hills

10.   Fairfield: The Indians were off this week. 

Just Missed: Lakota West, West High, Ross

Division II-IV

1.       Taft: The Senators were off this week.

2.       Summit: The Silver Knights were off this week.

3.       Aiken: The Falcons were off this week.

4.       Franklin: Matchup this week with Springboro is building hype quickly.

5.       North College Hill: Blowout loss to Dayton Thurgood Marshall doesn’t drop them far.

6.       Lockland: Panthers had the week off.

7.       Norwood: Indians were off this week.

8.       Badin: GCL-Central favorites for now with Roger Bacon struggling.

9.       Madeira: CHL favorites for now still.

10.   Indian Hill: The Braves had the week off.

Just Missed: Finneytown, Roger Bacon, Clark, Hughes

Friday Scores

Kodey Jackson was the hero tonight
for Walnut Hills as he scored with just :01 left to win it.

What a night in the FAVC East as a buzzer beating put-back bucket by junior forward Kodey Jackson gave Walnut Hills the home win over Turpin in a packed “Nut House."
Walnut-Turpin Photos

• Walnut Hills 48 Turpin 47: In a defensive game, where both teams were extremely well prepared, the scoring picked up late as Turpin took their first lead of the game with just :42 remaining. After Walnut junior PG Sterling Gilmore, who scored 9 points in the win, drove for a layup to tie with :25 left Turpin again took the lead as senior guard Mitch Stevens’ free throw put the Spartans up 1 with :13 remaining. Sterling Gilmore again drove the lane and this time kicked out to junior guard Ricardo Hill for the three that missed but junior forward Kodey Jackson was able to get the rebound and score with less then one second left to give the Eagles the one point win, and the conference lead. Jackson finished with 11 points for Walnut while junior center Isaiah Johnson was a load in the paint as he tallied 13 points and 13 rebounds. Turpin got 12 points, most coming late off of drives, from sophomore combo guard Zach McCormick; while junior forward Connor Grotton led all scorers as he scored 19 points for Turpin (including four three point baskets). In the type of game where a neutral fan hates to see either team lose it was the Eagles who made more clutch plays down the stretch, including a pair of huge three’s from senior guard Andrew Mitchell, to get the rivalry win.

• Springboro 49 Middletown 47: The host school pulled the upset, remained undefeated, and took home the trophy in the championship game of the Domino’s Holiday Classic. Junior center Maverick Morgan, a high major recruit, led all scorers with 24 points in the win as the Middies could not match his 6’10 265 lbs body down low. Middletown’s only double figure scorer was senior guard Geovonie McKnight with 14 points.

• Hialeah Gardens (FL) 65 Moeller 59: The championship game of the Junior Orange Bowl Classic in Miami didn't go Moeller's way as they fell behind in the second quarter by double figures and never got closer then six the rest of the way. A very talented Hialeah team playing only three miles from their campus dealt the Crusaders their first loss of the season, as Moeller falls to 8-1.

• Louisville Ballard 62 Lakota East 49: The still undermanned Thunderhawks lost again as the overall talent of Ballard, and University of Louisville commitment ’14 SG Quinton Snider who scored a game high 18 points, was just too much for them. East was led by a pair of juniors as post Zach Panzeca scored 11 points and guard Robbie Harpring scored 13.

• Louisville Moore 52 Lakota West 39: The Firebirds finished in 6th place at the Republic Bank Holiday Classic in Lexington as they fell to another elite Kentucky squad. West was again led by the scoring of junior guard Ali Barnes who made the All-Tournament Team and finished with 11 points; junior SG Monty Boykins was West's high scorer with 14 points in the loss.

• Dayton Meadowdale 51 St. Xavier 46: The Bombers finished in 4th place at the Domino’s Holiday Tournament in Springboro as they fell to one of Dayton’s finest.

• West High 57 Elder 54: After losing to Elder every single year since 2002 the Mustangs finally got the win as a late defensive stop held off a Panther comeback.

Late Score:

• Winton Woods 73 Huber Heights Wayne 66: All five Warrior starters scored in double figures as sophomore PG Ronnie Rousseau had a career high 19 points, junior forward Trent Donald went for 16, junior forward Kwan Cheatham scored 13, senior post Zach McCorkle had 11, and sophomore SG Demetrius Suesberry also tallied 11. 

Scores from Thursday

Clark PG Max Hassell was the
Hughes Holiday Tourney MVP

While CPHR spent another day at the Hughes Holiday Classic, more top teams from the area played in and out of the city. '12 Clark PG Max Hassell vs '14 Hughes PG Angel Rivera became quite the matchup; in the end both proved one thing- they need more attention from recruiters! Photos

