Taft Runs Past Winton Woods

The energy of Taft senior forward
Dwayne Stanford was key in their blowout win

In the only game of Monday night the gym downtown on Ezzard Charles was packed to capacity as fans filled in to watch the top team in CPHR's Division II-IV poll in Taft host Division I ranked team Winton Woods. CPHR was able to make the game and got a better feel for just how good both teams are going to be come playoff time...... Photos

Taft 83 Winton Woods 61: After an up and down first quarter that ended with the game tied at 22 it seemed as if Winton Woods had found an answer for the pressure of the Taft Senators; then the energy of Taft senior forward Dwayne Stanford, playing his first game in Cincinnati this season after being injured, took over the game. Stanford's monster put back dunk, followed shortly by him blocking a dunk attempt from Winton Woods big man Zach McCorkle, ignited a 15-2 Taft run that pushed them to a 41-28 halftime lead. From there Winton Woods was never able to recover as the combination of Orlando Berry and Adolphus Washington scoring at the rim was unstoppable for the Warriors. Berry led all scorers with 23 points as his lightning quick drives to the cup drew foul after foul; while Washington used his superior strength to score 17 points with 14 rebounds. The Senators also got 12 points from Stanford, who along with Washington just returned on Monday morning from playing in the US Army All-American Football Game, while Jalean Lowe added 13, Fred Cannaday 7, and Ra'saan Jackson 9. Winton Woods was led by the 16 points of junior forward Trent Donald, who aggressively attacked the rim with his combination of strength and speed; while sophomore PG Ronnie Rousseau added 15 points, all in the second half. Senior post Zach McCorkle showed nice energy and athleticism while sophomore Martin Jones displayed a nice shooting touch as each player added 10 points in the loss.

After suffering four losses out of town Taft reaffirmed any doubt that they are the top team in the Cincinnati area in Division II-IV. Despite the loss Winton Woods remains one of Cincinnati's top Division I teams and this young group will only get better and better as they gel and gain more experience.