Tuesday Final Scores

Paul Woodson had a great stat line
in Aiken's comeback win over Elder

JB's Pick Six turned out to be the best game of the night, with the predicted winner correct, as several games came down to the wire........

• Madeira 58 Indian Hill 57: As expected the game came down to the wire, as Madeira took total control of the drivers seat in the CHL with a one point home victory behind the 26 points of Andrew Benintendi. 
• Aiken 73 Elder 70: After trailing for all of the game senior guard Willie Moore put the dagger on a comeback by hitting a big three pointer to give Aiken the lead with less then a minute remaining. Moore finished with 25 points, 8 assists, and 10 rebounds in the win. Senior forward Paul Woodson added 27 points and 13 rebounds for Aiken; while sophomore guard Correy Cavins chipped in 13 points. Sophomore forward Taylor Lee led Elder with 15 points and 7 rebounds.  
• Mason 51 Colerain 40: Senior guard JD Sprague scored 17 points and senior wing Darrin Harris added 14 as the Comets got the win. Colerain was led by the 14 points of junior guard Milt Davis in the loss. 
• Fairfield 60 Lakota East 41: Senior forward Keon Benjamin scored a game high 17 points, his third straight game as leading scorer, for Fairfield. Junior guard Robbie Harpring scored 16 for East in the loss.
• Middletown 65 Hamilton 46: Geovonie McKnight scored 20 points and Vincent Edwards totaled 13 points and 15 rebounds in a blowout win for the Middies.
• Lakota West 69 Oak Hills 41: Monty Boykins, a junior guard, scored a game high 18 points for West in a game that they won by a much bigger margin then expected. 
• Princeton 60 Sycamore 50: Deion Isham scored 19 points, while senior center De'arius Young won the battle of the bigs against Sycamore's AJ Williams in the Vikings win. 
• West High 77 Seven Hills 40: Keevin Tyus and Darrell Bullock each added 16 points in the Mustang win. 
• Kettering Alter 62 McNicholas 59: Junior guard Jaaron Simmons scored a team high 21 points to lead Alter to a comeback win. Drew Hall went off for 30 points in the loss. 
• Chaminade Julienne 49 Roger Bacon 46: Sophomore wing Justin Bibbs and senior forward John Staley each scored 12 points to lead CJ to the win. Junior Jake Westerfeld, a forward, led Bacon with 11 points in the loss. 
• Turpin 54 Milford 32: Senior guard Mitch Stevens scored 19 points while sophomore guard Zach McCormick added 15 in the blowout win. 
• Walnut Hills 64 Anderson 43: Junior post Isaiah Johnson scored 20 points with 12 rebounds in another dominant performance by the Eagles.
• Clark 69 Shroder 62: Max Hassell continued his hot scoring streak with 22 points in the win. Shroder was led by senior forward Randale Griffith's 14 points and 7 rebounds. 
• Harrison 63 Northwest 56: The streaking Knights were upset by the Wildcats in a frustrating loss, despite the 17 points of sophomore guard Devyn Walker. 
• Winton Woods 68 Mt. Healthy 59: Kwan Cheatham led the Warriors with 17 points in the win. 
• Reading over Finneytown: Final score not yet available.

JB's Pick Six- Volume III

Madeira junior SG Andrew Benintendi
Photo courtesy of: locals.cincinnati.com

In a matchup of CHL powers, with the title on the line, Indian Hill (11-3) (8-1) will visit Madeira (11-3) (8-0).  Indian Hill, coming off a 19 point loss to the Aiken Falcons on Saturday, must find a way to get back to their winning ways.  This is the first of two important meetings with the finale at Indian Hill February 17^th.  The Braves have to have a better outing from their leader Teddy Kremchek who shot a dismal 3/10 from the field against Aiken finishing with just 6 points and 5 rebounds. Surely, Braves coaches will be happy with the effort and consistency of Steve Bell who had 12 points and 7 rebounds but must handle the ball better, as he turned the ball over 7 times. Austin Trout has to contribute more and find his shot after shooting just 5/20 last game.  The Mustangs are led by one of the top scorers in the city in Andrew Benintendi (23.1 ppg). They also feature John Michael Wyrick, coming off a 17 point game in a win over Mariemont, and Isaac Rupe, who had 13 points against Mariemont. Both will be counted on to add to the scoring column when the Braves likely double Benintendi.  Anticipating a great game today’s pick is going to be Madeira who, despite a great effort from the Braves, is too tough for Indian Hill to beat in the Mustangs’ home gym. 

