Friday Night Results

Mason senior wing Darrin Harris

Fairfield and LaSalle prove they're for real, Moeller survives a scare, another great rivalry game between Summit and Lockland, and Walnut Hills takes their second loss in a disappointing week during an action packed Friday night set of games; leaving CPHR even more upset that we didn't get a chance to see a live game tonight....... 

·          Mason 71 Colerain 58: The Comets took a step toward proving that they’re one of, if not the top, team to beat in the GMC with a convincing home win. Mason jumped out to a 25-9 lead after the first quarter and never let Colerain back in the game. The Comets got balanced scoring in this one as senior wing Darrin Harris led the way with 21 points, 9 rebounds, and 6 assists while senior forward Mike Van Kleunen added 16 points and senior guard JD Sprague had 14. In the loss Colerain got their scoring from junior guards Kane Thompson and Deiontay Wiaters who scored 13 each, while senior wing Eli’sha Campbell added 12 and sophomore guard Kiere Bennie chipped in 9.

·          Fairfield 66 Lakota East 52: What an opening week for the Indians as they knock off last season’s GMC champs on the road. Senior post Brandon Murphy led the way for Fairfield as he scored 12 points with 11 rebounds while senior guard Devon Barlow led the scoring with 16 (including 4 three pointers). Fairfield also got double figure scoring from senior guard James Turner with 12 and sophomore guard Tim Fleming with 11. Lakota East junior guard Stedman Lowry had a career night with 27 points in the loss, while adding 7 rebounds.

·          Milford 47 Walnut Hills 39 (OT): Junior guard Brennan Ferrell, a pure shooting under the radar talent, poured in 22 points to lead Milford to a huge overtime win. Senior post Rob Overbeck and junior post Garrett Mayleben each added 9 for the victors. Walnut Hills was led by the 11 points, 6 rebounds, and 3 assists of junior PG Sterling Gilmore.

·          Turpin 69 McNicholas 46: The Spartans flexed their muscles in the blowout win as sophomore guard Zach McCormick had another huge night with 23 points while junior wing Connor Grotton went for 14 points with 9 rebounds. Senior guard Mitch Stevens added 14 for Turpin and senior forward Adam Boyed chipped in 12. McNick was led by the 23 points of senior wing Drew Hall.

·          Summit 48 Lockland 46: The Panther scored a layup to tie the game, but the officials waved it off saying it was after the buzzer, giving Summit a home win in what is becoming an intense rivalry. Junior guard Kevin Johnson led the Summit scoring tonight with 14 points, sophomore guard Antonio Woods added 12, senior center Holdy Hertezel scored 11, and sophomore forward Mike Barwick chipped in 8. Lockland was led by the 13 points of sophomore shooter Tyrell Gilbert and the 11 points of junior guard DJ Wingfield.  

·          Moeller 45 Kettering Alter 44: Senior guard Ben Galemmo led Moeller with 17 points, while junior wing Josh Davenport added 14 and senior post Tony Sabato 10, in a game the Crusaders trailed after the third quarter. Despite holding junior superstar PG Jaaron Simmons to just 10 points, and holding Alter scoreless the entire first quarter, Moeller was unable to pull away but held on for the one point win.  

·          St. Xavier 57 Dayton Carroll 45: The Bombers rebounded from Tuesday’s loss with a win over Carroll behind 13 points from sophomore forward Roderick Mills, 13 from senior guard Charles English, and 10 from junior guard Ben Carroll.

·          Princeton 76 Sycamore 37: Junior wing Darius Hilson had a breakout game by leading the Vikings in scoring with 15 points off the bench while junior PG Dorian Jordan had a great defensive game with 12 points and a career high 8 steals. Senior wing Darius Pritchett also was in double figures for Princeton with 11 points. Sycamore was led by the 16 points of senior post AJ Williams.  

·          Middletown 63 Hamilton 41: Geovonie McKnight scored 17, Vince Edwards 13, and Zach Edwards 11 in a comfortable Middies win.

·          Taft 106 Hughes 65: Orlando Berry scored 24, Jalean Lowe 19, Adolphus Washington 16, and sophomore Kenny Kaufman hit 5 three pointers for 15 points as Taft rolled to another blowout win. Senior guard Jermaine Freeman also scored 14 points for the victorious Senators. In the loss, sophomore PG Angel Rivera took another step towards stardom with 29 points while fellow sophomore Kevin Daniels added 17 for Hughes. 