• Clark 65 Hughes 41: The Cougars won the title at the Hughes Holiday Classic by defeating the hosts with their overwhelming defensive pressure and transition offense. Senior guard Max Hassell continues to be the most improved guard in the city as he scored 21 points and won the MVP in the win. Sophomore guard Malik Rhodes is another improved player for Clark as he attacked the rim well with 8 points and 4 assists; Michael Gaines scored 10 points and David Burt 12 for the Cougars. Hughes was led by the 12 points of junior wing Terry Cook and the 10 points of sophomore PG Angel Rivera in the loss. Rivera was spectacular handling the ball against the Clark pressure but his teammates couldn't finish enough opportunities to get Hughes in the game past the second quarter. CPHR was also impressed with the energy and defense of Hughes sophomore forward Dwight Nared who tallied just 6 points but rebounded well and threw down a monster and-one two handed dunk in traffic. 
• Withrow 75 Detroit Cass Tech 56: Junior forward Devin Williams got his 2nd MVP trophy in three days as Withrow finished 3-0 at the Motorcity Roundball Classic. Williams was the only double figure scorer in a balanced Withrow effort as he went for 31 points, 15 rebounds, and 5 assists in the win. 
• Lakota West 79 Puliski County (KY) 70: Sophomore guard Tyler Williams' 14 points and 6 assists helped West pull out an overtime win in Lexington. Junior guard Ali Barnes added 23 points and junior swingman Monty Boykins tallied 15 in the win.
• Moeller 67 Sagemont (FL) 54: The Crusaders advanced in the Junior Orange Bowl Classic as they remain undefeated. Senior guard Ben Galemmo led Moeller with a hot shooting night leading to 22 points; while junior wing Josh Davenport had another big night with 20 points of his own.  
• LaSalle 70 Oak Hills 41: A big third quarter opened the floodgates as the Lancers remain undefeated. LaSalle was led by Josh Lemons with 14 points, junior guard Connor Speed added on 12 points while sophomore guard Jeff Larkin scored 10 points. 
• Middletown 68 St. Xavier 53: Sophomore wing Vincent Edwards scored 21 points with 11 rebounds, while senior guard Geovonie McKnight added 19, as the Middies rebounded from their loss to Moeller. Sophomore forward Roderick Mills led the Bombers with 14 points off the bench. 
• Colerain 64 Northwest 57: Junior guard Deiontay Waiters led four double figure Cardinal scorers with 16 points as Colerain held off a Northwest comeback attempt. Junior guards Milt Davis and Kane Davis, along with senior wing Eli'sha Campbell were the other Colerain double digit scorers. Northwest was led in scoring by the 16 points of senior guard Quez Evans while junior wing Ramar Hairston added 13 and senior wing Chazz Gwinn scored 12. 
• Mason 54 Milford 32: Senior guard JD Sprague led all scorers with 22 points while senior forward Mike Van Kleuen added 18 as the Comets cruised.
• Bishop Gorman (NV) 76 Lakota East 38: At the Beach Ball Classic in South Carolina the undermanned Thunderhawks, playing without their top two players in injured wings Mark Minch and Stedman Lowry, were no match for the consensus #1 player in the country in 6'7 SF Shabazz Muhammad. East was led in scoring by junior post Zack Panzeca with 10 points while Muhammad led all scorers with 22. 

Be on the look out for the announcement of updated Triple Double Prospects

 player rankings, coming mid next week!

Wednesday Local Scores

Angel Rivera

While CPHR spent the evening at the Hughes Holiday tourney, many of the top teams in the area were in action again today both in and out of Cincinnati.....
Hughes Tourney Photos

• Hughes 80 Riverview East Academy 15: In a game of two teams that were totally mismatched the Big Red jumped out to a 52-9 halftime lead and kept their foot on the pedal in defeating the small charter school from the East End in the semi-finals of the Hughes Holiday Tournament. Sophomore post Dwight Nared had a career night for Hughes tallying 19 points and 10 rebounds in the win for the double-double as The Big Red won their second game of the year, surpassing last year's win total. Sophomore guard Angel Rivera showed a great overall floor game with 10 points, 7 assists, and 4 steals in limited action due to the overwhelming margin. Hughes also got 12 points from junior wing Terry Cook, on 4/5 three point shooting, and 8 points from star sophomore wing Kevin Daniels. Hughes will play Clark tomorrow night in the championship game of the Hughes Holiday Tournament. 
• Clark 72 Dayton Ponitz 48: The Cougars defensive pressure was too much for Ponitz to handle as Clark built a big lead and kept running in fresh bodies as they blew out their opponent. Senior guard Max Hassell had another huge night as he scored 28 points, including three consecutive three point baskets midway through the third quarter to swell the lead past twenty points. Clark also got 13 points from athletic wing David Burt in the win. Clark will face Hughes tomorrow night in the championship of the Hughes Holiday Tournament. 
• Withrow 76 Kalamazoo Central (MI) 75: A schedule change pitted Withrow against Michigan's two time defending Division I State Champions, and the Tigers were up for the challenge. After a Devin Williams bucket with less then ten seconds gave Withrow the final lead game MVP Tim Coleman, a junior guard, stole the ball to seal the deal and put the Tigers at 2-0 at the Motorcity Roundball Classic in Detroit. Williams, a junior forward, led the scoring with 15 of his team high 17 points coming after half time (as foul trouble hampered him in the first). Junior wing Corey Wise scored 16 for Withrow, while sophomore guard Tyonte Robertson and Coleman each added 11 points.
• Walnut Hills 77 Elder 49: Junior post Isaiah Johnson scored 22 points with 16 rebounds while junior guard Sterling Gilmore added on 15 points in the Eagles convincing win over another GCL-South opponent. 
• Louisville Trinity 60 Lakota West 47: The Firebirds fell in the quarterfinals of the Republic Bank Holiday Classic in Lexington to the most talented team in Kentucky. Early shooting woes doomed West as they were unable to get closer then within five in the second half. Junior guards Monty Boykins and Ali Barnes led the scoring with 13 and 10 points respectively. 
• Moeller 63 Coral Reef (FL) 58: The Crusaders won their opening game at the Junior Orange Bowl Classic in Florida. Junior wing Josh Davenport continued his great season with a career high 30 points, and 10 rebounds to go along with it, as Moeller moved to 6-0.
• Dayton Thurgood 69 Marshall North College Hill 45: The Trojans fell behind early to the defending Division II State Runners-Up and never recovered as junior wing Mark Alstork led Thurgood to victory with 18 points. NCH was led by the 17 points of senior wing Jamal Ivery. 
• Roger Bacon 64 Gainesville (KY) 62: The Spartans rebounded from yesterday's loss to pick up a win in the Kentucky Gaslight Classic. 
• Lakota East received a bye until tomorrow as they made the winner's bracket at the Beach Ball Classic in South Carolina. 

