Silver Knights Remain Undefeated

Johnson, Kreyenhagen, Hertzel, and Woods

Playing against one of the top programs in Dayton over the last few season in Division IV powerhouse Dayton Jefferson the Summit Silver Knights, ranked #3 in the state in Division III, were able to handle the challenge as they opened the game up in the fourth quarter.....

Summit 55 Dayton Jefferson 31: The Silver Knights improved to 14-0 on the season as they opened a ten point lead at the half and more then doubled that lead in the fourth for a 24 point victory. The Jefferson Broncos came into the game, played Sunday afternoon at the University of Cincinnati, highly regarded as the top Division IV in the Southwest but were unable to score against a tough Summit half court defense. The Silver Knights also got balanced scoring in the win as senior post Holdy Hertzel led all scorers with 15 points, scoring on a variety of strong finishes down low and a few high post jumpers. Junior guard Kevin Johnson was next in the scoring column with 12 points while sophomore guard Antonio Woods scored 10, and senior wing Tommy Kreyenhagen added 9 points. Dayton Jefferson was led by the 13 points of unsigned senior guard Devon Foster, a Division I prospect. Summit has three games next week including a Sunday test at the University of Louisville against Kentucky's Scott County HS.

Saturday Scoreboard

Mitch Stevens led Turpin with 24 in a double OT win

Two instant classics highlights tonight's schedule: 

• Turpin 73 St. Xavier 72: The Spartans survived at home in double overtime over a struggling Bombers team behind the 24 points of senior guard Mitch Stevens, the 21 points of sophomore guard Zach McCormick, and the 18 points with 11 rebounds of senior forward Adam Boyer. A trio of junior guards led St X in scoring as Joe Barrett went for 19 points, Alex Blink 17, and Ben Carroll 12. 
• Madeira 62 Jamestown Greenview 58: Junior guard Andrew Benentendi, an Arkansas baseball commit, scored 32 points as Madeira pulled off a frantic comeback in the final ten seconds. Trailing by five with ten seconds left Benentendi hit a three pointer to tie it, then Ben Costello scored his only points of the game to win it for the Mustangs with just two seconds remaining. After a technical foul Benentendi hit two free throws and Madeira escaped on their home floor over one of SW Ohio's premiere D3 teams. For Greenview highly regarded junior forward Evan Bradds, an Ohio University commit, scored 27 in the loss after overcoming a slow start.
• Taft 86 West High 76: Senior wing Jalean Lowe scored 24 points for the Senators and senior point guard Orlando Berry Jr chipped in 20 points and 8 assists in another Taft win. Senior guard Jermaine Freeman was next in scoring for Taft with 13 while Dwayne Stanford added 12 and Adolphus Washington 10. West High senior guard Lionel "Bubba" Hill surpassed the 1,000 point mark with a game high 27 points in the loss while senior forwards Keevin Tyus and Floyd Lee added 18 and 15 respectively. 
• Aiken 56 Shroder 43: Junior forward Mikey Thompson scored a career high 24 points in a Falcons win.  
• Hughes 53 Woodward 52: Junior wing Terry Cook led all scorers with 18 in a Big Red win. Hughes outscored the Bulldogs 22-10 in the fourth quarter to get their 2nd conference win of the season. Sophomore guards Kevin Daniels and Angel Rivera each added 12 points for Hughes while senior wing Eric Hill led Woodward with 18.  
• Morgantown (WV) 61 Withrow 48: The Tigers lost for the second time in as many days as they were upset by the tough minded host team on the road. Senior forward Tyler Jordan was named the day's MVP with a double-double performance, while senior guards Damon Gooch and Kendall Beamon each scored in double figures. 
• Lockland 59 Belmont 57: Junior guards DJ Wingfield and Dylan Wedlock scored 17 and 14 respectively to win the game for Lockland. 
• Clark 79 Indian Hill 68: Senior guard Max Hassell scored 29 points in the Clark win.

Notes:

-Loveland senior guard Anthony LaMachia has verbally committed to play college basketball at Grinnell College, a Division III school in Iowa. 

-Junior guard Kyle Logan has transferred from Lakota West to Cincinnati Christian.

Friday Night Scores

Monty Boykins led Lakota West to a road
victory over highly ranked Middletown

CPHR's #1 ranked team goes down in a huge upset win for the Lancers at Bill Cady Court. In a typical loaded Friday night the madness of mid-season league games was in full effect.......

