Weekend Preview

Another weekend, another set of huge games. GMC title implications will again be on the line in December with all 10 teams playing Friday night league games, the first round of GCL-South divisional games starts up, and some inner city rivalry games heat up in an action packed Friday and Saturday night sessions….

Friday 12/14/11

·         Princeton @ Colerain: This one will probably play out similarly to a track meet as the two most athletic teams in the GMC matchup. Colerain currently has 6 players averaging at least 8 points per game while Princeton has 5 players averaging at least 10 (although Malcolm Smith will be missing).  Whichever team can avoid turnovers and get the best shots should win, as both teams can get a little reckless by playing too fast offensively.

o   Prediction: Princeton opens it up in second half for a double digit win.

·         Mason @ Middletown: After needing all 32 minutes to defeat a feisty Aiken squad the Middies are back in action against an even tougher opponent, and this time a league foe. They’re at home again but face a very different task as Mason plays at a slower pace with more of a halfcourt style. The matchups that coaches put out there will be interesting as Mason might not have a big and athletic guard capable of stopping Geovonie McKnight; but the Middies might not have two defenders in the high posts to cover senior forwards Darrin Harris and Mike Van Kleunen. Expect a well coached game with two teams really prepared to stop each other’s primary options, who will be the surprise hero in this one?

o   Prediction: Toughest call of the night. We’ll take the Middies, only because of the city’s top home court advantage, in a low scoring and intense game.

·         West High @ Withrow: No team has more on the line this weekend then Withrow who has two statement games after a little bit of a shaky start (although they are yet to lose). West High will come at Withrow like they did last year, where the Mustangs upset the Tigers once (and probably should’ve won both games), with full court pressure while trying to speed up the game. This year’s Withrow team has more depth to counter that style, and will more then likely come out early and try and pound the ball to junior PF Devin Williams (although West High has the interior depth to slow Williams down, even though the Mustangs big men no-showed against Adolphus Washington earlier this season). If the Tigers can go on the first big run they should put West away early, similarly to the way Taft did; if the Mustangs strike first then it will be a long 32 minutes.

o   Prediction: Withrow

·         LaSalle @ St. Xavier: The Bombers have not gotten off to the star that they envisioned, where as the Lancers have looked better then anyone could’ve imagined after what they graduated. St X gets a chance at home to put themselves back on the map in the biggest test so far for some of the young Lancer guards.

o   Prediction: LaSalle is too tough defensively for St X to score on. Lancers win by 15.

·         Turpin @ Anderson: League rivalry, divisional rivalry, neighborhood rivalry, need we say more? Up and coming Turpin travels down the road to play a program that perennially gets the better of them, but this year it’s Turpin with the talent advantage.

o   Prediction: Turpin

·         Roger Bacon @ McNicholas: The talented youth movement at Bacon takes on veteran laden Rockets at their gym. McNick senior wing Drew Hall should probably have another huge game but Spartan sophomore wing Carlas Jackson is starting to look like the real deal. Can Jackson hold Hall enough for the rest of the Spartans to take advantage of their matchups?

o   Prediction: Roger Bacon in a close one.

·         Summit @ Clark: Knights first trip to the new Clark gym in a game that the Cougars want revenge in from last year. Top bragging rights in the MVC are on the line here.

o   Prediction: Summit

·         Hamilton @ Fairfield

·         Lakota East @ Oak Hills

·         Sycamore @ Lakota West

·         Aiken @ Hughes

·         Woodward @ Shroder

·         Elder @ Moeller

·         Ross @ Winton Woods

·         Walnut Hills @ Glen Este

·         Norwood @ Harrison

·         Talawanda @ Northwest

·         Wilmington @ Kings

Saturday 12/15/11

·         Taft vs Grace Prep (TX): The Senators opening round game at the City of the Palms Classic in Ft. Meyers, Florida will determine whether they enter the winners of losers bracket for the remained of the event. City of the Palms, the premiere national  high school holiday tournament, feature 16 of the top teams in the country and Taft might be the most undermanned all these teams feature much taller lineups then the Senators. Grace Prep is one of those teams; first of all, they are led by 7’0 senior forward Isaiah Austin (ranked as the #5 player in the country by Rivals.com) who has signed a scholarship already with Baylor (Austin Highlights). The remainder of Grace Prep’s team is more then talented as well as they feature 6’4 senior SG Jelon Hornbreak (top 75 nationally) who is signed with Oklahoma, 6’7 junior PF Jordan Mickey (a top 60 national talent), 6’9 junior center Karviar Sheppard (top 75 national talent), and 6’4 sophomore point guard Emmanuel Mudiay (ranked as the top PG and #3 overall player in the country in his class). Needless to say, Taft will have their work cut out for them; but, this is a group of Senator seniors that has grown accustomed to winning big games against bigger, and more talented, teams.

o   Prediction: Taft keeps it closer then expected but Grace Prep sends Taft to the losers bracket.