Tuesday Scores

Darrin Harris has Division I colleges getting interested

While CPHR didn't end up seeing a nail-biter at Loveland tonight there still was plenty of action going around in the city. Check out our game photos, including two shots of Mason wing Darrin Harris' dunk: Photos

• Mason 61 Loveland 34: After a quick 26-3 start Comets head coach Greg Richards went deep into his bench to get all his players experience as the lead ballooned to 44-8 at the half, at which point Richards really slowed down the pace. CPHR was extremely impressed with Mason who defends with discipline, moves the ball around effectively, has more depth then we thought (even better is that guys really understand their roles), and has three big time players that can score at will. Senior wing Darrin Harris was the most impressive Comet tonight as he scored 8 points, including two on a high rising transition dunk, while senior forward Mike Van Kleunen displayed his usual skilled inside-outside game with 10 points on 5-5 shooting. Senior guard JD Sprague probably had the best overall stat line for Mason as he tallied 10 points, 5 assists, and 4 steals in the blowout win in which the starters only played three minutes in the second half. CPHR came way impressed with the floor vision of Mason senior point guard Tim Reale and the power of senior big Kevin Niehoff (who led all scorers with 11).
• Withrow 80 East Grand Rapids (MI) 56: The Tigers won their first game at Detroit's Motorcity Roundball Classic in dominant form as game MVP Devin Williams, a junior forward, led the way with 27 points and 8 rebounds. All the Withrow frontline players chipped in as senior forward Tyler Jordan scored 15 points and senior center Rozelle Nix added on 10 in the win. 
• Lakota East 61 Socastee (SC) 38: Behind 16 points from junior guard Robbie Harpring, and 10 points from sophomore PG Ryan Leppert, the Thunderhawks got started the right way at the Beach Ball Classic in South Carolina. 
• CPHR's thoughts go out to leading scorer Stedman Lowry, a junior wing, who suffered what doctors are fearing is a severe knee injury early in the East win tonight. 
• Lakota West 55 Simon Kenton (KY) 40: The Firebirds won their opening game at the Republic Bank Holiday Tournament in Lexington behind the 16 points of junior guard Monty Boykins and the 10 points of senior forward Jackson Blue. 
• Tates Creek (KY) 60 Roger Bacon 55: The Spartans fell in the opening round of the Gaslight Classic in Jeffersonville, KY.
• Colerain 76 Mt. Healthy 51: The talented group of Colerain juniors came to play today as the Cardinals blew out the visiting Owls behind a 28-5 2nd quarter. Cardinals junior guard Kane Thompson scored a career high 19 points, junior PG Deiontay Waiters scored 17 points with 5 assists, junior guard Milt Davis scored 13 points with 5 assists and 5 rebounds, and junior wing Bryan Porter chipped in 8 points as Colerain dominated. 

Nike All-Ohio City Series: Senior Big Men Highlights

The final set of highlight tapes from the Nike All-Ohio City Series Finals as we have footage of three of Cincinnati's top unsigned senior big men in 6'7 Aiken PF Paul Woodson, 6'8 Woodward C Chris Connell, and 6'10 Withrow C Rozelle Nix........

12/26-12/31 Schedule

Another busy week of high school hoops get underway, with several of the area's top teams playing games out of town. Stay tuned to CPHR for all the scores and top performers....

Tuesday

·         Lakota East @ Beach Ball Classic (SC)

·         Withrow @ Motorcity Roundball Classic (MI)

·         Roger Bacon @ Gaslight Classic (KY)

·         Mt. Healthy @ Colerain

·         Mason @ Loveland

Wednesday

·         Hughes Holiday Tournament: Games at 6:30 and 8:00

·         Moeller @ Jr Orange Bowl Classic (FL)

·         Withrow @ Motorcity Roundball Classic (MI)

·         North College Hill @ Thurgood Marshall

·         Elder @ Walnut Hills

·         Lakota East @ Beach Ball Classic (SC)

·         Roger Bacon @ Gaslight Classic (KY)

Thursday

·         Hughes Holiday Tournament: Games at 6:30 and 8:00  

·         Withrow @ Motorcity Roundball Classic (MI)

·         Moeller @ Jr Orange Bowl Classic (FL)

·         Northwest @ Colerain

·         LaSalle @ Oak Hills

·         Roger Bacon @ Gaslight Classic (KY)

·         St. Xavier @ Springboro Tournament

·         Middletown @ Springboro Tournament

·         Lakota East @ Beach Ball Classic (SC)

Friday

·         Middletown @ Springboro Tournament

·         St. Xavier @ Springboro Tournament

·         Winton Woods @ Huber Heights Wayne

·         Elder @ West High

·         Turpin @ Walnut Hills

·         Moeller @ Jr Orange Bowl Classic (FL)

Saturday

·         NONE

Senior Class Highlights from Nike All-Ohio City Series

Malcolm Smith

It took much, much longer then expected but video issues have been solved and CPHR is ready to release some highlights from the 2nd annual Nike All-Ohio City Series from late October in Columbus. We would like to extend our thanks to the Smith family for providing the footage and to Randale Griffith for doing the video editing. Here are the highlight tapes:

• Malcolm Smith- Princeton SG: http://youtu.be/FihuV7MRLxM

• Mark Minch- Lakota East SG: http://youtu.be/uKPb4fYe4qU

• Jermaine Freeman- Taft PG/SG: http://youtu.be/upiz8qKJrRQ

• Willie Moore- Aiken SG: http://youtu.be/rvWEFMt7RSM

• Geovonie McKnight- Middletown PG: http://youtu.be/bB2xmZ1QXO4

**A big man highlight tape of: Paul Woodson, Rozelle Nix, and Chris Connell will be released soon**

Week 4 Recap/New Power Rankings

Taft senior post Adolphus Washington

Mixed results for local teams in Holiday Tournaments, with many more coming next week, led to an interesting week in Cincinnati high school hoops; with many storylines and great individual and team performances....