Mid-Week Schedule

A CHL title game, with a rematch coming later, is the highlight of the mid-week schedule:

·         Indian Hill @ Madeira: The first of two matchups that will decide the outcome of the CHL. Indian Hill comes into the game with one conference loss, while Madeira is undefeated in league play. Does Indian Hill have the firepower to keep up with Madeira’s guards? We’ll see.

o   Prediction: Madeira is too good at home, we’ll take the Mustangs.

·         Lakota West @ Oak Hills: Two teams that have been giant killers in the GMC meet up in a game that goes a long way towards deciding tourney seeding next weekend.

o   Prediction: Lakota West has too many scoring options, Firebirds win.

·         Clark @ Shroder

·         Mason @ Colerain

·         Lakota East @ Fairfield

·         Hamilton @ Middletown

·         Sycamore @ Princeton

·         Walnut Hills @ Anderson

·         Finneytown @ Reading

·         Aiken @ Elder

·         Seven Hills @ West High

·         Roger Bacon @ Chaminade Julienne

·         Turpin @ Milford

·         Harrison @ Northwest

·         North College Hill @ CCD

Weekly Top Performers/Updated Team Rankings

Week 9 Top Performers

Deion Isham of Princeton

·         Willie Moore- ’12 Aiken SG: Is there any doubt who the best off guard in the state is? 32 points on 13/17 shooting with 10 rebounds and 5 assists on Saturday proves that the conversation begins and ends with Willie Moore.

·         Anthony LaMachia- ’12 Loveland SG: Set a Tigers record for most three pointers in a game with 8 on his way to a career high 31 points on Tuesday.

·         Isaiah Johnson- ’13 Walnut Hills C: His 24 points and 12 rebounds led the Eagles to the FAVC title on the road against Turpin.

·         Max Hassell- ’12 Clark PG: 29 point outburst at Seven Hills was a signature performance.

·         Ramar Hairston- ’13 Northwest SG: At least 14 points in two league wins, including the Winton Woods upset, the Knights are on the rise in the FAVC.

·         Deion Isham- ’12 Princeton PG: 22 points on Tuesday followed by 19 on Friday, big week is just part of a great senior season so far for the combo guard.

·         Monty Boykins- ’13 Lakota West SG: Junior went off for 26 points in an overtime win over Colerain, along with 18 on Tuesday.

Week 10 Power Rankings (01/29)