·          Withrow 61 Shroder 48: The 24 points of junior post Devin Williams, 11 points of senior forward Tyler Jordan, and 8 points of junior guard Tim Coleman propelled Withrow to a win after a sluggish first half that saw Shroder hold a lead. Senior guard Vernon Montgomery led Shroder with 14 points in the loss.

·          West High 73 Woodward 64: Keevin Tyus, a senior wing, scored 19 points to lead the Mustangs while senior guard Bubba Hill added 15 and junior forward Marquez Carpetenter went for ten in a West High win. Senior guard Eric Hill led Woodward with 18 points in the loss.  

·          LaSalle 63 Bishop Fenwick 26: Senior guard Josh Lemons led the way for LaSalle with 16 points. 

·          Franklin 66 Monroe 32: Freshman guard Luke Kennard scored 22 in the Wildcat win.

·          Finneytown 58 Indian Hill 55

·          Mariemont 50 Wyoming 41

·          Clark 66 Cincinnati Christian 63: Senior guard Max Hassell topped three double figure Clark scorers with 17 points in the win. 


Late Scores:
Anderson 55 Wilmington 53: Junior forward Joe Cossins led Anderson with 15 points in the win. 
North College Hill 75 St. Bernard 48: Senior wing Jamal Ivery scored 29 for NCH in the win while sophomore forward Latrell Tidwell added on 14 points. 

Wendesday/Thursday Recap + Injury Report

Some other mid-week action from the area...

Northwest senior SG Quez Evans

Wednesday:

• Colerain 76 Ryle (KY) 48: Senior guard Eli'sha Campbell led all Cardinal scorers with 12 points, as 8 players went for at least 6 points. Craig Liegibel also was in double figures for Colerain with 11 points.

Thursday:

• Badin 54 Northwest 49: A stagnant first half, where jumpshots simply would not fall, left Badin trailing by 9 on the road as Northwest's 3-2 zone got the best of the visitors. Badin turned the tables beginning early in the fourth quarter with a full-court press that took Northwest out of their game as they came back from down ten to tie the game with 3:00 left, eventually forcing overtime at 42-42. In overtime it was all Badin as they got their first buckets, mainly off the momentum they had achieved by coming back, and never allowed the Knights a chance to get back in it. Jimmy Kes (13 points), Morgan Reynolds (11 points), Max Adams (10 points), and Joe Marot (10 points) all scored in double figures in the Badin win. Northwest was led by the 11 points of junior post Kevin Worsham and the 9 points of senior SG Quez Evans. Isaiah Jones, a freshman PG, had a solid floor game for Northwest with 5 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists, and a steal.   

Injury Report:

• Mark Minch- '12 Lakota East SF: Out until late January with a foot injury.
• Tommy Kreyenhagen- '12 Summit SG: Out until January with a shoulder injury.
• Allante Foster- '12 Colerain SF: Game to game decision after recovering from concussion symptoms.
• Malcolm Smith- '12 Princeton SG: Out until early January with a broken foot.
• Jessie Funderberg- '12 Winton Woods SG: Out until late January with a hand injury.
• Chazz Gwinn- '12 Northwest SG: Game to game decision with an ankle injury.

Weekend Preview

A pair of heavyweight GMC games highlight a busy weekend schedule.....

Friday

·         Colerain @ Mason: Early season game with potential late season implications. Every game between what CPHR is calling the GMC’s “Big 7” is going to be critical to who takes the league title. This one will become a battle of pace as Colerain will try and out-run the Comets and then set up their press where as Mason prefers to play in the half-court, where they’re extremely efficient on both ends. Key to this game will probably be Mason’s senior PG JD Sprague and his ability to handle Colerain pressure, taking advantage of mistakes still being made by a young team.

o   Prediction: Mason is always great at home. We think they take this one. Colerain is still a tough team to project however and could surprise us….  

