Tuesday Sectional Semi Scores

Franklin freshman Luke Kennard
went for 30 points in a Wildcats win.

CPHR guaranteed more competitive action in the sectional semi's. How about a triple overtime game? We think that qualifies. Two underclassmen made their cases known loud and clear for being the state's top players in their respective classes as undefeated Franklin met up with a hard-nosed Dayton CJ team..... 

• Franklin 78 Dayton Chaminade Julienne 75: The Wildcats won a triple overtime thriller that is without a doubt the greatest game that CPHR has covered in our two years of publishing. A star was born in Kettering's Trent Arena as freshman sensation Luke Kennard, a Franklin guard, took his game to a whole new level on Tuesday night. Kennard scored 33 points, including twelve after the end of regulation and all of the clutch points, to lift his team to a emotional victory. Kennard was simply unstoppable off the dribble and hit an assortment of acrobatic shots around the rim, while also grabbing 14 rebounds in the win. Not to be out done another star rose to the occasion as CJ sophomore guard Justin Bibbs went for 27 points of his own. The talented wing made a case for being the top sophomore in the Buckeye State as he hit tough pull-up jumpers with ease and showed great resiliency in front of college coaches from Cincinnati, Michigan, Cleveland State, and Northern Kentucky. When it was all said and done Kennard simply made too many key plays in the third extra period as the Wildcats advanced to Sunday's Sectional Final against Dayton Thurgood Marshall and kept their perfect season intact at 21-0. 
• Winton Woods 59 Ross 58: The Rams had the ball with a chance to win at the buzzer but the Warriors defense held as Winton Woods survived a scare to advance to the sectional finals, where Middletown awaits them. 
• Walnut Hills 54 West High 42: The Eagles handled the upset minded Mustangs, setting up a sectional final clash with the Princeton Vikings. 
• Withrow 69 Milford 64: Devin Williams scored 23 points with 11 rebounds to help the Tigers escape, despite trailing with just over a minute to play. Junior guard Tim Coleman added 14 points for Withrow in the win. 
• Princeton 62 Sycamore 53: The Vikings took care of business, setting up an exciting showdown in the sectional final with Walnut Hills. 
• Mason 79 Mt. Healthy 43: Senior wing Darrin Harris scored 21 points in the Comets win. 
• Middletown 61 St. Xavier 37: The 21 points of Geovonie McKnight and the 13 points with 15 rebounds of sophomore Vincent Edwards pushed the Middies past the Bombers. 
• Aiken 69 Wilmington 49: Senior forward Paul Woodson led Aiken with 27 points and 15 rebounds. 
• Franklin 43 Clark 36
• Indian Hill 63 McNichols 52
• Roger Bacon 60 Shroder 54
• Summit 49 CHCA 26
• North College Hill 92 Ripley 55
• Finneytown 56 Reading 42
• Madeira 60 Deer Park 49

Sectional Semi-Final Preview

After a weekend of blowouts in the first-round the action CPHR is expecting some much more competitive games in the sectional semi-finals. With a full slate on Tuesday and a must-see game on Wednesday there are plenty of opportunities for local hoops fans to catch some action…..

Tuesday

·         Winton Woods vs Ross: Lakota West 6:30

·         Middletown vs St. Xavier: Lakota West 8:00

·         Mason vs Mt. Healthy: Fairfield 6:30

·         Withrow vs Milford: Fairfield 8:00

·         Walnut Hills vs West High: Hamilton 6:30 – Some people in the city are calling upset, citing the Mustangs size and athleticism as a potential problem for the higher seeded Eagles. The guard matchups of Lionel Hill and Darrell Bullock vs Ricardo Hill and Sterling Gilmore should be exciting to watch. Who for Walnut will be able to slow down West High senior wing Keevin Tyus? If Tyus can have more of an impact in the game then Walnut center Isaiah Johnson then the Mustangs have a chance.

o   Prediction: Walnut Hills out-executes the Mustangs and wins by ten.