Division I

1.       LaSalle: Another team takes over the #1 spot, and the pressure that goes with it; Lancers are rolling.

2.       Moeller: 2^nd in the city and 2^nd in the GCL-South right now, but still time to change both.

3.       Mason: Upset by Princeton meant that their stay at #1 was short lived.

4.       Middletown: Still looking for a third scorer, but still winning; so they keep their high rankings.

Anthony LaMachia

5.       Walnut Hills: Eagles looked impressive against Turpin, they’re on the rise in the city.

6.       Winton Woods: Loss to Northwest shocked the league, Warriors should still win the league outright.

7.       Princeton: Knocking off Mason was huge for the GMC shake-down, healthy Vikings are a tough out.

8.       Turpin: Another devastating loss to Walnut Hills is going to cost them a share of the FAVC-East.

9.       Fairfield: Loss to Fairfield looks bad but the Aves are better then they get credit for. 

10.   Withrow: Their 5^th loss of the season has fans worrying about a possible implosion coming soon.

Just Missed: Lakota West, Northwest, West High

Division II-IV

1.       Taft: 50 point win over Hughes proves again that no one in the city can tough them.

2.       Franklin: No one left on their schedule can touch them, lock for 20-0 going into tourney.

3.       Summit: Undefeated for now, with Scott County game cancelled it should stay that way.

4.       Aiken: Knocking off Indian Hill will help with tourney seeding, Falcons are still up and down.

5.       Madeira: Andrew Benentindi is having a special season, Mustangs control the CHL.

6.       Clark: Starting to gel on offense, swarming defense has been great all season long.

7.       North College Hill: Run out of the gym by Urbana on Saturday, Trojans are better then that.

8.       Indian Hill: Blowout loss to Aiken is going to hurt in the tournament seeding.

9.   Lockland: Still the top Division IV team in Cincinnati, and possibly SW Ohio.
10. Roger Bacon: Nearly clinched the GCL-Central with win over McNick.

Just Missed: Finneytown, Mariemont, Deer Park, Badin, McNicholas

Saturday Night Scoreboard

Aiken senior SG Willie Moore

A day marked by several games matching Cincinnati and Dayton opponents had its ups and downs for local teams, while Willie Moore turned in one of the city's best individual performances of the season.....

• LaSalle 48 Dayton Northmont 34: Josh Lemons scored 16 points while fellow senior guard Ben Mercer chipped in 10 off the bench as LaSalle overcame a slow start to comfortably win in Dayton. Northmont was led by senior guard Devon Carter with 15 points. 
• Aiken 71 Indian Hill 52: Willie Moore scored 32 points in only three quarters of play, along with 10 rebounds and 5 assists, as Aiken put themselves in strong position to earn the Southwest Divsion II number two seed in the tournament draw. 
• Dayton Jefferson 73 Woodward 68: Senior guards Nick Thornton and Devon Foster each scored 17 points, leading Jefferson to a huge fourth quarter to take the win at home. Woodward was led by the 19 points of senior wing Eric Hill.
• Urbana 59 North College Hill 47: Despite the 21 points of senior wing Jamal Ivery and the 13 points of senior guard Louis Walker the Trojans were unable to get the win over highly regarded Urbana at home. Urbana was led by the 31 points of Zach Stillings. 
• Milford 48 Goshen 46: Sharpshooting junior guard Brennan Ferrell scored 19 points to lead the Eagles to the win. 
• Franklin 79 Edgewood 34: Junior guard Trevor Lakins scored 16 while freshman guard Luke Kennard added 14 as the Wildcats remain undefeated. Senior forwards Jacob and Justin Rossi added 10 and 12 points respectively in the win.
• Summit's game tomorrow in Louisville with Scott County has been cancelled and will not be reschedule. The undefeated Silver Knights are currently seeking an opponent for their 20th game. 

Withrow's Losing Skid Continues

A wild fourth quarter of play changed what looked to be a blowout turned into an instant classic on Saturday afternoon on Madison road.......

Thurgood Marshall's Joe Thomasson, Mark Alstork,
Joe Ballard, and Edmond "Junior" Early

Dayton Thurgood Marshall 58 Withrow 49: One of Dayton’s premier teams made the trip down to Cincinnati to play a talented Withrow squad. The Tiger’s struggled all first half as they were plagued with turnovers and sloppy play. Thurgood Marshalls top player senior wing Joe Thomasson took advantage of Withrow’s mistakes in the first half scoring 18 of his teams 36 points helping them to a 15 point halftime lead. At the start of the 4^th quarter the Cougars lead stood at 46-32 and it seemed as if they would win with ease but the Tigers would claw back and make this one interesting. Withrow dominated the first five minutes of the final quarter, using a total team effort while putting together a furious 15-2 run and a score plus the foul by Withrow junior power forward Devin Williams put the score at 48-47 with 3:22 left. Numerous missed opportunities by Withrow and good free throw shooting from Thurgood to end the game proved to be the difference in this one as the Cougars managed to get the hard fought road victory. The Tigers were lead by Devin Williams 15 points and 8 rebounds while senior guard Damon Gooch finished with 14. Leading the Cougars was senior guard Joe Thomasson, finishing with a game high 23 points. Junior guards Mark Alstork and Edmond “Junior” Early also scored in double figures for Thurgood as they scored 12 and 11 respectively. CPHR was also impressed with the defensive efforts of Tim Coleman, Tyler Jordan, and Kendall Beamon who made critical plays for Withrow down the stretch as the Tigers got back in the game.