·         Fairfield @ Lakota East: As we said before, matchups between GMC “Big 7” teams will decide the league title. Fans at this game should not expect many points as both teams take pride in their defense and that is where they’re been successful so far this season. As hard as they work defensively you would think they value possession offensively but FF plays at as fast a pace as anyone offensively, and you never know which player will get hot from distance. Key to this game will be who can make more tough shots, and the Indians have more firepower at this point in the season.

o   Prediction: Road wins are tough to get in the GMC but Fairfield gets this one in a low scoring and close game.

·         Walnut Hills @ Milford: Two top tier FAVC teams coming off of losses will play with a sense of urgency here. Milford has the size, with Garrett Mayleben and Robert Overbeck, to combat Walnut post Isaiah Johnson. The key in this one is the improved guard play of Walnut Hills talented junior trio; if they’re at their finest then Walnut should win this comfortably.

o   Prediction: Walnut finds their perimeter groove and wins this by about ten.

·         McNicholas @Turpin: Rivalry between two geographically close teams that both posted impressive opening wins. Drew Hall, senior guard from McNicholas, and Turpin sophomore SG Zach McCormick could get into a shootout in this one as both are capable of going for 30. Rockets have the size advantage but Spartans have more overall talent and athleticism. Should be a close game.

o   Prediction: Turpin wins a close game at home behind McCormick’s scoring.

·         Lockland @ Summit: The two most talented teams in the MVC square off for the annual Kevin Johnson vs DJ Wingfield matchup. Expect Summit to go down low early and often to senior post Holdy Hertzel.

o   Prediction: Summit has more talent top to bottom; they take this by double digits at home.

·         Taft @ Hughes

·         Shroder @ Withrow

·         Woodward @ West High

·         Middletown @ Hamilton

·         Princeton @ Sycamore

·         Wilmington @ Anderson

·         Indian Hill @ Finneytown

·         Wyoming @ Mariemont

·         Moeller @ Kettering Alter

·         St. Xavier @ Dayton Carroll

·         Chaminade Julienne @ Elder

·         Bishop Fenwick @ LaSalle

·         Loveland @ Kings

Saturday

·         North College Hill @ Roger Bacon: Two ranked young teams go at it in what was a thriller last season. Bacon might have a size advantage but do they have the quickness to stay in front of NCH senior guards Jamal Ivery and Lou Walker, who’ve been on a tear so far this season?

o   Prediction: NCH gets the win.

·         Princeton @ Bryan Station (KY): Vikings travel over the river to take on one of Lexington’s perennially top teams without the services of scoring senior wing Malcolm Smith, who is injured. Senior PG/SG Jaylen Beckham is a bruising guard, and Division I recruit, that Princeton must slow down.

o   Prediction: Bryan Station is clear favorites in this, Princeton could really impress with a win.

·         Winton Woods @ Fern Creek Traditional (KY): Warriors head to Louisville and look to put together their first total team effort as the young team has shown inconsistencies in first two games.

o   Prediction: Winton Woods

·         Finneytown @ Clark

·         West High @ Dayton Meadowdale

·         Woodward @ LaSalle

·         Mt. Healthy @ Northwest

·         Madeira @ Holy Cross (KY)

·         Highlands (KY) @ Shroder

·         Indian Hill @ Loveland

Tuesday Results

A big season opening upset for an up and coming program, a statement win for the defending State Champions, and much more on an action packed Tuesday night........ St. Xavier @ Fairfield pics

The leadership of James Turner helped
Fairfield get a surprise win over St. Xavier