·         Princeton vs Sycamore: Hamilton 8:00

·         Indian Hill vs McNicholas: Mason 6:30       

·         Aiken vs Wilmington: Mason 8:00

·         Shroder vs Roger Bacon: Western Brown 6:30          

·         North College Hill vs Ripley: Western Brown 8:00

·         Franklin vs Dayton Chaminade Julienne: Trent Arena in Kettering 6:30 – The most anticipated mid week game in the state with two of Ohio’s top Division II teams meeting. With three seniors signed with Northern Kentucky University next year in Franklin forwards Jacob and Justin Rossi and CJ forward John Staley familiarity will be at a premium. The other exciting matchup will be two of the states premiere young guards in CJ sophomore Justin Bibbs and Franklin freshman Luke Kennard. This one could easily go either way.

o   Prediction: CJ is playing great basketball but Franklin is undefeated and CPHR expects them to stay that way.

·         Summit vs CHCA: Turpin 6:30

·         Reading vs Finneytown: Turpin 8:00

·         Madeira vs Deer Park: Monroe 6:30

·         Clark vs Badin: Monroe 8:00 – Two contrasting styles will match up as the deliberate Badin Rams will take on the fast paced Clark Cougars. This game will have a District Final feel with two very good teams meeting early.

o   Prediction: Clark wins a close game.

Wednesday

·         LaSalle vs Glen Este: Lakota West 6:30

·         Fairfield vs Colerain: Lakota West 8:00

·         Moeller vs Amelia: Hamilton 6:30

·         Turpin vs Lakota West: Hamilton 8:00 – By far the most exciting game on Wednesday as two teams with big time firepower meet up in an elimination game, with the winner more then likely facing Moeller next. If Turpin sophomore guard Zach McCormick and West junior guard Monty Boykins cancel each other out then the rest of the matchups will decide the game. The remaining talent on Turpin is frontline oriented in forwards Adam Boyer and Connor Grotton, along with guard Mitch Stevens; while the talent on West is guard based with Tyler Williams and Ali Barnes. Whichever position group is more dominant of their opponent could decide the outcome.

o   Prediction: Tough one to project, CPHR is going to take Turpin but we’re guessing.

·         Batavia vs Taft: Mason 8:00

Saturday Sectional Results

Forget about the upsets on Saturday. The closest game on our scoreboard was decided by 16 points! Don't worry hoops fans, we promise that the Sectional Semi-Finals and next weekend's Sectional Finals will provide some more competitive action. Here are Saturday's top scores from Sectional play.......

Fairfield senior Brandon Murphy

• LaSalle 64 Little Miami 29: The top seed in Division I left no doubt as they played their usual stingy defense in a blowout win.  

• Moeller 61 Hamilton 37: Crusaders coach Carl Kremer earned his 400th career victory in a blowout win over a young Big Blue squad. 

• Fairfield 68 Woodward 52: Senior center Brandon Murphy scored 30 points in the Indians win. 

• Turpin 74 Harrison 49: The Spartans advanced behind the 18 points of sophomore guard Zach McCormick, the 17 points of senior guard Mitch Stevens, and the 14 points of junior wing Connor Grotton.

• Taft 93 Wyoming 41: The top seed in Division II flexed their muscles in a game where all five Senator starters did not play in the second half. 

• Lakota West 77 Loveland 33

• Colerain 54 Kings 46

Friday's Sectional Play Results

Senior Keevin Tyus kept his Mustang
 career alive as he scored at the buzzer to
 knock off upset minded Lakota East

With a buzzer beater on the very first post-season game that CPHR attended we feel like the table has been set for another great tournament. Here's a look at tonight's opening sectional tournament results....