·         Story by CPHR’s Daniel Watkins

Friday Night Scores

Patrick Wrencher showed great physicality
down low in a blowout Moeller win over Elder

Tonight might have been marked by low scoring affairs but we did see some close game and great rivalry wins in all the top leagues....... 

• Moeller 61 Elder 40: The defense of Moeller made up for the ineffectiveness of the Crusader offense as they used a 16-4 2nd quarter to take control of the game. Junior guard Josh Davenport led Moeller with 12 points while senior guard Jack Cummings added on 11 points. Inside the Crusaders were able to have their way as Patrick Wrencher, a junior post scored 9, as did senior post Devon Gesky. Moeller also got 8 points from Ben Galemmo and 6 from Keith Watkins. 
• LaSalle 39 St. Xavier 22: Senior guard Josh Lemons led the Lancers to the win in a low scoring night marked by LaSalle's great defensive effort as Coach Dan Fleming became the schools all-time winningest coach. 
• Lakota West 77 Colerain 71: Monty Boykins, a junior guard, had a great shooting night en route to 26 big points to go along with 15 rebounds in the Firebirds overtime win. Ali Barnes and Tyler Williams, both guards, added 20 and 14 respectively in the win. Colerain was led by the 21 points of senior wing Eli'sha Campbell and the 15 points of Deiontay Waiters, CJ Reed, and Milt Davis. 
• Princeton 63 Lakota East 39: Senior guard Deion Isham scored 19 points on 8/9 shooting while junior guard D'Juan Scott added 10 points in the win. 
• Winton Woods 49 Ross 39: Junior forward Kwan Cheatham scored 13 along with sophomore PG Ronnie Rousseau's 13 in a road win. 
• Northwest 63 Talawanda 38: Ramar Hairston scored 14 points in the Knights 8th straight win. 
• Taft 95 Hughes 67: Orlando Berry scored 22 and Adolphus Washington chipped in 16 as Taft rolled by the Big Red again. Terry Cook, a junior guard, and sophomore guard Kevin Daniels each added 16 points for Hughes. 
• Turpin 57 Anderson 43: Mitch Stevens scored 19 and Zach McCormick added 17 as the Spartans rebounded from the Walnut Hills loss without the sick Connor Grotton.
• Withrow 62 Shroder 43: Tim Coleman, who had missed the last 5 games, led Withrow in scoring with 18 points while senior big man Rozelle Nix added 6 points, 13 rebounds, and 10 blocks. 
• Clark 72 Seven Hills 47: Senior guard Max Hassell had another huge scoring night with 26 points in a Clark win, including 5/6 three-pointers in the first quarter. 
• Walnut Hills 93 Glen Este 62: Isaiah Johnson scored 21 points, grabbed 13 rebounds, and blocked 5 shots while junior PG Khari Burton scored 18 in another Walnut win. 
• Sycamore 54 Fairfield 51: AJ Williams scored 16 points with 11 rebounds as the Aves pulled the upset. Fairfield senior Keon Benjamin was the game high scorer with 20 points. 
• Middletown 61 Oak Hills 43: Geovonie McKnight scored 26 points and junior wing Jalin Marshall added 17 points in the Middies win. 
• Franklin 74 Valley View 42: Freshman guard Luke Kennard had another monster scoring game with 22 points as the Wildcats remained undefeated. Junior guard Zach Denny scored 28 for VV. 
• Mason 24 Hamilton 22: In a low, low, low scoring game Mason senior Mike Van Kleunen was the only double-figure scorer with 10 points.
• Roger Bacon 44 McNicholas 39: The Spartans recovered from a double figure deficit to get the win at home, essentially clinching the GCL Central as they were able to overcome the injury of sophomore wing Carlas Jackson and the 22 points of McNicholas senior wing Drew Hall.  
• West High 73 Woodward 52
• Summit 54 CCD 27