• Fairfield 46 St. Xavier 36: The Indians came out with passion on their home floor and forced St. X into 20 turnovers leading to enough transition points to win the game. Fairfield proved they one of the top teams in the area defensively as they used a terrific match-up zone to confuse the bombers en route to a huge fourth quarter, where the outscored St. X by 9. Senior guard Jeff Woods led the scoring with 11 while bruising senior forward Keon Benjamin added 10. Fairfield also benefited from the 7 points and 10 rebounds of senior post Brandon Murphy and the steady all-around play of senior guard James Turner (who scored 6, as did senior guard Devon Barlow). Junior SG Alex Blink led the Bombers with 9 points in the loss while junior PG Deontae Bolling showed a solid all-around floor game in his first varsity start. 
• LaSalle 59 Walnut Hills 41: The defending state champs are not as talented as last season but they are a better shooting team. The Lancers showed their shooting skills tonight as their guards spotted up for three point shots all game. Senior guard Josh Lemons attacked the rim constantly and finished with a game high 23 points. Junior guard Connor Speed also scored in double figures with 14 points for LaSalle while sophomore SG Jeff Larkin went for 10 in his first varsity action . The Eagles had a rough night handling the ball under LaSalle’s full court press. When the Eagles did control the ball they got it inside to their junior big man Isaiah Johnson who finished with a team high 19 points. The Eagles were in this one all game until LaSalle took control for good with under 4 minutes left.
• Recap by CPHR Student Intern- Daniel Watkins
• Winton Woods 59 Roger Bacon 53: Trent Donald's 19 points and 17 rebounds, plus 8 assists, paced Winton Woods as they won their first game with strong inside play. Senior post Zach McCorkle scored 12 for the Warriors inside while junior forward Kwan Cheatham added 11, and both grabbed 6 boards. Sophomores Carlas Jackson and Austin Frentsos led the way for Bacon with 13 and 11 points respectively while Dahmere Epperson also added 13.
• Summit 74 Seven Hills 40: Junior guard Kevin Johnson led the scoring for Summit with 18 as the Knights had three other players in double figures with Jake Rawlings, Antonio Woods, and Holden Hertzel all eclipsing the ten point mark. 
• Lakota West 56 Oak Hills 47: The Firebirds won their opener behind the scoring of junior wing Monty Boykins, who had 16 in the win. Senior forward Kayaune Ross added 12 for the Firebirds in the win. For Oak Hills senior forward Jack Pflum scored 15 in the loss. 
• Sycamore 46 Milford 44: Senior post AJ Williams scored 14 points and grabbed 12 boards to lead the Aves to the upset victory. Junior post Garrett Mayleben led Milford with 14 points in the loss.
• Finneytown 64 Northwest 50: Tryin Warner scored 16 and Demarco Hunter added 15 as Finneytown got its first win of the win. Quez Evans led Northwest in the loss with 16 points and freshman PG Isaiah Jones opened with 10 points in his debut.
• McNicholas 66 Loveland 60: In a battle of senior shooters Loveland's Anthony LaMachia went off for 29 in the loss while McNick's Drew Hall scored 26 in the win. Austin Ernst also added on 15 points for the Rockets in their victory. 
• Lockland 68 Clark 57: DJ Wingfield scored 15, Dylan Wedlock 17, and sophomore guard Tyrell Gilbert 16 as the Panthers got their first win of the season. Max Hassell led Clark with 14 in the loss. 

Late Update

• West High 83 Mt. Healthy 73: Keevin Tyus scored 24 and Bubba Hill 21 as the Mustangs outscored the Owls in a shootout. Mt. Healthy was led by four double figure scorers, most notable Terry Rocker with 18 points. 
• North College Hill 54 CHCA 52: Senior PG Louis Walker scored 15 to pace NCH in a thriller. Senior wing Jamal Ivery continues his hot start as he scored 13 in the win. CHCA was led by the 25 points of senior SG Jon Price and the 20 points of junior guard Cody DiFabio.
• Shroder 69 Landmark Christian 37: Senior center Ladell Griffin led Shroder to their first win with 22 points and 10 rebounds.
• Badin 55 Madeira 46: Junior wing Andrew Benentendi led all scorers with 21 in a loss. 

Mid-Week Preview

Three high profile matchups on Tuesday leave CPHR hesitant on what game to attend in a week that should give us a clearer picture of who deserves top ten rankings in our weekly poll.........

Tuesday

·        St. Xavier @ Fairfield: An up and coming Fairfield squad opens their season against a young, and relatively unknown, St. X squad eager to make an impression in their opener. One matchup to watch in this one is two young PG’s as Fairfield returns sophomore Tim Fleming while X will give junior Deontae Bolling his first start. Assuming those two cancel out the key to the game might be how Fairfield can handle the athletic 6’7 sophomore wing Roderick Mills, who is mismatch for them; if Mills can create shots for himself the Bombers should get the win.

o   Prediction: Mills will have a chance to become a star this season. We expect him to begin that process here and lead St. X to a season opening road win.