• West High 51 Lakota East 50: Keevin Tyus, a senior wing, layed the ball up as time expired off a  backdoor cut from a baseline out of bounds play to give West High the win, after the Mustangs trailed by 3 with just 11 seconds left. The out of bounds play was set up by senior guard Lionel "Bubba" Hill going coast to coast for a layup with just :4 left to bring the Mustangs within one. Followed by that West High forced a five second count, giving them the ball leading to their game winning shot. The game went back and forth from start to finish with Lakota East clinging on to a small lead for much of the fourth quarter. But too many transition points off of turnovers and second chance points off offensive rebounds spelled doom for the Thunderhawks in the end. All three starting freshman for Lakota East performed well, led by forward Myo Baxter who scored 11 points. Senior wing Mark Minch was the games high scorer with 20 points, playing in only his 2nd game of the season due to injury. West High was led by four senior scorers as guard Bubba Hill scored 16, post Charles Clark scored 12, wing Keevin Tyus totaled 10, and guard Darrell Bullock chipped in 9 in the win. 
• Sycamore 69 Northwest 65: A 16-0 Aviators run took them from a eight point deficit to an eight point lead midway through the second quarter. From there the Aviators built a 19 point lead by the end of the third quarter before the Knights got going. Northwest pulled within 3 points late in the fourth but was unable to get over the hump as Sycamore pulled the upset. Aves junior post Mason Morgan led the way with 20 points and 10 rebounds, senior post AJ Williams tallied 17 points, and junior Joey Gruden added 12 points on some hot shooting. Northwest was led the 14 points of junior guard Ramar Hairston and senior guard Quez Evans. 
• Withrow 55 Elder 34: Junior forward Devin Williams went for 15 points and 8 rebounds as the Tigers pulled away in the second quarter for a comfortable playoff win. 
• Middletown 68 Talawanda 39: Geovonie McKnight scored 22 points, Jalin Marshall 13 points, and Vincent Edwards 11 points as the Middies cruised in their first tournament game. 
• McNicholas 52 Hughes 49: The Rockets won the highly anticipated game behind the high scoring of senior wing, and GCL Central Player of the Year, Drew Hall. The Big Red finish the season with 6 wins, 5 more then they were able to manage last year. 
• Aiken 84 Bethel Tate 36: Senior forward Paul Woodson and junior forward Antwan Dean each scored 19 points and grabbed 9 rebounds in a blowout Falcons win. 
• Roger Bacon 89 Williamsburg 51: Junior forward Erik Edwards led the Spartans with 14 points in the win. 
• Milford 68 Western Brown 45
• Mt. Healthy 60 Anderson 55
• Ross 58 Oak Hills 46
• Ripley 73 Mariemont 66

Opening Round Tournament Preview

The opening round of the sectional tournament is pretty straightforward with a clear favorite in almost every game. The most intriguing game might be the Division II contest between Hughes and McNicholas which will feature contrasting style and some real star power.

Division I, II, and III First-Round Tournament Schedule

Friday (2/24)

·        West High vs Lakota East: Hamilton @ 6:30

·        Northwest vs Sycamore: Hamilton @ 8:00

·        Mt. Healthy vs Anderson: Oak Hills @ 5:30

·        Elder vs Withrow: Oak Hills @ 7:00

·        Milford vs Western Brown: Oak Hills @ 8:30

·        Oak Hills vs Ross: Lakota West @ 6:30

·        Middletown vs Talawanda: Lakota West @ 8:00

·        Hughes vs McNicholas: Mason @ 6:30

·        Aiken vs Bethel Tate: Mason @ 8:00

·        Roger Bacon vs Williamsburg: Western Brown @ 6:30

·        Mariemont vs Ripley: Western Brown @ 8:00

Saturday (2/25)

·        Little Miami vs LaSalle: Lakota West @ 2:00

·        Fairfield vs Woodward: Lakota West @ 3:30

·        Moeller vs Hamilton: Lakota West @ 5:00

·        Kings vs Colerain: Hamilton @ 5:00

·        Loveland vs Lakota West: Hamilton @ 6:30

·        Turpin vs Harrison: Hamilton @ 8:00

·        Wilmington vs Goshen: Mason @ 11:00

·        Norwood vs New Richmond: Mason @ 12:30

·        Taylor vs Batavia: Mason @ 2:00

·        Wyoming vs Taft: Mason @ 3:30

·        Georgetown vs CHCA: Turpin @ 5:30

·        Reading vs Blanchester: Turpin @ 7:00

·        Finneytown vs Purcell Marian: Turpin @ 8:30

Following teams have first-round byes: Winton Woods, St. Xavier, Mason, Walnut Hills, Princeton, Amelia, Glen Este, Indian Hill, Clermont NE, Summit, Shroder, and North College Hill.

Second-round games will be played on either Tuesday (2/28) or Wednesday (2/29).

CPHR's All-City Selections

Even more difficult to choose then All-Conference teams are CPHR’s ’11-’12 All-City teams. This year we’ve expanded to having both a Division I team and a Division II-IV team, as we want to recognize great play from all the most deserving players. With the post-season beginning on Friday it is now time to announce our awards for top individual play in Cincinnati high school basketball….