• LaSalle 37 Moeller 35: The Lancers won their third game in a row in the rivalry, upsetting the #1 ranked Crusaders at LaSalle. The defensive pressure of LaSalle was enough to force Moeller turnovers, neutralizing the Crusaders size advantage. The Lancers also used timely shooting to go on runs and find just enough offense to win a nail-biter, giving them a leg up in the GCL South; with the rematch coming in their last regular season game. Senior guard Josh Lemons was the game high scorer double-figure scorer as he tallied 9 of his 15 points in the first quarter. Sophomore guard Jeff Larkin was the only other double-figure man with 10 points for LaSalle.  
• Arlington Country Day (FL) 69 Withrow 63: The Tigers put a great fight against a team that ranked in the top ten in the country by several media outlets. Junior power forward Devin Williams had a huge game for Withrow as he totaled 32 points, on 14/19 shooting, along with 13 rebounds in the loss. Senior forward Tyler Jordan was also in double figures with 11 points, while senior guard Kendall Beamon added on 6 points and 6 boards. Withrow, playing in a classic in Morgantown (WV), will face the host team tomorrow evening. 
• Summit 63 Lockland 61: The Panthers suffered their second two point defeat to Summit of the season, the only team to test Summit so far as they remain undefeated. A big second half from junior wing Dontonio Wingfield Jr kept Lockland alive but his 20 points were not enough to get over the hump. Wingfield used his physical advantage over Summit guard Kevin Johnson, who countered with 18 points of his own, to score around the rim and bring Lockland within striking distance. Senior center Holdy Hertzel was the difference in this one as he led Summit with 20 points and 10 rebounds. 
• Taft 73 Aiken 60: The Senators busted open a 20 point lead in the third quarter and cruised in the fourth as they remain undefeated in the league, for the second year in a row. Adolphus Washington led Taft with 22 points and 10 rebounds in the win while fellow senior forward Dwayne Stanford added 11 points and 9 rebounds. Aiken was led by the 17 points and 10 rebounds of junior wing Austin Grimes and the 14 points of senior guard Willie Moore. 
• Lakota West 56 Middletown 53: The Middies were upset at home by the talented young Firebirds in a game that opens the GMC race up wide open. A 14-7 final quarter by West was enough for victory as they rode the 19 points of junior guard Monty Boykins all the way to the finish line in their biggest win of the year. Ali Barnes and Tyler Williams were the other West players in double figures as they scored 10 and 13 respectively. Middletown was led by the 19 points of Geovonie McKnight and the 16 points, with 10 rebounds, of Vincent Edwards as the Middies took their first conference loss of the season.
• Mason 67 Sycamore 43: The Comets, the likely #1 team in next week's rankings, defeated the Aves thanks to 20 points from senior wing Darrin Harris, along with 14 from Mike Van Kleunen and 13 from JD Sprague. Sycamore got 16 points from senior post AJ Williams in the loss.
• Princeton 56 Hamilton 51: Junior forward Eric Tivis led the Vikings with 12 points as they held off the Big Blue with a big third quarter run. Sophomore Christian Jones led Hamilton with a game high 20 points.
•  Colerain 47 Lakota East 45: The Cardinals finally got on the board in conference as the 16 points of junior guard Milt Davis and the 12 points of junior guard Deiontay Waiters propelled them to victory. Freshman post Alex White had his first double-figure game with 13 points in the loss.
• Fairfield 47 Oak Hills 43: Seniors Jeff Woods and Keon Benjamin each scored 10 in a balanced Indians attack as they held off the upset minded Highlanders, who were led by the 12 points of junior Jake Richmond. 
• Winton Woods 59 Norwood 30: In a great defensive effort the Warriors stifled the Indians who were playing without their leader in senior guard Deontez McGee. Winton Woods was led by the 18 points of talented sophomore PG Ronnie Rousseau, on an impressive 8/12 shooting, while junior forwards Trent Donald, 14 points, and Kwan Cheatham, 10 points, chipped in as well. 
• Walnut Hills 71 Milford 56: The Eagles avenged their only conference loss of the season with a home victory behind 20 points from junior guard Sterling Gilmore. 
• Elder 44 St. Xavier 43
• Roger Bacon 55 Badin 52
• North College Hill 62 Clark 56
• Northwest 59 Edgewood 35
• Indian Hill 62 Finneytown 47
• West High 60 Shroder 53
• Loveland 45 Kings 44
• Anderson 61 Wilmington 55
• Mt. Healthy 46 Talawanda 36
• Reading 68 Taylor 47
• McNicholas 75 Purcell Marian 30

Weekend Preview

The most heated rivalry in the GCL-South, a Withrow road trip, and the always busy GMC schedule are the top featured games of the weekend.....