·        Walnut Hills @ LaSalle: In their first game since their State Championship victory, the new look Lancers face a tough opponent in Walnut Hills, who has the big game experience to handle the rowdy Lancer student section. This year’s LaSalle team has the bulk to handle Isaiah Johnson down low and LaSalle’s style of play should neutralize Walnut’s trio of talented guards. Walnut Hills will need to shoot the ball well to stretch the defense, giving Johnson room to work inside to have a chance. If they can work the ball around, without being bothered by the LaSalle press they should have a chance; provided the Lancers don’t shoot the lights out (as they did in the pre-season).

o   Prediction: Gut feeling on this is LaSalle but Walnut Hills is more than capable of pulling out this type of win. We’ll go with senior guard Josh Lemons leading his Lancer squad to a single digit victory.

·        Roger Bacon @ Winton Woods: The Warriors try and avoid an 0-2 start by playing a Spartan team that posted an impressive margin in their win over Finneytown last weekend. Roger Bacon’s physical defense is similar to the Moeller defense that held Winton Woods under 50 points. If the Warriors can handle the pressure and get quality shots they should win handily, if not (and Bacon can find their shooting touch) it could be closer than most people suspect.

o   Prediction: Winton Woods wins by 15 after a close first half.

·        Clark @ Lockland

·        Mount Healthy @ West High

·        Oak Hills @ Lakota West

·        Milford @ Sycamore

·        Loveland @ McNicholas

·        Finneytown @ Northwest

·        Summit @ Seven Hills

·        CHCA @ North College Hill

Wednesday

·        Colerain @ Ryle: The Cardinals try to get off to a 2-0 start and avenge last season’s loss to Ryle, out of KY, where they were dominated in the paint.

o   Prediction: Colerain has too much speed and depth for Ryle to handle. The Cards get the victory this year.

Thursday

·        Badin @ Northwest

Weekly Recap/Updated Power Rankings

Can anyone challenge Taft for the top spot in our power rankings? Is Kevin Daniels going to be the breakout sophomore in the city this season? Who is deserving of the top spot in Division I? Our take on these questions and more in our weekly recap with top performers, our new team rankings, and a special announcement....

Moeller junior Josh Davenport
had a huge opening night offensively

Week 1 Top Performers:

1.      Adolphus Washington- ’12 Taft C: “Diesel” didn’t earn his reputation yesterday, he’s had it for a while; and one thing is for sure, it’s only getting bigger and bigger. Adolphus was a man amongst boys as he dominated Friday against Taft with 20 points and 19 rebounds in a blowout win; then followed up with a passionate 29 point and 18 rebound outing against a West High team (including two monster dunks) that had no answer, as Taft cruised again.

2.      Orlando Berry Jr- ’12 Taft PG: The senior has big plans to repeat as State Champions and proved that they are the favorites with two convincing wins over Aiken and West High. Berry has been un-guardable in the half and full court so far and through two games is averaging 22.5 points and over 5 assists and 5 steals.

3.      Kevin Daniels- ’14 Hughes SG: The Big Red have won as many games already as they did last season (1) as they defeated Oyler on Friday and lost by one to Woodward on Saturday. Daniels scored the ball at a prolific rate over the weekend as the sophomore recorded 28 on Friday and followed that up with another 26 in Saturday’s loss.

4.      Josh Davenport- ’13 Moeller SG/SF: The junior scoring wing proved that he is ready to handle the offensive load as he led the way in a surprisingly lopsided win over Winton Woods. Davenport scored 22 points, on an efficient 10-14 shooting, and grabbed 10 rebounds in the win.

5.      Geovonie McKnight- ’12 Middletown PG/SG: A great start to his senior season as he scored 20 points, grabbed 12 rebounds, and recorded 5 assists in a win over Beavercreek. Those numbers should help the reputation of one of Ohio’s top unsigned senior prospects.

6.      Vincent Edwards- ’14 Middletown SF: The versatile sophomore showed his complete game with 18 points, 17 rebounds, and 6 assists in a win over Beavercreek. These type of numbers are what makes Vince one of, if not the, top sophomores in Ohio.

7.      Alex Fultz- ’12 Glen Este SG: Even though his team took a tough loss the senior shooter torched Mt. Healthy for 35 points in a thrilling FAVC opener.