Division I All-City Teams 

Josh Lemons- CPHR's Division I Player of the Year

First Team

·         Josh Lemons- ’12 LaSalle PG **Player of the Year**

·         Geovonie McKnight- ’12 Middletown PG/SG

·         Darrin Harris- ’12 Mason SF

·         Vincent Edwards- ’14 Middletown SF/PF 

·         Isaiah Johnson- ’13 Walnut Hills C

Second Team

·         Zach McCormick- ’14 Turpin PG/SG

·         Monty Boykins- ’13 Lakota West SG

·         Joshua Davenport- ’13 Moeller SG/SF

·         Trent Donald- ’13 Winton Woods SF/PF

·         Devin Williams- ’13 Withrow PF

Third Team

·         Deion Isham- ’12 Princeton PG

·         Tim Coleman- ’13 Withrow PG

·         Lionel “Bubba” Hill- ’12 West High PG

·         Kwan Cheatham- ’13 Winton Woods PF

·         Mike Van Kleunen- ’12 Mason PF

Honorable Mention: Ali Barnes (’13 Lakota West PG), De’arius Young (’12 Princeton C), Ben Galemmo (’12 Moeller SG), Sterling Gilmore (’13 Walnut Hills PG), Ramar Hairston (’13 Northwest SG), Jeff Woods (’12 Fairfield SG), Keon Benjamin (’12 Fairfield SF/PF), Jeff Larkin (’14 LaSalle PG/SG), Connor Speed (’13 LaSalle SG), Tony Sabato (’12 Moeller C), Max Mischkulnig (’12 Ross PF), Eric Hill (’12 Woodward SG), Ronnie Rousseau (’14 Winton Woods PG), Milt Davis (’13 Colerain SG), Zach McCorkle (’12 Winton Woods PF/C), JD Sprague (’12 Mason PG), Mitch Stevens (’12 Turpin PG), Tyler Williams (’14 Lakota West PG), Dorain Jordan (’13 Princeton PG), Keevin Tyus (’12 West High SG/SF), Tyler Jordan (’12 Withrow PF), Corey Wise (’13 Withrow SG)

Adolphus Washington- CPHR's
Division II-IV Player of the Year

Division II-IV All-City Teams

First Team

·         Adolphus Washington- ’12 Taft C **Player of the Year**

·         Kevin Johnson- ’13 Summit PG

·         Orlando Berry Jr- ’12 Taft PG 

·         Willie Moore- ’12 Aiken SG

·         Andrew Benintendi- ’13 Madeira SG

Second Team

·         Max Hassell- ’12 Clark PG

·         Angel Rivera- ’14 Hughes PG

·         Jacob Rossi- ’12 Franklin SF/PF

·         Paul Woodson- ’12 Aiken PF

·         Justin Rossi- ’12 Franklin PF

Honorable Mention: Antonio Woods (’14 Summit PG), Jamal Ivery (’12 North College Hill SG), Dontonio Wingfield Jr (’13 Lockland SG), Luke Kennard (’15 Franklin SG), Drew Hall (’12 McNicholas SF), Jalean Lowe (’12 Taft SG/SF), Ladell Griffin (’12 Shroder C), Holden Hertzel (’12 Summit C), Terry Cook (’13 Hughes SG), Deontez McGee (’12 Norwood SG), Austin Grimes (’13 Aiken SG), Kevin Daniels (’14 Hughes SG), Jermaine Freeman (’12 Taft SG), Dwayne Stanford (’12 Taft PF), Carlas Jackson (’14 Roger Bacon SG) 

CPHR's All-Conference Picks

Vince Edwards

Another great regular season in Cincinnati high school basketball is in the book, and as usual we saw so many great individual and team performances. Going through all of the top leagues it is always hard to single out who the best of the best are but CPHR feels confident that we got it as close to right as you can by looking at statistics, value to their team, team performance, and consistency. Without further ado here are our ’11-’12 All-Conference Teams….

Greater Miami Conference

• First Team
• Deion Isham- '12 Princeton PG
• Geovonie McKnight- '12 Middletown PG/SG **Co-Player of the year**
• Monty Boykins- '13 Lakota West SG
• Darrin Harris- '12 Mason SF
• Vincent Edwards- '14 Middletown SF/PF **Co-Player of the year**
• Second Team
• JD Sprague- '12 Mason PG
• Ali Barnes- '13 Lakota West PG
• Jeff Woods- '12 Fairfield SG/SF
• Michael Van Kleunen- '12 Mason PF
• De'arius Young- '12 Princeton C
• Honorable Mention: Jake Richmond ('13 Oak Hills SG), Tyler Williams ('14 Lakota West PG), Dorian Jordan ('13 Princeton PG), Milt Davis ('13 Colerain SG), AJ Williams ('12 Sycamore C), Robbie Harpring ('13 Lakota East PG/SG), Keon Benjamin ('12 Fairfield SF/PF), Brandon Murphy ('12 Fairfield C), Jalin Marshall ('13 Middletown SG)