·         Withrow vs Aiken (at Hughes): As we said earlier, Withrow has the most to prove of any team this weekend with Aiken being their second test. A brutal Aiken schedule has them playing a tough minded Hughes team Friday, after a great game on Tuesday at Middletown, before meeting with Withrow (Falcons have already played Taft as well). This game turned into a shootout last year between Willie Moore and Brewster Academy’s Aaron Thomas; expect a different game this year. Aiken is going to try and speed the ball up while Withrow should try and slow this one down with Devin Williams and Rozelle Nix in the post. CPHR has a feeling this one is going to be high scoring.

o   Prediction: Withrow wins a close one in another heartbreaking Aiken loss.

·         Lockland @ Dayton Jefferson: The two most high profile Division IV teams in the SW region of Ohio matchup in what could be a December preview of the Regional Final. Everyone will be focused in on Jefferson senior combo guard Devin Foster and Lockland junior guard DJ Wingfield as they represent two of the most talented prospects in the state.

·         Hughes @ West High

·         Indian Hill @ Wyoming

·         Maderia @ Mariemont

·         St. Xavier @ Glen Este

Tuesday Results

Geovonie McKnight had 29 in the Middletown win

The stars shined bright in Middletown tonight in a clash of the titans that came down to the last 2:00; elsewhere, we saw competitive action across the board. Here are tonight's scores.... Game Photos 

• Middletown 66 Aiken 60: After a Willie Moore three pointer capped a 7-0 Aiken run to tie the game at 58 with just 1:37 to go Coach Andrews got the attention of his defense. Coming out of the timeout Middletown forced two straight turnovers and scored 6 points to put the game away with :43 on the clock. The story of the game was the heavyweight battle between Triple Double Prospects top two Cincinnati prospects in 2012, SG Willie Moore of Aiken (who finished with 20 points, 5 rebounds, and 3 assists) and Middletown's PG/SG Geovonie McKnight (scored a game high 29 points on 9/15 shooting and 9/11 FT's with 5 rebounds, and 5 assists). The two AAU teammates one upped each other all game long in a thrilling game as McKnight's team ultimately came out on top. Middletown's "Robin" to McKnight's "Batman" was sophomore wing Vincent Edwards, who scored 20 points with 10 rebounds in the win. Edwards has become, in our opinion, the top 2014 prospect in Ohio as he continues to improve his all-around game, Aiken senior forward Paul Woodson had a career night with 18 points and a game high 19 rebounds while sophomore guard Correy Cavins had another nice scoring night with 12. The Falcons were forced to play without two of their varsity players (missing for academic reasons), reducing them to just 7 varsity players; the five main Aiken players played all but 3:35 of the game. At the end of the night the Middies impressed CPHR with their toughness as they sustained momentum in a fast paced game of runs and got a key win over a very tough opponent. 
• Note: College coaches from Cincinnati, Ohio State, Duquesne, Cleveland State, Akron, and Northern Kentucky all attended the game to scout players. '12 Aiken SG Willie Moore has signed a letter of intent with Duquesne. 
• Fairfield 43 Centerville 36: Senior sniper Kyle Smith came off the bench to hit four three balls and finished with 15 points as Fairfield remains undefeated. Senior wing Jeff Woods added 12 points in the Indians win.  
• Mason 49 Kings 41: Senior forward Mike Van Kleunen scored 20 and senior wing Darrin Harris chipped in 16 to keep the Comets undefeated. Kings was led by the 14 points of senior guard Zach Brashear in the loss. 
• Roger Bacon 46 Bishop Fenwick 41: Sophomore wing Carlas Jackson continues his breakout season as he went for 17 points, 8 boards, and 5 steals in a Spartan win.
• Shroder 39 Mt. Healthy 36: Senior center Ladell Griffin led the Jags with 13 points and 8 rebounds in their second win of the season. 
• Milford 43 Wilmington 39: Senior center Robert Overbeck led all scorers with 17 in a win. 
• Loveland 58 Glen Este 56: Despite the loss, junior guard Austin Rieck can be proud of his 27 point outing for Glen Este. 
• Norwood 70 New Richmond 56: Senior guard Deontez McGee scored 27 in the Indians win.
• Franklin 92 Carlisle 47: Senior forward Jacob Rossi went off for 26 points while freshman guard Luke Kennard scored 18 points with 8 rebounds and 4 assists in the win. Senior forward Justin Rossi also went for 19 in the Wildcat win. 
• Dayton Carroll 56 McNicholas 53: Senior wing Drew Hall had 22 points in the Rockets loss. 
• Maderia 75 Reading 58
• Summit 59 Cincinnati Christian 26
• Lockland 57 CHCA 29
• North College Hill 59 Seven Hills 37
• Clark New 71 Miami 28
• Oak Hills 72 Elder 59