Week Four Top Performers

• De’arius Young- ’12 Princeton C: The man they call “Tank” scored 51 total points in three Viking wins in their Championship performance in Florida.
• Adolphus Washington- ’12 Taft C: The Diesel scored at least 20 in all four Taft games in Florida, including a 31 point outing in a loss to Louisville Trinity.
• Willie Moore- ’12 Aiken SG: The top ranked player in Cincinnati had a 30 point game, followed by a 32 point game the next night, in Aiken’s 1-1 finish in Memphis.
• Josh Davenport- ’13 Moeller SG: The junior slasher dominated the game against Middletown with his aggressiveness. Davenport has a chance to be a special one for the Crusaders, who have taken over CPHR’s #1 spot.
• Mitch Stevens- ’12 Turpin PG: The senior scored over 20 points in both Spartan wins this week, helping lead his team to their 5-0 start.
• Kwan Cheatham- ’13 Winton Woods PF: 31 point breakout game on Wednesday proved that Cheatham is one of the top juniors in the state as a 6’8 combo forward.
• Isaiah Johnson- ’13 Walnut Hills C: The big man put the Eagles on his back with a 15 point and 17 rebound performance in a road win at St. Xavier.
• Isaiah Brown- ’13 Sycamore SG: In two big Aviator wins (Colerain and Anderson) Brown scored a career high 21 points then followed that with 17 the next game.
• Antonio Woods- ’14 Summit PG: The most underrated player in the city, and best unknown PG in the Midwest, Woods is not getting near enough credit for Summit’s 7-0 start.
• Sterling Gilmore- ’13 Walnut Hills PG: The Eagles needed the clutch shooting of Gilmore to turn their season around against St. Xavier and he delivered as Walnut Hills is looking like the talented team that they’re capable of becoming.

Week 5 Power Rankings (12/25)

Moeller junior wing Joshua Davenport
**Photo courtesy of Cincinnati Enquirer**

Division I 


1. Moeller: The Crusaders take over the top spot after dismantling Middletown on Friday. The production they get out of their little used seniors is incredible, starters like Voss and Sabato don’t get enough credit, PG Keith Watkins is set to return, and Galemmo and Davenport are dominant. What else do you need?
2. Withrow: Tigers move down a spot at no fault of their own, they’re still the most talented but Moeller has the best team right now. Withrow has a big week ahead with three games in Detroit to solidify if they’re for real or not.
3. Princeton: The Vikings went to Florida and came back with a trophy behind three big games from De’arius Young. Leading scorer Malcolm Smith is back from injury and the Vikings bench is contributing. Number one spot might be in contention.
4. LaSalle: Lancers are used to being undefeated, 5-0, at this point. Expect them to hit 8-0 before a big time matchup at home with Mason.
5. Winton Woods: Emerging frontline of McCorkle, Cheatham, and Donald has FAVC West teams worried. PG Ronnie Rousseau is coming into his own now that he has a little experience. Warriors just keep getting better and better.
6. Middletown: Loss at Moeller is just that, a loss; the margin is irrelevant. Middies need to develop more options besides McKnight and Edwards, but they’re very good.
7. Mason: CPHR is hesitant to move them any higher as they only have three scoring options, but this team gets it done and in big ways.
8. Fairfield: 6-1 going into Christmas? Unheard of, but Coach Austing has Indian fans believing. Can they continue to get wins in the GMC?
9. Turpin: 5-0 heading into Christmas, this is the Spartans team that fans hoped they would be. McCormick and Stevens are an elite backcourt in the city.
10. Walnut Hills: Impressive road win at St. Xavier has CPHR thinking that they are turning the corner. No doubt still the most dangerous team in the FAVC East.

Just Missed: Ross, Colerain, Lakota West, Lakota East, West High, St. Xavier, Milford, Sycamore

Division II-IV


1. Taft: The Senators might have dropped 4 out of 5 games in their road trip but no other local team could’ve done any better. Taft is still an overwhelming number one in these rankings. Adolphus Washington is going to make a run at Mr. Basketball by March.
2. Summit: Knights looked excellent in blowout over Woodward. A favorable stretch should put them at 10-0 heading into the North College Hill game.
3. Aiken: Tough emotional week for the Falcons yielded one win and one loss in Memphis. Team is coming together but role players need to be consistent.
4. Franklin: Three headed monster still rocking and rolling for the Wildcats with no ending in site soon. Their next game against Springboro will tell us just how good they are.
5. North College Hill: Disappointing loss to KY Newport Central Catholic but the new look Trojans are still sitting on just one loss going into Christmas.
6. Lockland: Tough schedule has them at 4-3 but the Panthers are the undisputed top Division IV team in Cincinnati.
7. Roger Bacon: Young team that is struggling with consistency is improving on the defensive end. Still the favorites in the struggling GCL-Central.
8. Badin: A blowout win over division rival Purcell and then a two point loss to GCL South school Elder keeps them in the rankings.
9. Madeira: Leading the CHL early with a 3-0 league record.
10. Indian Hill: CPHR likes their two man scoring punch to finish 2nd in the CHL, and maybe even make a run at 1st?

Just Missed: Finneytown, McNicholas, Clark, Mariemont, Hughes

Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, 

and thank you for reading from CPHR!