Zach McCormick

Greater Catholic League 

• First Team
• Josh Lemons- '12 LaSalle PG **Player of the year**
• Jaaron Simmons- '13 Kettering Alter PG
• Ben Galemmo- '12 Moeller SG
• Josh Davenport- '13 Moeller SG/SF
• John Staley- '12 Dayton Chaminade Julienne PF
• Second Team
• Jeff Larkin- '14 LaSalle PG/SG
• Connor Speed- '13 LaSalle SG
• Justin Bibbs- '14 Dayton Chaminade Julienne SG
• Drew Hall- '12 McNicholas SF
• Carlas Jackson- '14 Roger Bacon SF
• Honorable Mention: Tony Sabato ('12 Moeller C), Keith Watkins ('13 Moeller PG), Taylor Lee ('14 Elder PF/C), Roderick Mills ('14 St. Xavier PF), Frank Catrine ('14 Bishop Fenwick PG), Morgan Reynolds ('12 Hamilton Badin SF), Dwayne Wilson ('13 Purcell Marian PF/C)

Cincinnati Metro Athletic Conference 

John Staley

• First Team 
• Orlando Berry Jr- '12 Taft PG
• Lionel "Bubba" Hill- '12 West High PG
• Willie Moore- '12 Aiken SG
• Devin Williams- '13 Withrow PF 
• Adolphus Washington- '12 Taft C **Player of the year**
• Second Team
• Angel Rivera- '14 Hughes PG
• Tim Coleman- '13 Withrow PG
• Eric Hill- '12 Woodward SG
• Jalean Lowe- '12 Taft SG/SF
• Paul Woodson- '12 Aiken PF
• Honorable Mention: Jermaine Freeman ('12 Taft SG), Dwayne Stanford ('12 Taft PF), Corey Wise ('13 Withrow SG), Tyler Jordan ('12 Withrow PF), Keevin Tyus ('12 West High SG/SF), Darrell Bullock ('12 West High PG), Austin Grimes ('13 Aiken SG), Terry Cook ('13 Hughes SG), Kevin Daniels ('14 Hughes SG), Ladell Griffin ('12 Shroder C)

Willie Moore

Fort Ancient Valley Conference

• First Team
• Sterling Gilmore- '13 Walnut Hills PG
• Zach McCormick- '14 Turpin PG/SG
• Trent Donald- '13 Winton Woods SF/PF
• Max Mischkulnig- '12 Ross PF/C
• Isaiah Johnson- '13 Walnut Hills C **Player of the year**
• Second Team
• Ramar Hairston- '13 Northwest SG
• Alex Fultz- '12 Glen Este SG
• Deontez McGee- '12 Norwood SG
• Kwan Cheatham- '13 Winton Woods PF
• Robert Overbeck- '12 Milford C
• Honorable Mention: Zach McCorkle ('12 Winton Woods PF/C), Ronnie Rousseau ('14 Winton Woods PG), Connor Grotton ('13 Turpin SF), Adam Boyer ('12 Turpin PF), Mitch Stevens ('12 Turpin PG), Quez Evans ('12 Northwest SG), Joe Cossins ('13 Anderson PF), Anthony LaMachia ('12 Loveland SG), Javon Cumberland ('15 Wilmington PG/SG)

Miami Valley Conference

DJ Wingfield

• First Team 
• Antonio Woods- '14 Summit PG
• Kevin Johnson- '13 Summit PG **Player of the year**
• Max Hassell- '12 Clark PG
• Jamal Ivery- '12 North College Hill SG
• Dontonio Wingfield Jr- '13 Lockland SG
• Honorable Mention: Tommy Kreyenhagen ('12 Summit SG), Holden Hertzel ('12 Summit C), Dylan Wedlock ('13 Lockland SG), Louis Walker ('12 North College Hill PG), Ryan Arrington ('13 Cincinnati Christian SF), Jon Prince ('12 CHCA SG), Jabryel Reed ('12 Clark SF), David Burt ('13 Clark SG)