8.      Zach McCormick- ’14 Turpin SG: In his first game as a Spartan the sophomore picked up where he left off at Wilmington by scoring 23 points, in only a half of playing time, in a blowout win over Amelia. McCormick is one of the early favorites to lead the city in scoring.

Hughes sophomore Kevin Daniels is
averaging 27 points through two games

9.      Max Hassell- ’12 Clark PG: The senior is determined to keep Clark relevant as he scored 25 points in a convincing home win over a talented Madeira squad. 

10.  Luke Kennard- ’15 Franklin SF: The freshman scored 26 in his first varsity game, a victory over Waynesville. At 6’5 Kennard is running the point for his Wildcat team and looks to have a monster first season.

Week 2 Power Rankings (12/4/11)

Division I

1.      Withrow- Took care of business on Friday vs Woodward and should again this week against Shroder. 8 players scored at least 6 points in their win, highlighting their impressive depth and talent; although Moeller is pushing them for their spot.

2.      Moeller- Gained momentum towards the number one spot with a statement win over Winton Woods. Another performance like that and the top spot could be theirs. Remember, PG Keith Watkins is about to return to action!

3.      Middletown- Solid win over Beavercreek, as their “Big 2” carried them, was enough to move them up one spot over Princeton.

4.      Princeton- Got the win, but not by as much as they should’ve, against Centerville. They drop behind Middletown but this team should improve throughout the year.

5.      LaSalle- Stayed in the same spot, first game is on Tuesday, a tough test against a talented Walnut Hills team.

6.      Mason- Impressive margin in their win moves them up as all their “Big 3” scorers all reached double figures. Tough test this Friday against Colerain looms large.

7.      Winton Woods- Can’t drop them too far after losing to Moeller on the road. This team will only get better as they gain experience. Need to take care of Bacon this Tuesday.

8.      Walnut Hills- Kept their same spot after handling their business Friday. A high profile Tuesday matchup with LaSalle should tell us a lot more.

9.      Lakota East- Huge margin in win over Lockland turned some heads.

10.  St. Xavier- Stayed in the same spot, first game is on Tuesday.

Just Missed: Colerain, Lakota West, Turpin, Northwest, West High, Fairfield

Division II-IV 

Clark senior Max Hassell is off
to a great start this season

1.      Taft- The gap between #1 and rest of the field is huge as the Senators flexed their muscles. The speed they play at, the presence of Adolphus Washington, and the acceptance of roles of their other players make them look like a well oiled machine. 

2.      Franklin- Freshman SF Luke Kennard showed out in the opening win. Their schedule is favorable early, but how good is this Wildcat? Still undecided on this end.

3.      Aiken- A no show loss on Friday then a passionate win on Saturday leaves us a little confused. They have the week off to find their true identity, they belong in this spot right now but have no idea if they’ll move up or down from there.

4.      Summit- Good, but not great, first game against Reading. A tough week with Seven Hills and Lockland on the schedule will challenge their focus.

5.      McNicholas- First game will be this Tuesday, a Friday matchup with Turpin should tell us a lot more about this Rockets team.

6.      North College Hill- The Trojans turned heads with a dismantling of Wyoming, two more blowouts are expected this week, can they handle the expectations?

7.      Lockland- Hard to take much from a loss to a school like Lakota East but Lockland did show signs of life. We’ll learn a lot more this week as they face two ranked teams in Summit and Clark.

8.      Roger Bacon- Nice win over Finneytown, we’ll see what they’ve got Tuesday on the road against a talented Winton Woods team.

9.      Indian Hill- Started season with a convincing win over Sycamore, still sort of an unknown but appear to be CHL favorites at early stage.

10.  Clark- Blowout of Madeira earns them a spot in the top ten. Can they handle Lockland on Tuesday?

Just Missed: Hughes, Shroder, Finneytown, Seven Hills, Madeira, Badin, Cincinnati Christian

CPHR’s Newest Staff Member

We are pleased to announce that beginning this week CPHR’s new student intern, Purcell Marian senior Daniel Watkins, will be joining us as a special correspondent. Watkins, an aspiring journalism major, brings a breadth of knowledge as he traveled the AAU circuit for years as a student-assistant coach for the Queen City Prophets and is an avid fan, and researcher, of Cincinnati high school basketball. Look for big things coming soon from Daniel……..