Friday Scores

Josh Davenport

The battle of CPHR's #2 and #3 ranked teams in Division I did not end in a judge's decision, it was a knockout. That plus the result from another Taft game against a highly ranked opponent highlight tonight's slate.... Photos

• Moeller 55 Middletown 38: Trailing 9-2 early, and struggling without playing a point guard, Moeller coach Carl Kremer allowed his experienced team to play through adversity. The result was a 18-3 Crusaders run led by the aggressive scoring of junior wing Josh Davenport; giving Moeller a double-figure lead which they would hold on to for most of the rest of the game. The pressure of Middletown was designed to speed up Moeller and force turnovers but it had the exact opposite effect as Moeller methodically broke the pressure and scored or set up their half-court offense. Defensively the men of Moe keyed in on Geovonie McKnight and Vincent Edwards, holding each to 12 points (8 points below their averages), forcing other players to take out of character shots. The key defender for Moeller was the underrated senior forward Alex Voss who did a great job frustrating Edwards and forcing him into tough shots; while senior Mike Riney and senior Ben Galemmo handled McKnight. Moeller was led by the 17 points and 10 rebounds of Josh Davenport, who is really taking over the GCL so far this season; while Galemmo added on 14 points and senior post Tony Sabato established himself inside with 10 points and 8 boards. With the win, and it being in such emphatic fashion, the debate begins for CPHR in deciding if Moeller should pass Withrow for the #1 spot in our polls. While they might not have the most overall talent it is tough to say that any team is better as a unit then Moeller right now.  
• Huntington Prep (WV) 72 Taft 53: The Senators took their fourth loss in five games as the nation's 13th ranked team dominated them at the Ironton Classic in Ironton, OH. After spending a week on the road the Senators are eager to get back to the confines of their own homes, and back to playing local competition. The top ranked prospect on H-Prep, senior PF Elijah Macon (a Columbus native who transferred for his final season) was named the game MVP as Taft had no answer for him on the low block. 
• Turpin 77 Northwest 73: The Spartans will enter Christmas 5-0 as they survived the shootout against a talented Knights team. Sophomore guard Zach McCormick was the high point man for Turpin with 24 while senior guard Mitch Stevens added 20 and junior forward Connor Grotton scored 15. Turpin was able to overcome subpar free throw shooting and get the win, despite the best efforts of Northwest junior guard Ramar Hairston; who scored 18 points in the loss. 
• Sycamore 61 Anderson 44: Junior guards Isaiah Brown and Joey Gruden each scored 17 points as the Aves got the win. Anderson junior forward Joe Cossins scored 13 points in the loss. 
• Fairfield 69 Talawanda 30: Senior wing Jeff Woods' 14 points and senior post Brandon Murphy's 11 points paced a balanced Indians attack in the win. 
• Covington Catholic 68 McNicholas 54: Drew Hall scored 20 points in the loss, despite a poor shooting night, as McNick's rough start (1-5) continued. 
• Elder 50 Badin 48
• Newport Catholic 66 Roger Bacon 59

Thursday Scores

Walnut Hills junior PG Sterling Gilmore

A few scores from around the city tonight……

• Aiken 62 Mitchell (TN) 48: The Falcons bounced back from a loss in their first game at the Lynx Holiday Classic in Memphis with a win over a good local team in Mitchell. Willie Moore, a senior shooting guard who put up 30 points in their loss yesterday, had another huge night with 32 points and 8 rebounds in the win. Aiken also got production from junior wing Austin Grimes who went for a double-double with 12 points and 15 rebounds. The Falcons now get ready to travel back to Cincinnati after finishing the event 1-1.

• Walnut Hills 56 St. Xavier 49: The Eagles add a nice road win to their resume with some clutch foul shooting and late game playmaking from junior PG Sterling Gilmore. Walnut was led by the 15 points and 17 rebounds of emerging star post Isaiah Johnson, a bulky 6’9 junior. In the loss the Bombers got 16 points from senior wing Ryan Gantzer.

• Summit 66 Purcell Marian 30: A late first half 32-4 Summit run put this game out of reach early as the Knights remain undefeated by rolling over the Cavaliers. Junior guard Kevin Johnson led Summit with 15 points while sophomore guard Antonio Woods added on 14 points. Purcell junior post Dwayne Wilson led the Cavs with 10 in the loss.

• Mason 82 Columbus Mifflin 28: Senior forward Mike Van Kleunen led the way with 21 points and 10 rebounds in the blowout while senior wing Darrin Harris added 17 points.

Scores from Wednesday

One of NKY’s finest gives Winton Woods all they can handle, a scary story leads to some much needed time on the court for Aiken, and Cincinnati finally has a 2-0 day in the Sunshine State as we saw an unusually  eventful slate of games on Wednesday in the Queen City…. Photo Album

Kwan Cheatham 

·         Winton Woods 77 Covington Catholic (KY) 70: The visiting Colonels refused to go away for all 32 minutes as Winton Woods had to earn their victory in a Forest Park shootout. In the end the game came down to the dominance of Winton Woods’ taller and more talented front line. The front line was led by 6’8 junior forward Kwan Cheatham who continued his rise on the list of the city’s elite players as he tallied a career high 31 points, on 10/15 shooting and a perfect 8/8 from the line, with 8 rebounds. Cheatham shoots the ball as well any forward in the state and his athleticism is starting to alter games; he made the highlight play in this one with a big time one handed transition dunk (see photos). Trent Donald, a junior forward, complemented Cheatham’s finesse with his power as Donald scored 15 points with 10 rebounds on a variety of strong post moves. CPHR was also impressed with the efficiency of sophomore point guard Ronnie Rousseau who handled the ball the entire game in the Warrior victory and scored 12 points as well. Covington Catholic was led by the scoring of sophomore point guard Nick Ruthsatz, who totaled 23 in the loss. The Colonels also got 10 points from junior guard Nick Fredrick, 11 points from senior wing Ryan Hayden, and 17 from junior forward Zach Tobler.