Cincinnati Hills League

• First Team
• Andrew Benintendi- '13 Madeira SG **Player of the year**
• Jimmy Hayes- '13 Deer Park SG
• Austin Trout- '12 Indian Hill SF
• Teddy Kremchek- '12 Indian Hill SF
• DeMarco Hunter- '12 Finneytown PF
• Honorable Mention: Cole Cloud ('14 Reading PG), Ahmad Frost ('14 Wyoming PG), Patrick McAdams ('12 Taylor PF), Reid Mahorney ('13 Mariemont C), Bradley Nelms ('13 Finneytown PF), John Michael Wyrick ('13 Madeira PG)

Come Back Tuesday Evening for CPHR's All-City Selections

Final CPHR Power Rankings

Who would’ve thought that after losing four senior starters from a state championship team that Coach Fleming could take LaSalle back to the top of the poll standings by the end of the regular season? Not many is our guess, in what became one of the most evenly distributed Division I season’s in memory. With Taft being the top Division II-IV team in a loaded SW region heading into the tournament we’re excited to watch some post-season basketball and see who makes it up north for the Final Four. Looking back on the regular season here are our final regular season poll champions…..

Division I

1)      LaSalle: 19-1 record with an outright GCL championship makes the Lancers, the defending state champions, the unquestioned poll champions. Credit senior PG Josh Lemons, sophomore guard Jeff Larkin, and junior SG Connor Speed with providing the offensive spark for the Lancers.

2)      Middletown: In his first year at the helm Coach Andrews led his team to a 12-2 GMC season, an outright GMC championship, and 2^nd in our poll behind the play of senior PG Geovonie McKnight and sophomore forward Vincent Edwards.

3)      Moeller: Despite finishing 2^nd in the GCL the Crusaders still had a great 17-3 regular season including wins over Winton Woods, Aiken, and Middletown. Senior SG Ben Galemmo and junior wing Josh Davenport both had all-league caliber seasons.

4)      Mason: The Comets finished tied for second in the GMC behind the play of senior trio Darrin Harris, Mike Van Kleunen, and JD Sprague. Mason is the only team to defeat both #1 LaSalle and #2 Middletown.

5)      Walnut Hills: The FAVC-East champions went 18-2 in the regular season, highlighted by thrilling wins against Turpin, led by junior C Isaiah Johnson and junior PG Sterling Gilmore.

6)      Winton Woods: The Warriors captured the FAVC-West championship with a young and extremely talented core of players led by juniors Trent Donald and Kwan Cheatham, as well as sophomore Ronnie Rousseau and lone senior starter Zach McCorkle.

7)      Princeton: In the first season of the Coach Anderson regime the Vikings finished with 10 GMC wins, good for 4^th place in the league. Seniors Deion Isham and De’arius Young, along with junior Dorian Jordan all had all-conference level years for Princeton.

8)      Turpin: The Spartans really improved in Coach Cupito’s second season at the helm, only losing two FAVC-East games (good for 2^nd in the division). Sophomore guard Zach McCormick had a huge year, as did junior Connor Grotton and senior Mitch Stevens.

9)      Lakota West: The Firebirds finished tied for 2^nd in the GMC as Coach Van Winkle was able to use his three headed scoring monster of juniors Ali Barnes and Monty Boykins, along with sophomore Tyler Williams, to win 11 league games.

10)   Fairfield: The surprise team in the GMC to everyone except the coaches, who expected the Indians to be good, Fairfield won an impressive 9 GMC games. The senior laden team was led by James Turner, Jeff Woods, Brandon Murphy, and Keon Benjamin.

11)   Withrow: An up and down regular season ended with a 10-2 conference record, good for 2^nd in the CMAC. Coach Gilbert’s group has the talent to make a post-season run behind the play of juniors Devin Williams, Tim Coleman, and Corey Wise; as well as seniors Tyler Jordan and Damon Gooch.

12)   Northwest: The Knights got hot late in the season, finishing in 2^nd place in the FAVC-West behind the play of junior guard Ramar Hairston and seniors Quez Evans and Chazz Gwinn.

Just Missed: Lakota East, Colerain

Division II-IV

1)      Taft: The Senators finished 12-0 in the CMAC for the second straight year, wining an outright championship. Taft didn’t lose to an Ohio team and was led by seniors Orlando Berry and Adolphus Washington; as well as Jalean Lowe, Jermaine Freeman, Dwayne Stanford, Ra’saan Jackson, and Fred Cannaday.