Friday

·         Moeller @ LaSalle: The first of two division games, in what has become the city’s most intense rivalry, will begin Friday night at the home of the defending State Champions. The up-tempo Lancers will try and pressure the more methodical Crusaders in a game where there are no secrets. Moeller has more experience in the rivalry, while LaSalle has the home court advantage, and both have great coaches. The key to this game will be junior PG Keith Watkins and senior SG Ben Galemmo of Moeller handling the pressure of LaSalle. If Moeller can get the ball down low they have significant size advantages. Remember that LaSalle has a team full of three-point shooters, the great equalizer against physical limitations.

o    Prediction: Last year was LaSalle’s year, while no Division I team has separated themselves yet this year Moeller looks to be the cream of the crop. Expect Moeller to win a close game.

·         Withrow vs Arlington Country Day (FL): The Tigers travel to Morgantown, WV for the weekend to play two games with the perennially loaded Arlington CD being their first opponent. Arlington boast 8 Division I prospects on their team, although they recently lost their most talented player in top 50 nationally ranked senior Torian Graham leaving the school. While they struggled on Monday in a loss to Taft the Tigers are very talented and if their stars can get their confidence back this game will be very close.

o    Prediction: Arlington CD wins in a thriller.

·         Taft vs Aiken: A Falcons home-game that will be played at Withrow in another heavyweight opponent for Aiken. The Falcons were blown out early last time, but have made some improvements. Taft looks near unbeatable in the city, and Aiken has yet to get over the hump and beat a big name team.

o    Prediction: Taft wins comfortably.

·         Summit @ Lockland: The only team that has tested Summit so far this season will try and pull the upset on their home-court the second time around. With Tommy Kreyenhagen healthy for Summit it seems unlikely.

o    Prediction: Summit

·         Lakota West @ Middletown

·         Winton Woods @ Norwood

·         Lakota East @ Colerain

·         Oak Hills @ Fairfield

·         Hamilton @ Princeton

·         Sycamore @ Mason

·         Elder @ St. Xavier

·         Purcell Marian @ McNicholas

·         Badin @ Roger Bacon

·         West High @ Shroder

·         Clark @ North College Hill

·         Milford @ Walnut Hills

·         Maderia @ Deer Park

·         Finneytown @ Indian Hill

Saturday

·         Jamestown Geenview @ Madeira

·         St. Xavier @ Turpin

·         Withrow vs Morgantown (WV)

·         Shroder vs Aiken: Game is at Withrow

·         Woodward @ Hughes

·         Taft @ West High

·         Indian Hill @ Clark

Sunday

·         Summit @ Dayton Jefferson

Tuesday Night Scores

Josh Lemons & Jeff Larkin had big scoring nights for LaSalle

A back and forth game at LaSalle and a sloppy first half that turned into a blowout at Summit highlight the action from Tuesday night.......