JB's Pick Six- Volume II

McNicholas senior wing Drew Hall

In a matchup with a GCL (Central) title on the line, the McNicholas Rockets (7-5) (3-2) led by Seniors Drew Hall ( 17.6-2nd leading scorer in GCL) and Ryan Coldiron ( 12.4  ppg, 57 fg % and 1.5 blks-leader in the GCL)visit the Spartans of Roger Bacon (9-5) (4-1).  Sophomore Carlas Jackson (12.8 and Junior Eric Edwards (12.4 ppg 3pt fg-41.7   % and 8.1 rpg-4th leading rebounder in the GCL).  In their first meeting it was a very close game that Spartans outlasted Rockets 42-40.  Led by EE 10 pts 9 rebs and Carlas Jackson chipped in 9. Look for Bacon to get some extra help from Junior Jake Westerfield, Sophomore Austin Frentsos and Freshman Dahmere Epperson to try to hold home court.  Scoop thinks the Rockets are too much; Drew Hall redeems his dismal shooting (6-16-0-5 3pt land) despite having a double-double 14pts and 13 rebs.  Ryan Coldiron towers over the Spartans and holds down the middle and Austin Ernst has continued confidence after 24 pts. against New Richmond Tuesday.  Now that they are tied in the Central after the win by the Rockets beware because Hamilton Badin is looking to get back into the race with games against McNicholas on Feb. 3 and the Spartans on the 17.  The GCL Central is heating up.

Weekend Preview

GCL rivalries, more important GMC games, Dayton city league vs Cincinnati city league on Saturday, and maybe the last chance for someone to defeat Summit headline this weekend's action: 

Friday

·         St. Xavier @ LaSalle

·         Moeller @ Elder

·         McNicholas @ Roger Bacon

·         Winton Woods @ Ross

·         Colerain @ Lakota West

·         Fairfield @ Sycamore

·         Mason @ Hamilton

·         Princeton @ Lakota East

·         Middletown @ Oak Hills

·         Anderson @ Turpin

·         Hughes @ Taft

·         Withrow @ Shroder

·         West High @ Woodward

·         Seven Hills @ Clark

·         Lockland @ St. Bernard

·         CCD @ Summit

·         Northwest @ Talawanda

·         Glen Este @ Walnut Hills

Saturday

·         Dayton Thurgood Marshall @ Withrow

·         Indian Hill @ Aiken

·         Woodward @ Dayton Jefferson

·         LaSalle @ Dayton Northmont

·         Urbana @ North College Hill

Sunday

·         Summit vs Scott County (KY): Game is at University of Louisville at 5:15 

Tuesday Scores

Isaiah "Big Dog" Johnson's monster game
helped Walnut Hills capture the FAVC-East title

Another one point Walnut Hills victory over Turpin, an upset of CPHR's top ranked Division I team, a shocking loss by the FAVC-West's top team, and a statement win by the GMC's surprise team of the year highlight today's action.....