·         Taft 85 Constitution (PA) 61: The Senators took advantage of their final game in Florida as they got their first win in dominant fashion.  Note: After dropping 3/4 games in Florida the schedule doesn’t get any easier for the defending State Champions as they will board a bus to Ironton, OH as soon as their plane touches down Thursday. On Friday the Senators will take on nationally ranked Huntington Prep (WV) as the headliner game of the Ironton Holiday Classic.

·         Princeton 73 Florida Air Prep Academy 62: The Vikings finished as the champions of the Rock Holiday Classic with a victory over a Florida team with three Division I signees. For the third night in a row Princeton got points from at least 9 players as their depth and versatility is really making up for missing senior guard Malcolm Smith, who is returning soon from an injury. Senior post De’arius “Tank” Young had his third straight double figure game with 13 points, senior guard (and vocal leader) Deion Isham scored a game high 15 points, and junior playmaking PG Dorian Jordan added 13 points as well.

·         Lausanne (TN) 75 Aiken 70: After a busy day of a lot more important things then basketball, see the article below if you haven’t heard about the tragedy that Aiken was able to miraculously avoid, the Falcons just didn’t have enough bounce in their step to finish this game off at the Lynx Holiday Classic in Memphis, TN.  Senior wing Willie Moore scored 30 points for Aiken in the loss, sophomore guard Correy Cavins scored 22, and senior forward Paul Woodson added 16 for the Falcons who play their second game of the Classic tomorrow.

·         New Richmond 55 Hughes 53

Aiken Survives a Scare

The Aiken Falcons basketball team was planning on a routine trip to Memphis to play in a holiday tournament event when they left on Wednesday morning. By the afternoon their plans had changed as the bus caught fire and burned down to it's frame two hours north of Memphis.

Fortunately everyone on board was able to quickly clear the bus safely and no one sustained any injuries but the event was still startling nonetheless.

What Aiken did lose in the fire was this- player shoes, some uniforms, warmups, players bags with their personal clothes, the team spending money, and other personal effects.

Being that is the giving season CPHR is asking anyone interested in helping the Aiken team with a small donation to replace their lost team apparel to email us at cincyprephoopsreport@gmail.com; from there we will handle communication between the donating party and Coach Leon Ellison.

The one bright note for Aiken is that they still will be able to participate in the tournament. Coach Ellison told CPHR that although details were changing by the minute but that Aiken will find a way to play this evening. "It's just more adversity, our kids are used to dealing with that. We're going to play this event, it teaches us life lessons," Ellioson told us.

Please join the Cincinnati basketball community in being thankful that everyone was ok and in trying to assist the team as they get back on their feet.

Tuesday Scores

Cincy Prep Hoops Report took in a full-scale beating in a night of close games..... Game Photos

Summit junior PG Kevin Johnson and Woodward
junior wing Tyrone Whithead in Summit's 55-30 road win

• Summit 55 Woodward 30: The defensive pressure and efficient offense of the Silver Knights propelled them to a 18-4 lead after the first quarter in a game that never got interesting after that. Another Silver Knights run to start the second half was all Summit needed to put the game out of reach as they turned in a good performance on both ends of the court. The offensive production came mostly from star guards Kevin Johnson, the junior scored 16 points with 6 rebounds and 4 assists, and sophomore Antonio Woods, a sophomore point who tallied 10 points with 6 rebounds and 3 assists. Summit also got a near double-double performance from senior post Holdy Hertzel who finished with 9 points and 10 rebounds. Woodward was led by the 8 points of junior wing Tyrone Whitehead. 
• Trinity (KY) 76 Taft 72: The Senators fall to 0-3 at the City of the Palms Classic in Florida with a disappointing overtime loss to a team they probably should've beat. Senior post Adolphus Washington exploded for 31 points and 14 rebounds, giving him 71 points in 3 games in Florida, but that wasn't enough to get Taft the win. The Senators got 14 points from senior wing Jalean Lowe and 13 points from senior guard Jermaine Freeman. Taft plays their final game tomorrow before returning to Ohio. 
• Princeton 88 North Broward (FL) 74: The Vikings improve to 2-0 at the Rock Holiday Classic in Florida; after trailing at the half the Vikings bust the game wide open in the fourth behind the continued success of senior post De'arius "Tank" Young who scored 21 points in the win. Princeton again got great production off their bench as junior wing Darius Hilson came in to score 17; while for the second night in a row over ten players scored for Princeton.  
• Lakota West 56 Lakota East 51: In a game being billed as an instant classic the Thunderhawks slowly chipped away at a double figure Firebirds lead, built off a great defensive first half, but were unable to get close enough as West takes the rivalry win. Sophomore guard Tyler Williams stepped up with 15 big points in the win while junior guard Monty Boykins scored 11, senior post Jackson Blue scored 10, and junior guard Ali Barnes added on 8 for West. The men of East were led by the 15 points of junior wing Stedman Lowry and the 12 points of both Zach Panzecca, a junior post, and Keith Brady, a junior forward. 
• Mason 54 Fairfield 52: The Comets "Big 3" were not about to allow a second consecutive league loss as they won a thriller on the road against previously undefeated Fairfield. Senior wing Darrin Harris tallied 21 points, senior guard JD Sprague went for 17 points, and senior forward Mike Van Kleunen added 14 as Mason rallied from a fourth quarter deficit to get the win. For Fairfield, senior post Brandon Murphy led the way with 15 points and 8 rebounds. 
• Turpin 53 Milford 42: The Spartans remain undefeated, few would've predicted that, as they defeated an Eagle team that has typically handled Turpin well. Senior guard Mitch Stevens had another nice night for Turpin, scoring 22 points, and sophomore Zach McCormick added 14 points (in limited minutes due to foul trouble). Milford was led by the 15 points and 10 rebounds of senior center Rob Overbeck in the loss. 
• Moeller 65 Brookwood (GA) 24: 15 Crusaders scored, which has to be a school record, as Moeller raced out to a 21 point lead after the first quarter and steadily increased it over the game. Senior post Tony Sabato was the high scorer for Moeller as he scored 9 points in the win, the next leading scorer was junior post Patrick Wrencher with 8 points. 
• Sycamore 50 Colerain 48: Aves junior guard Isaiah Brown scored triple his average with 21 points to help Sycamore pull the huge upset, giving Colerain it's second consecutive league loss. The 16 points of junior guard Kane Thompson, and 12 points of senior wing Eli'sha Campbell, were not enough as the Cardinals were unable to complete the comeback. 
• St. Xavier 48 Bishop Fenwick 45: The Bombers rallied from a fourth quarter deficit to get the win behind the 17 points of junior guard Alex Blink and the 13 points of sophomore forward Roderick Mills. 
• Dayton Carroll 66 Roger Bacon 58: Junior forward Erik Edwards led the Spartans with 16 points, while sophomore guard Austin Frentsos added 10, in a disappointing loss for the young Bacon squad. 
• Lockland 59 Wyoming 47: The Panthers outscored the Cowboys 13-1 in the 2nd overtime period of a win that much closer then the score suggests. Junior guard Dylan Wedlock led Lockland with 23 points. 
• Northwest 54 CHCA 46: 7 different Knights scored at least 5 points, led by senior wing Chazz Gwinn and freshman PG Isaiah Jones with 10 each, as Northwest defeated CHCA. 
• LaSalle 52 McNicholas 34
• Newport Central Catholic 77 North College Hill 60 
• Walnut Hills 63 Anderson 48