• LaSalle 72 Aiken 55: In a game of runs the Lancers wore down the Falcons, and forced them into well over 20 turnovers, as they escaped with the win. Aiken jumped out to an early 21-10 lead by using their overpowering athleticism to score inside against a smaller LaSalle team. From that point sophomore guard Jeff Larkin took over for LaSalle, scoring 17 of his 21 points in the first half, pushing LaSalle to a huge second quarter and a 39-30 halftime lead. Aiken came out and scored the first 8 points of the second half to cut the lead to 1 but crucial mistakes down the stretch in the third quarter allowed the Lancers to take a 50-42 lead into the fourth quarter. The fourth quarter, like the second, belonged to LaSalle as they forced more turnovers and hit free throws to hold on for a win, in a game that was much closer then the score would suggest. Senior guard Josh Lemons was sensational in this one as he scored a game high 31, almost all of them coming in a huge Lancer run that spanned the late third and early fourth quarter. Aiken was led by the 18 points of junior wing Austin Grimes and the 12 points of senior forward Paul Woodson. 
• Northwest 76 Norwood 67: Freshman Isaiah Jones scored a career high 24 points as the Knights defeated a very good Norwood team. Senior guard Chazz Gwinn added 19 points for Northwest while senior guard Quez Evans chipped in 12. In the loss Northwest was led by the 16 points of senior guard Deontez McGee and the 23 points of Glen Frank. 
• Summit 43 Badin 23: The Silver Knights only led 17-14 at the half before busting open a huge lead in the third quarter by speeding up the tempo of the game. During the third quarter run that put the game out of reach Summit senior guard Tommy Kreyenhagen hit four consecutive three-point shots in his first action of the season as he returned from injury; Kreyenhagen finished with 14 points in the win. Junior guard Kevin Johnson scored 14 points, grabbed 9 rebounds,  and had 3 steals for Summit as well. The Knights improve to 12-0 on the season.
• Fairfield 64 Hughes 51: Senior sniper Kyle Smith hit five three-pointers on his way to a career high 20 points as the Indians continued to roll. Senior wing Jeff Woods added 10 points for Fairfield while senior forward Keon Benjamin chipped in 16 in the win. Hughes was led by the game high 24 points of junior wing Terry Cook and the 14 points, with 6 assists, of sophomore PG Angel Rivera in the loss. 
• Purcell Marian 48 Kettering Alter 44: The Cavaliers pulled of a huge upset win at home behind the 14 points of senior guard Mike Englert. Star junior guard Jaaron Simmons scored 25 points in the loss. 
• Turpin 63 Wilmington 51: The Spartans pulled off an emotional victory in sophomore guard Zach McCormick's first game against his old school. McCormick was 2nd in scoring for Turpin with 14 points, while senior forward Adam Boyer led the charge with 15 points and 10 rebounds, and junior forward Connor Grotton chipped in 13. Unfortunately for Turpin they did lose junior guard Clay Johnson for the rest of the year with a wrist injury; CPHR wishes Clay a quick recovery. 
• Winton Woods 77 Edgewood 29: The Warriors ran the visitors out of the gym in a league victory. 

A Cut Above the Rest

Taft's two headed bench monster in senior
guards Fred Cannaday and Ra'saan Jackson

At Monday night's MLK Day Classic at Taft High School the Senators earned their fourth win of the long week, proving that in the city they are simply a cut above the rest......

Taft 57 Withrow 43: While the final margin might have been 14 points it felt like a 50 point game to the crowd. Taft jumped out to an 8-1 lead less then two minutes in, led by 12 after the first, then outscored Withrow 15-2 in the second quarter to take a commanding 36-14 lead into the break. Withrow was unable to do anything to change the momentum in the third quarter as a buzzer beating jumper extended Taft's lead to a game high 25 points heading into the fourth quarter. In the fourth the Senators turned on cruise control, allowing the Tigers to get some easy buckets late. The first of two league meetings between the rivals, and top contenders for the CMAC crown, it is going to be tough to envision Withrow defeating Taft the second time around. The Senators were led by stellar bench play of senior guards Fred Cannaday, who scored 12 points, and Ra'Saan Jackson, who was great in his defensive stopper role. Playing in front of future coach Urban Meyer, senior post Adolphus Washington scored 16 points and grabbed 14 rebounds in the Senator win; while fellow football star Dwayne Stanford, a senior forward, posted 10 points and 10 rebounds. Withrow was led by the 15 points and great energy of senior forward Tyler Jordan while junior post Devin Williams added 12 points and 9 boards, although most of that came late with the outcome already decided.

Sunday results from Flyin' to the Hoop

The Taft Senators Starting 5- Adolphus Washington,
Jalean Lowe, Orlando Berry, Dwayne Stanford, Jermaine Freeman

By CPHR student intern Daniel Watkins 

Taft 82 Akron St. Vincent-St Mary’s 74: The most anticipated matchup at this weekend’s Flyin’ to the Hoop tournament matched up two of Ohio’s top division II teams.  From the opening tip Taft and their star Adolphus Washington made it known that they came to play. Taft’s on ball pressure forced SVSM into 13 first half turnovers that gave the Senators a 47-44 halftime lead. In the second Half SVSM showed why they are also one of the best division II teams in the state as their star player senior wing Lorenzo Cugini heated up from behind and finished the game with 5 three point field goals and a team high 29 points. Washington’s post presence proved to be too much for the Irish, out of Akron, as he dominated the boards all game. A monster dunk by Washington with 6:25 left put Taft’s lead at 71-60 and SVSM could not put together a late rally. Washington finished with a game high 30 points and 11 rebounds. Taft was also led by senior guard Orlando Berry’s 20 points, senior wing Jalean Lowe’s 13 points, and the 9 points of senior forward Dwayne Stanford. Senior wing DJ Blanks also had a big scoring game as he tallied 21 points in the SVSM loss.