Tuesday Preview

A major tilt between two highly talented purple teams will take place in Middletown, Fairfield tries to knock off another highly regarded challenger, and Mason plays a geographic rivalry game with an under the radar team…….

Tuesday Schedule:

·         Aiken @ Middletown: After a roller-coaster opening weekend the Falcons were off last week, so they have had ample time to prepare for the Middies (and the tough road atmosphere that they will face). On paper the teams seem fairly similar as both have talented starting lineups with little known depth at this point in the season.  Fans will have their last opportunity to see CPHR’s top two guards in ’12 matchup as PG/SG Geovonie McKnight, of Middletown, will square up with Aiken SG Willie Moore. The key for Aiken will be defending sophomore SF Vincent Edwards as they will have to choose either the 6’6 Paul Woodson, who can match Edwards height and athleticism but would leave the Middie bigs with size advantages, or use 6’3 Austin Grimes, who has strength to bully Edwards but doesn’t have Edwards’ height.

o   Prediction: Middletown is the favorite, but we’re still not quite sure what to expect from Aiken. We’ll take the Middies in this one but it should be close.

·         Centerville @ Fairfield

·         Mason @ Kings

·         Bishop Fenwick @ Roger Bacon

·         Summit @ Cincinnati Christian

·         Elder @ Oak Hills

·         CHCA @ Lockland

·         North College Hill @ Seven Hills

·         Milford @ Wilmington

·         Shroder @ Mt. Healthy

·         McNicholas @ Dayton Carroll 

Week 2 Recap/ New Team Power Rankings

As another week is over with an in the books it’s great to watch several seniors take their teams to new levels, young players emerge, and some great competitive basketball. Here are the top performers from last week, and of course, our weekly power rankings…. 

Senior post Brandon Murphy is a huge reason
why Fairfield is off to a 3-0 star

Week 2 Top Performers

1.       Darrin Harris- ’12 Mason SF: The GMC’s most underrated player led his team to a rivalry win with 21 points, 9 rebounds, and 6 assists as he tries to throw his name in the hat for league player of the year stature.

2.       Jamal Ivery- ’12 North College Hill SG: After playing JV last year Ivery is exploding on the scene with scoring games of 19, 13, 29, and 24 so far.

3.       Brandon Murphy- ’12 Fairfield C: The Indians are 3 and 0 and couldn’t do it without their enforcer in the middle who has been a double-double machine.

4.       Josh Lemons- ’12 LaSalle PG: The leader of last year’s state champs took his team to a emphatic 2 and 0 start by averaging over 20 ppg.

5.       Drew Hall- ’12 McNicholas SF: Scored 26 in a win on Tuesday and 22 in a loss on Friday. Doing a great job carrying a slightly undermanned GCL team.

6.       Dorian Jordan- ’13 Princeton PG: Malcolm Smith goes down and the junior picks it up scoring in double figures in both wins, one game adding 11 dimes and the other going for 8 steals. Jordan’s stats, and stature, make him a perfect stocking stuffer.

7.       Keevin Tyus- ’12 West High SF: The ACL injury couldn’t hold him down as he continues to approach 100% and scored 43 points in two games this week.

8.       Angel Rivera- ’14 Hughes PG: Welcome to America! The sophomore had another big game to open this season as he poured in 29 points in a loss to Taft.

9.       Dontonio Wingfield Jr- ’13 Lockland SG: Has been in double figures every game so far, against very good defensive teams, showing signs of life that he is re-establishing himself as one of the state’s elite players.

West High senior Keevin Tyus
wouldn't let an injury slow him down his final year

10.   Kenny Kaufman- ’14 Taft SG: The sophomore drilled 5 three pointers in a blowout win over Hughes as he tries to cement his name in the varsity rotation. 

Week 3 Power Rankings (12/11/11)

Division I

1.       Withrow- Maintains their top spot as Moeller struggles. Withrow wasn’t great in their win, but they won. Tough two game weekend will show how tough they are.