Monday Scores from Florida

Princeton senior center De'arius "Tank" Young

Cincinnati teams went 1-1 on the day in the Sunshine State……

·         Lake Wales (FL) 75 Taft 61: The Senators fell to 0-2 at The City of the Palms Classic in Ft. Meyers, Florida as they let their in-state opponent jump out to an early lead that Taft was never able to comeback from. Senior post Adolphus Washington had his second 20 point game of the event, and for the second time grabbed double digit rebounds. The shooting of senior Jalean Lowe and sophomore Marcus Scott provided most of the rest of Taft’s points as the duo each scored 10. The Senators will play again on Tuesday in another consolation round as they try and get their first win at the annual event that is considered the nation’s toughest competition.

·         Princeton 89 Lake Mary Prep (FL) 72: The Vikings won their first game at the Rock Holiday Classic in Coconut Creek, FL based on a strong first half which ended with them leading 42-29. The leading scorer for Princeton was senior center De’arius “Tank” Young who tallied 17 points on the night as every Viking scored. 

Full Week Preview

With several teams being out of town this week, and next, CPHR will be working hard to bring you the coverage from all those games, as well as the local ones. Here are the top games to check out before Christmas…..

Tuesday

·         Taft @ City of Palms Classic (Florida): After falling 75-61 to Lake Wales (FL) on Monday morning the Senators are 0-2 and looking to get on the board in the Nation’s most prestigious holiday tournament.

·         Lakota West @ Lakota East: The biggest of all GMC rivalries comes at a time when East is struggling to find their identity. East got the best of West in a major way last year; West is the favorite to avenge that this year.

o   Prediction: Lakota West wins a close game.

·         Mason @ Fairfield: The Indians try and stay undefeated against a Mason team trying to get back on their feet after falling to Middletown on Friday. Fairfield will have to shoot well, and find an answer for Mason wing Darrin Harris, to win this; but playing as well as they are right now they’re probably the favorites.

o   Prediction: Mason wins a close one.

·         Brookwood (GA) @ Moeller

·         Sycamore @ Colerain

·         Anderson @ Walnut Hills

·         West High @ North College Hill

·         Summit @ Woodward

·         Milford @ Turpin

·         Dayton Carroll @ Roger Bacon

·         McNicholas @ LaSalle

·         St. Xavier @ Bishop Fenwick

·         Northwest @ CHCA

Wednesday

·         Taft @ City of Palms Classic

·         Hughes @ New Richmond

·         Covington Catholic @ Winton Woods

·         Aiken @ The Lynix Classic (Memphis, TN)

Thursday

·         Walnut Hills @ St. Xavier

·         Summit @ Purcell Marian

·         Aiken @ Lynix Classic (Memphis, TN)

Friday

·         Taft vs Huntington Prep (WV): Right after returning home from the City of the Palms Classic in Florida the Senators board a bus to go to the annual Ironton Classic in Ironton, OH where they face one of the nation’s top teams in H-Prep. Seniors Elijah Macon and Evan Payne, both Ohio natives, are among the talented group of Division I prospects on the Prep roster. With Taft being 0-2 (at the time of this article’s release) in Florida they should come out with a chip on their shoulder in this one.

o   Prediction: Hate to go against Taft but CPHR thinks that a long week will get longer as Huntington Prep is just too talented for the Senators.

·         Middletown @ Moeller: Two of the top four teams in our Power Rankings square off as Moeller looks for revenge, after Middletown humiliated them late last year (ruining what was a perfect Moeller regular season). It’s tough to get a road win in this series as each of the last two times the home team as dominated. CPHR is excited to see the matchup of Moeller junior wing Josh Davenport and Middletown sophomore wing Vincent Edwards, both of whom are averaging over 19 ppg.

o   Prediction: Moeller won’t lose this one at home. The Middies take their first loss, but its close.