Middletown 30 Huntington Prep (WV) 84:  The final game of the night was the biggest mismatch of the day as Huntington Prep showed CPHR why they are considered one of the best teams in the country. The Middies were down by 6 after the first but from that point on it was all Huntington Prep. A 22-0 run to start the second quarter blew the lead to 24-8 as Huntington dominated the game from that point on. Huntington Prep’s Andrew Wiggins showed CPHR his excellent all around talent and why he is the #1 ranked player in the class of 2014 finishing with a game high 23 points. Middletown Jailin Marshall finished the night as his teams only double digit scorer with 10 points.    

Saturday Night Results

A shocking upset was in the works, but didn't quite happen, as the Crusaders struggled with Aiken; also, some very competitive games at the Bluegrass-Buckeye Charity Classic......

• Moeller 57 Aiken 51: CPHR’s top division I team the Moeller Crusaders was in a battle all night with the Falcons from Aiken. Aiken took a 29-24 halftime lead and from that point on it was a game of two huge Moeller runs that proved to be the difference in this one. With 5:31 left in the third the Falcons had a 10 point lead and that’s when Moeller went on their first run, scoring 11 straight points to take a 35-34 lead. Tied at 39 all going into the fourth quarter Moeller put together a 9-0 run to take a 48-39 lead. Aiken managed to put together a late rally and with 42 seconds to go a steal and quick score by Aikens starting guard Willie Moore put the game at 53-51 with 32 seconds left. From that point on Moeller used their clutch free throw shooting to finish the weekend with its 2^nd win in as many days. Moeller Junior Wing Josh Davenport continued his domination this season finishing with a game high 26 points. Aiken was lead by senior guard Willie Moore who struggled to get good shots all night finishing with 12 points and Junior Wing Austin Grimes finished with 16 points.
• Recap by CPHR student intern Daniel Watkins
• Colerain 68 Covington Catholic 60: The Cardinals pulled off an overtime win at the Bluegrass-Buckeye Charity Classic behind the sharpshooting of junior guard Milt Davis, who poured in 25 points in the win. Cov Cath was led by the 22 points of junior guard Nick Fredrick in the loss.
• Dixie Heights 66 Lakota West 61: The Colonels pulled away late to beat a feisty Firebirds play behind the overall play of NKY's top player in sophomore Brandon Hatton who scored 25 points, grabbed 9 rebounds, dished out 5 assists, and had 3 steals in the win. Junior guard Monty Boykins led West with 20 points and 6 rebounds in the loss at the Bluegrass-Buckeye Charity Classic. 
• Fairfield 66 Lockland 44: Brandon Murphy scored 17 points, Jeff Woods 15, and James Turner 11 as the Indians senior laden team rolled to an easy victory. Junior wing DJ Wingfield led Lockland with 10 points in the loss. 
• St. Xavier 47 Hamilton 43: Charles English, a senior guard, had a perfect shooting night which ended with him leading all scorers with 16 points in a Bombers win. 
• Northwest 64 Anderson 54: The 12 points and 9 rebounds of junior post Kevin Worsham led a balanced Knights scoring attack in a home court victory. 
• LaSalle 69 Christian County (KY) 35: The Lancers cruised to an easy victory at the Bluegrass-Buckeye Charity Classic. 

Friday Area Scores

In perhaps the busiest Friday night of the season we saw several close games, and even some overtime action, in the city league and all over the Queen City....