• Walnut Hills 53 Turpin 52: For the second time this season Walnut Hills beat the Spartans by a single point, as they got a stop by blocking a Zach McCormick shot at the buzzer to hold on. In a game that the Eagles led narrowly throughout the inside presence of junior post Isaiah Johnson was just too much, as the 6'9 center tallied 24 points, 12 rebounds, and 6 blocks in the win. Turpin refused to go away down the stretch as McCormick, a sophomore guard who scored 20 points with 9 rebounds, and senior guard Mitch Stevens, who scored 12 points, hit big shots to keep Turpin in the game; but the Spartans were unable to get over the hump and grab the lead. In a game that should clinch the FAVC-East championship out right for Walnut Hills the Eagles also got 12 points from Carlitos Anderson and junior guard Sterling Gilmore. 
• Princeton 70 Mason 66: The curse of #1 hit hard as the Comets loss makes it much more difficult for them to win the league. The Vikings led all game long and were able to hold on with clutch free throw shooting, even though they were without two top players in the injured Malcolm Smith and the ill Dorian Jordan. Senior guard Deion Isham continued his great senior season with a game high 22 points in the win, while fellow senior Nate McGill added on 15. In the Mason loss senior wing Darrin Harris led with 20 points while senior guard JD Sprague tallied 17 points, 6 rebounds, and 5 assists. 
• Northwest 76 Winton Woods 64: The Warriors took a shocking division loss as they could not stop the hot shooting of a talented, and rapidly improving, Knights team. Northwest got a balanced scoring attack with senior wings Quez Evans and Chazz Gwinn in double-figures, along with junior guard Ramar Hairston. 
• Fairfield 70 Lakota West 59: Playing without their big enforcer, senior center Brandon Murphy, the Indians found some extra offense and were able to outscore the Firebirds on the road. Seniors led the scoring as forward Keon Bejamin scored 24 points, wing Jeff Woods scored 19, and guard Kyle Smith added 16. West, who was only down five heading into the fourth, got 18 points from junior wing Monty Boykins, 14 points from junior guard Ali Barnes, and 13 points from sophomore guard Tyler Williams
• Middletown 45 Lakota East 35: Geovonie McKnight scored 20 points while sophomore wing Vince Edwards added 12 points and 12 rebounds in a great Middie defensive effort to get the win, and take the lead back in the league with a Mason loss. Junior guard Robbie Harpring scored 12 points to lead East. 
• Moeller 58 Dayton Carroll 51: The Crusaders were outscored by 10 in the second half but still held onto win behind the 17 points of junior wing Josh Davenport. 
• LaSalle 63 Chaminade Julienne 45: Junior guard Connor Speed scored a career high 25 points, while senior guard Josh Lemons scored 17 as LaSalle got the road win. Senior forward John Staley led CJ with 17 points while sophomore wing Justin Bibbs scored 16.
• Summit 73 Seven Hills 37: The Silver Knights got off to a slow start but turned it on over the last three quarters to remain undefeated.
• Kettering Alter 58 St. Xavier: Jake Lavarie scored 21 points and Jaaron Simmons scored 20 as Alter pulled the upset. The Bombers were led by the 11 points of Ben Carroll. 
• Colerain 51 Hamilton 43: The Cardinals outscored the Big Blue by seven in the fourth to get the win behind 15 points from Deiontay Waiters, 12 points from Bryan Porter, and 10 from Milt Davis. 
• Loveland 77 Glen Este 71: Senior guard Anthony LaMachia hit 8 three-pointers on his way to a career high 31 points in a Loveland win. 
• Oak Hills 53 Sycamore 42

JB's Pick Six- Volume I

Walnut Hills head coach Rob Moman

By CPHR staff writer JB Burgin 

Over the next few weeks JB “Scoop” Burgin will be picking six games that he feels are the most important games in the city on that particular night. Look for Scoop to take readers behind the scenes into some of Cincinnati’s top programs:

In the first segment of JB's Pick Six we have the Walnut Hills Eagles (11-2) (8-1) vs. the Turpin Spartans (11-1) (7-1) playing, most likely, for the FAVC East Title.   The Eagles are holding on to a 10 game winning streak and the Turpin Spartans have won 6 straight after their loss to Walnut at the last encounter (48-47.)

CPHR had a chance to ask some questions to Walnut Hills coach Rob Moman and Walnut's star players in junior PG Sterling Gilmore and junior C Isaiah Johnson; both of whom are highly recruited prospects.

JB- Sterling, Sum up the year you’ve had at Walnut Hills so far?

Sterling- "We had a pretty slow start, but we’re starting to play more up tempo and Coach is letting us play more".

JB- What is your best asset as a point guard?

Sterling- "Getting in the lane at any time to set-up my teammates and able to really defend on the perimeter to cause some havoc".

JB- How do you feel about the matchup with Turpin?

Sterling- "We have a pretty good chance; they don't have a chance to stop the Big Dog (Johnson) so we have to let him eat. We also have to take a total team effort in shutting down Zach (McCormick), Connor (Grotton), and Mitch (Stevens).”