·         McNicholas @ Covington Catholic

·         Roger Bacon @ Newport Catholic

·         Northwest @ Turpin

·         Anderson @ Sycamore

·         Badin @ Elder

·         Fairfield @ Talawanda

Saturday

·         None

Week 3 Recap/Updated Team Rankings

Aiken senior SG Willie Moore

What a week it was in Cincinnati high school basketball. CPHR got a chance to see our top ranked Division I team for the first two times this season, both of which resulted in wins. We had some more big time clashes between GMC rivals, and the all important first round of GCL South divisional games. Who were the top performers this week; and how do we decide which teams fall where in the rankings? Check out our take….

Week Three Top Performers 

·         Willie Moore- ’12 Aiken SG: Team might have lost fourth quarter leads against Middletown and Withrow but Moore was spectacular. He scored 21 against Middletown, single handedly keeping his team in it, then put up 17 against a Withrow defense keyed in on stopping him.

·         Geovonie McKnight- ’12 Middletown PG/SG: 29 points in a close win on Tuesday against Aiken then 21 against Mason on Friday have us thinking early GMC Player of the Year.

·         Vincent Edwards- ’14 Middletown SF: Two huge wins, Aiken and Mason, were made possible by Edwards who scored 22 and then 20 with double-figure rebounds both nights.

·         Robert Overbeck- ’12 Milford C: Two 17 point outings in two big Eagles wins this week.

·         Paul Woodson- ’12 Aiken PF: A 18 point and 19 rebound game Tuesday and a 19 point and 15 rebound game on Friday marks an impressive week for this late bloomer.

·         Deion Isham- ’12 Princeton PG: With Malcolm Smith out Isham has been averaging 14 points for undefeated Princeton, including 24 in a comeback win over Colerain.

·         Carlas Jackson- ’14 Roger Bacon SF: The breakout sophomore is averaging over 14 points a game and led his team to two victories this week.

·         Deontez McGee- ’12 Norwood SG: Our prediction for the city’s leading scorer might come true as ‘Tez dropped 27 on Tuesday and is now averaging 20 points.

·         Josh Davenport- ’13 Moeller SG/SF: He’s averaging over 19 points a game, with a 22 point performance on Friday where he also grabbed 13 boards, and shooting 68% from the field. Not bad for a junior in a senior dominated division.

·         Jeff Larkin- ’14 LaSalle SG: We’re adding an 11^th player this week as we have to recognize Larkin for scoring 19 points in his first varsity divisional game in the GCL South.

Week 4 Power Rankings (12/18/11)

Middletown sophomore wing Vincent Edwards

Division I 

1.       Withrow: A convincing win over previously ranked West High on Friday and then taking Aiken’s best shot and coming back on Saturday is enough to hold on to the top spot. We’ll see how they do after Christmas in Detroit where they have a rough three game schedule.

2.       Moeller: They’re 1-0 in the GCL South, that’s all that matters to the Crusaders. On to the next one….

3.       Middletown: Flexed their muscles, and got top spot consideration, after wins over Aiken and Mason. McKnight and Edwards 1-2 punch has been too much for teams to handle thus far.

4.       LaSalle: The Lancers seem to be getting better and better as they keep proving doubters wrong. As CPHR said a month ago, sophomore guard Jeff Larkin is for real!

5.       Princeton- Impressive comeback win at Colerain has us feeling like they will attack that top spot at some point once Malcolm Smith returns from injury.

6.       Winton Woods- Young team just keeps on winning, they’re only going to get better.

7.       Mason- Can’t say much bad about a team that was tied after three quarters at Middletown.

8.       Fairfield- This team is undefeated with 5 wins. Coach Austing is our early season “Coach of the Year” as this group of veterans really believes.

9.       Turpin- The up and coming program keeps on winning as they knocked off another rival in Anderson, this team could be very dangerous come playoff time.

10.   Colerain- They’ve yet to find their groove, as they gave one away to Princeton, but CPHR still likes this team and once they get the pieces in the right places they’ll be fine.

Just Missed: Walnut Hills, Ross, Milford, West High, St. Xavier, Lakota East, Lakota West

Division II-IV

1.       Taft- They played a top ten nationally ranked team, in Grace Prep (TX) with 5 nationally ranked top 75 players, and only lost by 3? Tough to move them down after that. With up to three games left in Florida, then a matchup with Huntington Prep in Ironton, Taft will be more then battle tested when they re-enter CMAC play.

2.       Summit-With 4 blowouts and a close win over Lockland under their belt Summit appears to be, along with NCH, the team to beat in the MVC and the city in Division III.

3.       Franklin- Still undefeated, although the competition isn’t great. The Rossi twins and freshman Luke Kennard are simply too talented for their opponents.

4.       Aiken- Two losses this week (to top 4 D1 teams) in which they could’ve easily won tells us this team is improving. The schedule doesn’t get any easier so they better not stop working.

5.       North College Hill- Still undefeated, people are still surprised, but Lou Walker and Jamal Ivery continue to light up that scoreboard.

6.       Lockland- There are no moral victories but taking Dayton Jefferson to overtime on the road in their first game with big Avery Barnes back is impressive.

7.       Roger Bacon- Young team went on the road and won their first GCL Central game at McNick. Impressive, even more impressive is sophomore wing Carlas Jackson.

8.       Badin- They’re 4 and 1 while winning their first GCL Central game by 40 points over Purcell.

9.       McNicholas- Have to find a way to win these close games, Drew Hall needs more help!

10.   Madeira- Atop the early CHL standings in what is going to be a four way race.

Just Missed: Finneytown, Madeira, Mariemont, Clark, CHCA, Hughes