• Aiken 61 West High 56: In one of the more exciting games of the night CPHR saw two of the best CMAC teams go to overtime. This crucial in conference game was a battle all night as neither team took more than a ten point lead threw out the game. The Mustangs took their first lead since early in the first quarter with 5:03 to play and from that point on it was a nip and tuck to the end. With 3 minutes to go West High committed three straight costly turnovers that lead to two Aiken scores that gave them the 2 point lead at 45-47. Tied at 49 with less than 5 seconds to go Aikens senior guard Willie Moore took a last second floater that fell short and sent the game into overtime. Willie Moore showed us why he is considered one of the best around by scoring 8 huge overtime points to give Aiken the huge in-conference win. Willie Moore finished the night as the falcons only double digit scorer with 21 points 9 rebounds and 7 assist. West High was led by the shooting of senior guard Lionel "Bubba" Hill who finished with 16 points and by senior guard Darrel Bullocks 16 points.     
• Report by CPHR student intern Daniel Watkins
• Withrow 56 Hughes 50: On paper you would look for total domination by Withrow but the Big Red had another trick up there sleeve they jumped out to a 13-8 1st qtr lead led by the decision making of the shifty guard Angel Rivera who dished his way to giving the Hughes Big Red a 27-21 lead at half. I asked Coach Bryan Wyanz what was the key to his 6 pt. lead and he said he was appreciative of the effort and the tempo of the game, if we can contol the flow we will be able to give ourselves a chance to win in the 60's. In the second half the Big Red were still confident with there matchup 2-3 zone they withstood the run the game was tied after a technical was called on Hughes for illegal number (38-38)after 3qtrs. In the 4th the game went back and forth until with about 4 mins left back to back buckets by Erin Nichols was huge. Hughes retaliated with a 3 by Angel Rivera that put them down 1 but the Tigers closed it out with clutch free throws down the strectch by Damon Gooch(11pts) and Tyonte Robertson 10-10 ft's (12pts). Corey Wise led the Tigers with (13pts) Hughes had big contributions from Terry Cook (13pts) Dwight Nared (10pts 5rebs) Angel Rivera (10pts 7assts). 56-50 Cincy Prep Hoops asked Coach Gibert if he thought the Tigers were looking passed Hughes to their game Monday at Taft. He replied, "I believe we struggled with their zone but we were able to figure it out and hold on for the victory.
• Report by CPHR staffer JB Burgin
• Taft 101 Shroder 51: Jalean Lowe led Taft with 21 points while Dwayne Stanford and Adolphus Washington each added 16 in the win. Senior PG Orlando Berry also chipped in with 13 points and 10 assists. 
• Summit 61 North College Hill 35: Sophomore PG Antonio Woods scored 21 points, while junior guard Kevin Johnson added 16, as Summit took commanding lead of the MVC in a blowout win. 
• Woodward 68 Landmark 49: Senior wing Eric Hill scored 25 points in the win. 
• Princeton 56 Lakota West 50: De'arius Young, a senior center, scored 15 points which proved to be the difference as the Vikings snapped a three game losing streak. West was led by the 13 points of junior guard Monty Boykins. 
• Mason 56 Lakota East 41: Darrin Harris led all scorers with 16 points in the Comets win. 
• Middletown 60 Fairfield 53: Sophomore wing Vince Edwards' 18 points and 18 boards, combined with senior guard Geovonie McKnight's 22 points, led the Middies to a crucial league victory. In the loss Fairfield was led by the 15 points of senior forward Keon Benjamin.
• Oak Hills 53 Colerain 39: Junior guard Jake Richmond scored 27 points for the Highlanders as they extended Colerain's winless streak in the league.
• Hamilton 45 Sycamore 43: Christian Jones led the Big Blue with 14 points in the win. 
• LaSalle 50 Dayton Carroll 25: Josh Lemons scored a game high 15 points in the win. 
• Roger Bacon 44 St. Xavier 42: The Spartans earned a huge win over south division rivals on the road.
• Moeller 61 Purcell Marian 42: Ben Galemmo led Moe with 18 points, including 4 three pointers, in the win. 
• Turpin 69 Loveland 41: Adam Boyer and Zach McCormick each scored 14 points in a Spartan blowout win. 
• Milford 50 Kings 47: Robert Overbeck carried the Eagles to the win with 12 points and 11 rebounds.
• Winton Woods 61 Harrison 48: Junior forward Kwan Cheatham led the Warriors with 21 points.
• Northwest 66 Mt. Healthy 60: The 19 points of junior guard Ramar Hairston provided the spark in the Knights win. 
• Anderson 60 Glen Este 42
• McNicholas 58 Bishop Fenwick 54
• Walnut Hills 67 Little Miami 28

Long Weekend Preview

The busiest weekend of the season so far, by far and away, will come over the MLK holiday weekend as CPHR will try and balance the local schedule with the signature event of January- Trent Arena's (Kettering Fairmont HS) Flyin' to the Hoop. Check back every evening for coverage of these events along with the annual Bluegrass-Buckeye Charity Classic results..... 

Friday

·         Summit @ North College Hill: The first of two divisional meetings between two teams that are not expected to lose to anyone else in the division, Summit comes in undefeated while NCH is undefeated in the league. This game will likely come down to if the senior backcourt of NCH in Louis Walker and Jamal Ivery can handle the scoring talents of Summit guards Kevin Johnson and Antonio Woods. With the MVC title on the line, the rivalry stakes high, and the city watching this will be a great opportunity to watch two of Ohio’s better small schools go at it.

o   Prediction: Summit wins a close one.