JB- Isaiah, you have been a recruiter's gold mine this year by averaging a double-double.  What do you credit for the success of your game this year?

Isaiah- "My teammates giving me the ball in a good position to score, I refuse to let them down in a game. My Coach pushes me hard it's a combination in the season and the off-season conditioning.”

JB- You’re also a D-1 prospect in Football (offensive tackle); how do you juggle both sports and do you play the game with the same intensity?

Isaiah- "I take one sport at a time but I give my all in either sport and play with the same intensity".

JB- How do you feel about the match-up with Turpin?

Isaiah- “Turpin is really a good team we had a good game last time at Walnut. If we come out from the tip we will get the job done.”

JB- Coach Mo, how is the progress going for Sterling Gilmore as a point guard?

Coach- "It’s been pretty good, he's accepted his role, he's an unselfish player getting an assist is like a dunk for him. (Junior) Khari Burton is a spark plug off the bench; it's a great feeling and it helps when you have two good point guards.”

JB- Isiah Johnson has gotten better each year averaging a double-double, is there anything else you can ask him to do?

Coach- "Play hard on a consistent basis. Isaiah already has the body. He can and wants to be better than Yancy Gates.”

JB- What do you look forward to in your match-up with Turpin, with the FAVC East title up for grabs?

Coach- "Another barn burner like at Walnut Hills. (Turpin coach) Brad Cupito does a good job and they are well disciplined. We were a little lucky to get out of the first game with a victory on our home floor and they are probably feeling real good that we have to go on the road.”

  

Looking at this matchup it is clear that it is a must-see game. The two elite teams in the FAVC East that clear cut above the rest.  If Walnut can establish an inside post game they should win; but, if the perimeter play of Zach McCormick can neutralize that inside scoring of Walnut then Turpin has the advantage. CPHR will be there for all the best coverage from the game, including updates on Twitter @cincyprephoops; check back in with us!

Mid-Week Preview.....

It’s getting to the point of the year where conference titles can be decided on one heave of the ball. With huge games at Turpin, Mason, and Lakota West on Wednesday area coaches will have their eyes not only on their own boxscores, but everyone’s as tournament seeding is rapidly approaching.

Tuesday

·         Walnut Hills @ Turpin: The Eagles won game one in what was one of the most talked about games of the early part of the season, if the Eagles can win the rematch they will be comfortable in the driver’s seat of the FAVC-East. With last game coming down to a buzzer beater turn-around heave don’t expect much of a margin in this one. Turpin has the home-court advantage this time and thus a slight, slight edge with two evenly matched but very different teams.

o   Prediction: Turpin has risen to the challenge all season long. CPHR thinks that they will take this one at home.

·         Princeton @ Mason: The Comets have moved into #1 in the city, meaning they will now be circled on everyone’s calendar. Who would’ve thought that going into this game we would be calling a Princeton win a major upset? That’s exactly what it is as an up-and-down Vikings squad looks for a signature win to give them tournament momentum. Darrin Harris, Mason’s star senior forward, is the matchup nightmare here. Who does Princeton have that is both mobile enough and strong enough to stop him?

o   Prediction: Princeton’s talent keeps it close for a half, Mason wins by ten.

·         Fairfield @ Lakota West: Two of the surprise teams of the GMC that are both playing well right now. West has had some big moments but to string together wins against Middletown and then Fairfield would really have the fans excited. Fairfield wants to remain in the hunt for a league title, and needs to win this game to do so. Give West the edge with the star power of Monty Boykins and company, but Fairfield has more quality depth.

o   Prediction: Should be a good game, we’ll take Fairfield but it could go either way.