2)      Summit: The Silver Knights went 19-1 in Coach Bradley’s second season, capturing a MVC championship in the process. Sophomore guard Antonio Woods, junior guard Kevin Johnson, and seniors Tommy Kreyenhagen and Holden Hertzel all had big seasons for Summit.

3)      Franklin: The Wildcats enjoyed a 20-0 regular season record behind the play of freshman guard Luke Kennard and senior forwards Jacob and Justin Rossi.

4)      Aiken: The Falcons might have finished with a 10-10 regular season record but no one can question the difficulty of their schedule. In the up and down stretch seniors Willie Moore and Paul Woodson, as well as junior Austin Grimes had very good numbers.

5)      Clark: The Cougars replaced a lot of losses from last year’s team and went on a great late season run to finish in the top five behind the place of senior point guard Max Hassell.

6)      Madeira: The Mustangs clinched an outright CHL title, with a 13-1 league record, as junior Andrew Benintendi had an all-world season scoring the ball.

7)      Lockland: The Panthers won some games late, and remain Cincinnati’s top Division IV team, behind the place of juniors DJ Wingfield and Dylan Wedlock.

8)      North College Hill: Coach Mahaffey replaced nine lost seniors to have another great season at the Trojans helm where he got great play from senior guard Jamal Ivery.

9)      Roger Bacon: Young team that is only going to get better next year won the GCL-Central title outright behind some great defense and balanced scoring.

10)   Indian Hill: Finished 2^nd in the CHL, with a 12-2 record, highlighted by two thrillers with Madeira.

Just Missed: Finneytown, Hughes, McNicholas, Badin

Look out for more end of season content coming this week,

including CPHR’s all-league and all-city teams

Friday Scoreboard

Lancers junior guard Connor Speed
scored 19 points in the win over Moeller

The LaSalle Lancers made a great closing statement for the CPHR Division I Poll regular season championship with an outright GCL title, while Middletown took care of business in the GMC for an outright title, in a busy night of Queen City hoops......

• LaSalle 42 Moeller 34: The Lancers left no doubt that they are the top Division I team in Cincinnati as they clinched an outright title in the GCL-South with a road win to spoil the Crusaders senior night. LaSalle used an 11-0 run early in the second quarter to build a lead, behind perfect 4/4 three-point shooting of junior guard Connor Speed (who finished with 19 points in the game), extend it to double figures, and hold on to it for much of the third quarter. Moeller slowly mounted a comeback before a Josh Davenport layup made the score 33-32 LaSalle with 4:37 left in the game. From there the Lancers would re-turn up the defense and not let Moeller score again until just :12 remained on the clock. Senior guard Josh Lemons led the defensive charge for LaSalle, while tallying 11 points in the game, and helping earn another championship in his storied career. Moeller really struggled offensively again against the Lancers and could only get going in the second half by posting up junior guard Keith Watkins, who was Moeller's only double figure scorer with 13 points in the loss. 
• Middletown 45 Colerain 42: A big third quarter run helped the Middies overcome a halftime deficit and clinch the GMC title outright with a win at Colerain. Sophomore forward Vincent Edwards recorded 20 points and 12 rebounds in the championship win, while senior guard Geovonie McKnight added 17 points of his own. Colerain was led by the 13 points of junior guard Bryan Porter.
• Mason 61 Oak Hills 45: The Comets couldn't grab a share of the GMC, as Middletown just needed a win for an outright title, but they clinched second with a nice road win. Senior Darrin Harris, a forward, was the most productive player with 25 points. 
• Lakota West 68 Hamilton 46: Junior guard Ali Barnes came off the bench to score 22 big points as West finished the GMC run tied for 2nd place with Middletown. 
• Princeton 62 Fairfield 52: Senior guard Nate McGill was the surprise hero with 22 points for the Vikings in a win that gave Coach Anderson his 10th GMC win his first season as coach. Fairfield was led by the 19 points of senior guard Kyle Smith.
• Winton Woods 86 Northwest 74: The Warriors avenged their only league defeat behind the 24 points and 13 rebounds of junior forward Trent Donald, the 15 points and 8 assists of sophomore PG Ronnie Rousseau, the 19 points of senior post Zach McCorkle, and the 16 points with 13 rebounds of junior forward Kwan Cheatham. In a high scoring game the Knights were led by the 23 points of junior guard Ramar Hairston. 
• Lakota East 65 Sycamore 41: Junior guard Robbie Harpring led the Thunderhawks with 12 points in the league win. 
• Roger Bacon 47 Badin 42: The Spartans, in a rebuilding year, clinched another outright GCL Central title behind the play of sophomore guards Austin Frentsos and Cody Neisen. 
• West High 59 Aiken 48: The Mustangs defeated Aiken in what turned out to be the third place game in the CMAC standings behind 20 point performances from senior guards Darrell Bullock and Lionel "Bubba" Hill in their last home game. 
• Withrow 45 Hughes 43: The Tigers staved off a Big Red comeback to hold on to 2nd place in the CMAC, with their only losses coming to Taft. 
• Summit 61 CHCA 40: The Knights finished off an undefeated MVC season with the win.
• Taft 95 Shroder 48: The Senators finished off another undefeated CMAC season behind the interior scoring of senior post Adolphus Washington against a depleted Jaguars frontline. 
• Lockland 81 North College Hill 73: The Panthers pulled the upset behind the play of junior wings DJ Wingfield and Dylan Wedlock. 
• Turpin 68 Wilmington 50: The Spartans finished in 2nd place in the FAVC-East with a blowout win at Wilmington behind the 15 points of Jordan Croop and Adam Boyer, the 12 points of Mitch Stevens, and the 10 points of sophomore guard Zach McCormick.
• St. Xavier 65 Elder 56