·         West High @ Aiken: Two teams that are battling for the third spot in the CMAC, behind Withrow and Taft, will meet at Hughes on Friday for the first of two meetings. Willie Moore is a tough cover for West High as they have no one that can match his size and mobility. The little guards of West High could give Aiken fits but the Falcons are the more talented team in what will shape up as a huge weekend for them; with Moeller visiting on Saturday.

o   Prediction: Mustangs hang around but Aiken gets the win.

·         Fairfield @ Middletown: The hottest team in the GMC travels to the toughest venue in the GMC in a matchup that will go a long way towards deciding who finishes the year with a new banner. Fairfield has the firepower, and defensive prowess, to stay in this game. But, are the Indians good enough “closers” to win this one in crunch time? We’ll find out.

o   Prediction: The Indians fall a little short as the Middies win a nail-biter.

·         Lakota West @ Princeton

·         Oak Hills @ Colerain

·         Lakota East @ Mason

·         Sycamore @ Hamilton

·         Hughes @ Withrow

·         Taft @ Shroder

·         LaSalle @ Dayton Carroll

·         Purcell Marian @ Moeller

·         Roger Bacon @ St. Xavier

·         Northwest @ Mt. Healthy

·         Winton Woods @ Harrison

·         Little Miami @ Walnut Hills

·         Kings @ Milford

·         Loveland @ Turpin

·         Norwood @ Ross

·         Landmark Christian @ Woodward

·         Madeira @ Wyoming

·         Finneytown @ Deer Park

·         Indian Hill @ Reading

Saturday

·         Moeller @ Aiken: No one in the city league, outside of Taft possibly, plays a tougher schedule. In this game, being played at Hughes, the Falcons will need to speed up the tempo to have a chance at knocking off the men of Moe. Look for the Crusaders to come out and try and establish the pace with their motion offense and then force Aiken to shoot from the perimeter when they’re defending.

o   Prediction: Aiken has a good starting five but the depth of Moeller will be the difference in this one. Moeller wins by about ten.

·         Colerain vs Covington Catholic (KY): Bluegrass-Buckeye Charity Classic at Dixie Heights at 6:00.

·         Dixie Heights (KY) vs Lakota West: Bluegrass-Buckeye Charity Classic at Dixie Heights at 7:45.

·         Connor (KY) vs Finneytown: Bluegrass-Buckeye Charity Classic at Oak Hills at 3:30

·         Oak Hills vs Ryle: Bluegrass-Buckeye Charity Classic at Oak Hills at 5:30

·         LaSalle @ Christian County (KY): Bluegrass-Buckeye Charity Classic at Oak Hills at 7:30.

·         Lockland @ Fairfield

·         Anderson @ Northwest

·         Elder @ Kettering Alter

·         Hamilton @ St. Xavier

Sunday

·         Taft vs Akron St Vincent St Mary’s: The Senators return to the prestigious Flyin’ to the Hoop event at Kettering Farimont’s Trent Arena at 3 PM. Last year the only loss Taft took was at Flyin’ to the Hoop; this year they face the top Division II team in Northeast Ohio in SVSM out of Akron, like Taft the Irish are defending state champions. SVSM has another great team this year, but does have some question marks in the backcourt where Orlando Berry should have an advantage.

o   Prediction: Taft wins a close game.

·         Middletown vs Huntington Prep (WV): The Middies also will be playing at Flyin’ to the Hoop, in an 8:15 PM start, where they will take on a team that dismantled Taft last month. Huntington Prep has ten Division I college prospects, led by Columbus native and West Virginia commit PF Elijah Macon.

o   Prediction: H-Prep has too much talent, Middletown loses this one. 

Monday

·         Withrow @ Taft: The matchup that everyone in the city has been waiting to see. The two most talented teams in Cincinnati will clash in the first of two meetings on MLK day. Devin Williams will battle it out down low with Adolphus Washington, and Tyonte Robertson will take on Orlando Berry, in two of the premiere matchups. Withrow has more depth and team size then Taft; but the Senators have the advantage of being proven winners in these types of games. Coming off a Sunday game in Dayton the Senators also might be struggling with fatigue. With the CMAC title probably coming down to who wins this season series, who will step up in this one?

o   Prediction: Tough call but until Withrow gets over the hump and beats Taft CPHR can’t pick them to win. We’ll take Taft in another classic matchup.