·         Middletown @ Lakota East

·         Colerain @ Hamilton

·         Oak Hills @ Sycamore

·         Dayton Carroll @ Moeller

·         LaSalle @ Chaminade Julienne

·         Elder @ Bishop Fenwick

·         Winton Woods @ Northwest

·         Summit @ Seven Hills

·         North College Hill @ CHCA

·         Wilmington @ Milford

Wednesday

·         Goshen @ Hughes

Week's Top Performers/New Power Rankings

Josh Lemons

After a week of upsets and close-calls this might be the toughest ranking assignment of the season with the parity being so good around the city, particularly at the Division I level. A new team has taken over the #1 spot in Division I, at least for now, as we look back at the week that was; and look forward to an even more important slate of games this coming week……

Week 8 Top Performers

·         Josh Lemons- ’12 LaSalle PG: “Speedy” is having a great senior season including a career high 31 points on Tuesday against Aiken followed by a game high 15 points in LaSalle’s third straight rivalry win over Moeller.

·         Jalean Lowe- ’12 Taft SG/SF: “J-Lo” scored at least 17 points in all three Taft wins last week, including making 6 three pointers in a 24 point outing against West High.

·         Andrew Benentendi- ’13 Madeira SG: The junior baseball sensation tallied 32 points against a very good Jamestown Greenview team and has his team favored to win the CHL.

·         Holden Hertzel- ’12 Summit C: The big man has come on strong as a senior; scoring in double figures in all three games this week (including a 20 point game at Lockland).

·         Monty Boykins- ’13 Lakota West SG: Monty scored 20 points in a road win over Middletown and is keeping his team in the thick of the pack in the GMC.

·         Jeff Larkin- ’14 LaSalle SG: The young guard scored 18 points against Aiken on Tuesday then followed it up by joining Lemons as the only other double figure scorer against Moeller with 12.

·         Ronnie Rousseau- ’14 Winton Woods PG: The talented lead guard is starting to find his scoring stroke as he tallied 18 points in a win over Norwood; Ronnie will be the key to WW tourney run.

·         Isaiah Jones- ’15 Northwest PG: CPHR’s highly ranked freshman is starting to adjust to varsity ball as he scored 24 points against Norwood and helped his Knights team to two wins this week.

Week 9 Power Rankings (1/22)

Mikey Thompson

Division I 

1.       Mason: A new #1 in Cincinnati, the one loss Comets have a favorable schedule down the stretch with four big GMC home games in their arena.

2.       LaSalle: Huge win over Moeller makes the GCL-South theirs to lose, also won against Aiken.

3.       Moeller: Loss at LaSalle puts GCL-South trophy in jeopardy of leaving Montgomery road.

4.       Winton Woods: The Warriors have found their groove and basically have the FAVC-West locked up.

5.       Middletown: Lost at home, rare for them, but still are tied for the league lead with the tie breaker.

6.       Walnut Hills: Travels to Turpin this week for the league title, Eagles are playing very well right now.

7.       Fairfield: Great season so far, this week can sweeten the deal with two opportunities for GMC wins.

8.       Turpin: Great win over St X with a chance to avenge their only loss this week against Walnut Hills.

9.       Withrow: 0-3 week drops them from #2; losing to Taft was expected but the margin wasn’t.

10.   Princeton: Vikings remain in the middle of the pack of a loaded GMC with a big week ahead of them.

Just Missed: Lakota West, Oak Hills, Elder, West High

Division II-IV

1.       Taft: League wins over Withrow, Aiken, and West High showed their CMAC dominance.

2.       Franklin: Wildcats are playing great basketball with a 20-0 record squarely in their sights.

3.       Summit: Win over Dayton Jefferson has them undefeated and dreaming of 20-0.

4.       Aiken: Took losses to Taft and LaSalle this week; Don’t think anyone lower would’ve done better.

5.       Madeira: Very impressive win over Jamestown Greenview, in the CHL driver’s seat.

6.       North College Hill: Loss to Summit might have been an off night, this team has scoring power.

7.       Lockland: Pushed Summit to the brink for the 2^nd time, but they still haven’t won a marquee game,

8.       Clark: Impressive cross-conference win over Indian Hill on Saturday turned some heads.

9.       Indian Hill: Big win over Finneytown puts them squarely in 2^nd place in the CHL.

10.   Norwood: Struggled without leading scorer Deontez McGee, who’s return is unknown as of now.

Just Missed: Finneytown, Hughes, Badin, Roger Bacon, McNicholas