Final Regular Season Weekend Preview

The final two days of the regular season will decide several league, and division titles, and generate both good and bad momentum for teams heading into next weekend's opening round playoff games.....

Friday

·         LaSalle @ Moeller: The second showdown of Cincinnati’s top two Division I programs takes place on the Crusaders senior night in Montgomery. With a win the Lancers would become outright GCL-South champions, if Moeller wins then the two teams split the title. Last time out the Crusaders really struggled to score against the Lancer pressure, and ended up turning the ball over leading to easy run out layups for LaSalle. Expect Moeller to be stronger with the ball this time at home and for junior wing Josh Davenport to have a better game. But if LaSalle can get hot from three then they will be tough to beat.

o   Prediction: LaSalle has looked great in GCL play this season but it’s always tough to beat Moeller; especially on the senior night of three three-year varsity contributors in Voss, Galemmo, and Sabato. Look for Moeller to win a close, emotional, and physical game making it the third straight year that these two have shared the GCL-South title.

·         Middletown @ Colerain: A Middies win would give them an outright GMC championship, no matter what happens in any other game. If the Middies lose then Lakota West and Mason have opportunities to share the GMC with the Middies as long as they win their respective games.

·         Roger Bacon @ Badin: If the Spartans win then they will clinch the GCL-Central outright again, if Badin wins then they will share the title with Roger Bacon.

o   Prediction: Roger Bacon

·         Aiken @ West High: The Mustangs will need a win on their senior night to tie Aiken for third place in the CMAC. With the win Aiken will finish third and guarantee a winning record, despite the most difficult schedule in SW Ohio.

o   Prediction: Aiken in a close game, it’s always fun when these two meet.

·         Shroder @ Taft: The Senators can finish off their second straight undefeated conference season with a win over lowly Shroder. Since Adolphus Washington, Orlando Berry, and Dwayne Stanford have arrived at Taft as sophomores they are 34-1 in conference; since Jalean Lowe and Jermaine Freeman joined as juniors the group is 23-0.

o   Prediction: Emphatic Taft win gives them another 12-0 CMAC season.

·         Mason @ Oak Hills: Comets can share the GMC title with Middletown if the Middies lose and Mason wins.

o   Prediction: Mason

·         Hamilton @ Lakota West: The Firebirds can grab a share of the GMC title with a win and a Middletown loss.

o   Prediction: Lakota West

·         Princeton @ Fairfield: Two 9-4 GMC teams battling for double digits conference wins, always impressive in one of the most difficult conferences around.

o   Prediction: Fairfield wins one for their group of seniors.

·         Northwest @ Winton Woods: Although the Warriors have already clinched the FAVC-West outright they have a chance to avenge their only conference loss.

o   Prediction: Winton Woods

·         Sycamore @ Lakota East

·         Madeira @ Indian Hill

·         Withrow @ Hughes

·         St. Xavier @ Elder

·         Summit @ CHCA

·         Lockland @ North College Hill

·         Turpin @ Wilmington

Saturday

·         West High @ Dayton Jefferson

·         McNicholas @ Anderson: Game will be played at 2 PM.