·         Franklin vs Medina Senior: Scheduled to tip at 3:30 at Trent Arena in Kettering, OH. Franklin has a chance to put themselves on the map as an elite Division II team by winning on the big stage. Medina was supposed to be led by Michigan State signee PF Kenny Kaminski, but Kaminski went down late in football season with an injury and is yet to return. How will freshman guard Luke Kennard handle the pressure of the nation’s premiere MLK weekend exposure event?

o   Prediction: Franklin remains undefeated. 

Wednesday CMAC Scores

Two league games took place in the city league tonight.........

• Withrow 62 Woodward 44: The Tigers defeated the Bulldogs for the 2nd time this year behind the 16 points of senior guard Damon Gooch. For Woodward senior guard Eric Hill scored a game high 22 points as the team took another loss to their bitter rivals.  

• West High 81 Shroder 67: After trailing by two at the break senior wing Keevin Tyus came out strong in the second half, scoring the majority of his team high 22 points after the break as West High won comfortably. Darrell Bullock and Lionel "Bubba" Hill, both senior guards, each added 13 points in the Mustangs win. 

Tuesday Scores

Mason put constant pressure on LaSalle
senior PG Josh Lemons as the Comets pulled the upset.

In one of the best nights of the season we saw overtime at Princeton and a hungry Mason team send LaSalle to their first loss since last January........ Game Photos 

• Mason 54 LaSalle 47: The Comets opened up the game with a 12-0 run to start the 2nd quarter as they punished LaSalle inside with the strength of senior forwards Darrin Harris and Michael Van Kleunen; who scored 15 and 12 respectively. With LaSalle cutting the lead to two by scoring the first 10 points of the third quarter, in a game the Lancers never led, it was the composure of senior guard JD Sprague (who scored 13 points) that kept the Comets together. Mason battled back and forth in the final quarter until Lancer's senior guard Josh Lemons fouled out on a charge with 2:21 left and his team trailing by three, essentially icing the game for Mason. The Comets played great defense all game, holding the Lancers to just 3/25 three point shooting, and stifling Lemons into tough shots; although Lemons did manage a game high 22 points. Despite the many turnovers Mason had in the second half, that allowed LaSalle to run and thus get back in the game, they were able to handle the ball down the stretch and make their FT's to get the win. LaSalle suffers their first loss of the season, and first since last January, while Mason has made their case for the #1 spot in the rankings with only one loss themselves. 
• Middletown 81 Princeton 78: The 27 points, 8 rebounds, and 4 assists of senior guard Geovonie McKnight led the Middies to an overtime road win in what is now a heated GMC rivalry, as Middies coach Josh Andrews made his first return to his old gym. Middletown also got 18 points from senior guard Zach Edwards, while sophomore wing Vincent Edwards went for 16 points and 18 rebounds. Princeton was led by the 20 points and 10 assists of junior PG Dorian Jordan, the 21 points of senior guard Deion Isham, and the 17 points De'arius Young; as the Vikings have lost an unfathomable third straight league game. 
• Chaminade Julienne 45 St. Xavier 37: The Bombers took another tough loss as the 22 points of NKU bound senior forward John Staley were too much for them to handle. 
• Norwood 63 Mt. Healthy 61: The Indians came back from a 7 point fourth quarter deficit to win behind the 20 points of senior guard Deontez McGee. 
• Walnut Hills 58 Wilmington 39: Junior post Isaiah Johnson continued his double-double streak with 19 points and 13 rebounds, along with 7 blocks; while junior guard Sterling Gilmore added 12 points and 5 assists in another Walnut Hills victory. 
• Loveland 38 Milford 37: Anthony Lamachia, a senior guard, scored 16 points off the bench in a big Tigers upset win. 
• Kings 54 Anderson 49: Senior guard Zach Brashear's 17 points led Kings to the victory. 
• Ross 66 Northwest 62: Senior forward Max Mischkulnig's 21 points and 15 rebounds made the difference in the Rams win. Northwest got 16 points from Quez Evans, 15 from Randal Mullins, and 11 from Chazz Gwinn in the loss. 
• Winton Woods 66 Talawanda 51: Junior forward Trent Donald went for 23 points and 14 rebounds as Winton Woods got their groove back from yesterday's loss at Taft. Sophomore guard Ronnie Rousseau and senior post Zach McCorkle both added 11 points for Winton Woods, while junior forward Kwan Cheatham tallied 13. 
• Turpin 56 Little Miami 34: Junior guard Clay Johnson scored 15, and sophomore guard Zach McCormick scored 13 in an easy Spartans win. 

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.