Saturday Night Scores....

Some results from tonight as two CMAC games ended lopsided, while one came down to the final possession, and a ranked GMC team got off to a great start............. West High @ Taft photos

Taft senior Jalean Lowe had a big scoring night

·         Taft 95 West High 66: Some early extra physical play from the Mustangs added extra motivation to Taft’s dynamic duo of Adolphus Washington and Orlando Berry Jr as they went on rampages to rout West High in the last three quarters. Washington finished with 29 points and 18 rebounds (a day after recording 20 and 19) and Berry finished with 27 to lead Taft to victory without the services of injured starters Jermaine Freeman and Dwayne Stanford. Senior wing Jalean Lowe had his scoring touch tonight as well adding 21 points and senior transfer forward Jabari Watkins added 10 and 7 for Taft. Another key to the Senator win was the quality minutes they received from role players in seniors Fred Cannaday, Ra’Saan Jackson, and Mike Barton Jr. West High was led in scoring by the red hot shooting of senior guard Darrell Bullock who finished with 29 points in the loss. Senior guard Lionel Hill added 10 for West High while senior wing Keevin Tyus was held to just 7 in the loss. The speed of Taft has just been too much for opponents thus far as West High was unable to stop the ball in transition as Berry continuously went coast to coast to score, as did Washington who even played some point in the second half.

·         Aiken 73 Shroder 29: The Falcons opened the game with a 19-4 run and never looked back as they routed Shroder. Junior wing Austin Grimes led Aiken in scoring with 17 points and 12 rebounds, senior guard Willie Moore recorded 15 points (with 7 rebounds and 7 assists), senior forward Paul Woodson had a double-double with 14 and 11. Sophomore Correy Cavins also had 11 points for Aiken while junior wing Mikey Thompson scored 8 for the victors.

·         Woodward 74 Hughes 73: The Bulldogs won the fourth quarter shootout behind the double-double outings of senior guard Eric Hill (24 and 10) and junior wing Tyrone Whithead (21 and 11). Hughes was led by sophomore wing Kevin Daniels who scored 20 of his game high 26 points in the second half in the disappointing loss. Hughes also got great scoring from junior wing Terry Cook, who scored 20 points, and sophomore PG Angel Rivera, who chipped in 13.

·         Mason 70 Lebanon 49: Senior guard JD Sprague led the scoring with 23 points in the Comets opening win.  Senior forward Darrin Harris scored 15 points and grabbed 8 rebounds for the Comets while fellow senior forward Mike Van Kleunen added 10 points in the win.

Late Update- North College Hill 70 Wyoming 36: Senior wing Jamal Ivery led NCH with 19 points in the win.

Friday Night Results

There were a lot of close games on a full slate of opening night games as we saw many new players throw their hats in the ring to become household names. Here are some scores from around the city.......

 Aiken @ Taft game photos

Taft senior post Adolphus Washington

·         Taft 71 Aiken 43: The senior trio of Orlando Berry, Adolphus Washington, and Jalean Lowe dominated the game offensively while Taft gave a complete team defensive effort to rout a Falcons team that simply couldn’t handle the pressure of Taft. Berry set the tempo early recording 8 total steals and scoring 10 of his 18 points in the first quarter. Washington was his traditional workhorse self as he put up 20 points and 19 rebounds in a game which he was simply unguardable. Lowe attacked the rim efficiently tonight and added on 17 points. The Taft defense was sparked early by senior starters Fred Cannaday and Jermaine Freeman as they raced out to a 14 point first quarter lead and never looked back for a second, proving that Taft is the undeniable Division II powerhouse in Cincinnati. Taft’s defense held Aiken stars Willie Moore and Ausin Grimes to 5 points a piece as the Falcons were led in scoring by sophomore Correy Cavins with 14 and senior forward Paul Woodson with 12 points and 11 rebounds.

o   Note: Taft senior forward Dwayne Stanford did not play tonight due to a mild injury. Tonight also marked the unveiling of last season’s State Championship banner and a ring ceremony for the Taft players.

·         Moeller 55 Winton Woods 41: Junior wing Josh Davenport had an impressive outing with 22 points (on 10-14 shooting) and 10 rebounds to lead Moeller in a strong opening performance.  Senior forward Alex Voss had 11 points for Moeller while senior center Tony Sabato added 10. Winton Woods was led by the 12 points of senior post Zach McCorkle, who also grabbed 7 boards.

Taft senior PG Orlando Berry

·         Princeton 56 Centerville 55: An overtime win in a surprisingly close game for the Vikings. Senior guard Deion Isham led the way with 16 points while senior guard Malcolm Smith scored 11 and junior guard Dorian Jordan chipped in 10.  

·         Lakota East 61 Lockland 50: Junior wing Stedman Lowry led the scoring for East with 16 points while junior post Zach Panzeca had a double-double with 12 and 10. Robbie Harpring and Keith Brady also chipped in 10 a piece for East in the win. Junior guard DJ Wingfield scored 19 points for the Panthers in the loss, while junior guard Dylan Wedlock added 15.

·         Middletown 70 Beavercreek 56: Sophomore Vincent Edwards had a huge night for the Middies with 18 points, 17 rebounds, and 6 assists in a winning effort. Senior guard Geovonie McKnight led the scoring with 20 points (while grabbing 12 rebounds and recording 5 assists) and junior wing Jalin Marshall added 17 points.  

·         Withrow 71 Woodward 44: Devin Williams led Withrow to a rivalry victory with 17 points and 11 rebounds while sophomore PG Tyonte Robertson contributed 15 points. Another 6 Tigers scored at least 5 points to balance out the Withrow attack. Seniors Shawnluke Cotton (14) and Eric Hill (10) scored in double figures for the losing Bulldogs.

·         Turpin 82 Amelia 46: Sophomore SG Zach McCormick scored 23 in his Spartan debut while junior forward Connor Grotton added 18 points and 10 boards to pace Turpin.

·         Colerain 74 Harrison 45: Transfer junior SG Milt Davis and sophomore PG Kiere Bennie each scored 14 to pace Colerain in their blowout win while junior wing Bryan Porter added 13 points.

·         Walnut Hills 56 Purcell Marian 30: Isaiah Johnson led Walnut with 17 points while junior guard Kyree Burton added on 13 points in the blowout win.

·         Fairfield 54 Fairmont 46: Senior center Brandon Murphy recorded a double-double with 16 points and 10 boards in the Indians win while sophomore PG Tim Fleming added 11 points.

·         West High 65 Oak Hills 44: Five Mustangs reached double figures in a balanced scoring effort as Keevin Tyus (in his first game off a torn ACL), Darrell Bullock, Lionel Hill, Marquez Carpenter, and Randen Clark all had over 10.

·         Hughes 98 Oyler 63: The Hughes Big Red matched last season’s win total in only their second game as four players- sophomore wing Kevin Daniels (led with 28), sophomore post Dwight Nared, sophomore PG Angel Rivera (10 points 11 assists), and junior guard Terry Cook- all scored at least 13 points in the win.

·         Summit 58 Reading 43: Senior center Holden Hertzel had a breakout game with 22 points and 10 rebounds for Summit while Antonio Woods scored 17 and Kevin Johnson had 11 in the win. 

·         Clark 70 Madeira 57: Max Hassell, a senior PG, scored 25 points tonight; the first step to proving that he can lead this team back to the Regionals this year. In the loss junior guard Andrew Benenteni scored 17 for Madeira. 

·         Indian Hill 55 Sycamore 39

·         Roger Bacon 78 Finneytown 64


Late Update:
Deer Park 48 Wyoming 41: Sophomore guard Ahmad Frost led all scorers with 16 in a Wyoming loss.
Mt. Healthy 82 Glen Este 78: Senior guard Alex Fultz went off to the tune of 35 points in a shootout loss. For Mt. Healthy sophomore forward Andrew Wilfong came off the bench to score 25, senior guard Terry Rocker scorer 25, and senior guard Vincent Turnage added 18 all in the win.
Franklin 69 Waynesville 56: Freshman wing Luke Kennard, CPHR's #1 ranked freshman, scored 26 to lead all scorers in a debut win.