2.       Moeller- Survived a scare against Kettering Alter, leaving some doubts as to how ready they are for their first division game this Friday. Our guess? They’ll be just fine!

3.       Middletown- They’re rolled early, can they protect home court on Tuesday against Aiken?

4.       LaSalle- Two statement wins to open the seasons as they knock Walnut Hills out of the rankings then totally dismantle Bishop Fenwick. Real test will be this Friday!

5.       Princeton- Losing Malcolm Smith hurts, but he’ll be back soon. Posted two quality wins in his absence. Showdown with Colerain will be huge on Friday.

6.       Mason- Quickest team, along with Fairfield, on the rise as they are capable of winning the GMC. Did not mess around in taking care of Colerain at home.

7.       Winton Woods- Way to bounce back with wins in KY and over Roger Bacon. Should have another undefeated week as a young team continues to improve.

8.       Fairfield- They’re undefeated, with two of those wins coming against previously ranked teams; no denying that Fairfield earned their spot on here!

9.       Colerain- Lost to Mason but by all accounts played well, CPHR has a feeling that this team is really going to get better as the season goes on, they have so many weapons.

10.   West High- Two win week improves them to 3 and 1, can they compete with Withrow (who they upset last year) on Friday?

Just Missed: Lakota East, Lakota West, Turpin, Milford, St. Xavier, Walnut Hills

Princeton's PG Dorian Jordan is
stepping it up while his leading scorer is sidelined

Division II-IV

1.       Taft- Rolled by Hughes. City of the Palms Holiday Tournament in Florida awaits them next.

2.       Franklin- Freshman Luke Kennard is averaging over 20 ppg and Wildcats are 3 and 0.

3.       Aiken- Off week for Aiken, we’ll see what they’re made of Tuesday at Middletown.

4.       Summit- Got the win over Lockland, margin becomes irrelevant.  A matchup with Clark is looming for the Knights, can they shoot it well enough to win?

5.       North College Hill- Great three win week for the Trojans who just never seem to miss a beat after losing 9 seniors from last season.

6.       Lockland- A win over Clark then a two point loss at Summit is impressive. DJ Wingfield seems to be playing well and that spells trouble in the MVC.

7.       McNicholas- Disappointing loss to Turpin for a GCL team still searching for an identity. This spot is still theirs for now but teams are nipping at their heels.

8.       Badin- Flat out impressed CPHR with their resiliency and defensive effort in a win over Northwest. When they’re shooting it well opponents better watch out!

9.       Roger Bacon- Two loss week for a young team. They probably don’t deserve this spot right now but we believe in the progress they’re making.

10.   Clark- With two wins and one loss the Cougars hang on to the final spot in this week’s poll. Not taking much away for losing at Lockland but need to have a good week to stay put.

Just Missed: CHCA, Hughes, Finneytown, Indian Hill

Saturday Results

After a day marked by Cincinnati fans arguing over who was to blame for the Crosstown Shootout brawl it seems refreshing to take a look back at the day that was in high school hoops.....

• North College Hill 65 Roger Bacon 61: The NCH Trojans trailed by as many as ten points in the fourth quarter before mounting a comeback to take the win and improve to 3-0. Senior wing Jamal Ivery continues his scoring run with 24 points in this one. Sophomore wing Carlas Jackson led Bacon with a career high 15 points in the loss.
• Princeton 91 Bryan Station (KY) 63: The Vikings made a statement with a blowout win led by the 14 points and 11 assists (with only 1 turnover) of junior PG Dorian Jordan. Senior post De'arius Young added on 16 points to lead the Vikings in scoring while junior wing Eric Tivis poured in 10, junior forward Darius Hilson scored 12, and senior guard Deion Isham added another 10 in the win.
• LaSalle 56 Woodward 23: Another night, another great defensive effort for the Lancers as they won their third game of the week behind the 18 points of senior guard Josh Lemons and the 14 points of junior guard Conner Speed. 
• Winton Woods 81 Fern Creek (KY) 66
• Shroder 79 Highlands (KY) 45: Senior post Ladell Griffin led Shroder with 17 points and senior wing Vernon Montgomery added 14 as Shroder got their second win in three days. 
• Clark 59 Finneytown 46: Senior guard Max Hassell led all scorers with 15 for Clark.
• Mount Healthy 38 Northwest 37: The Knights fall to a disappointing 0-3 as they lose a low scoring game. Ramar Hairston and Quez Evans were the game high scorers with 10 each, both for the losing side. 
• Holy Cross (KY) 74 Madeira 63: Junior guard Andrew Benentendi led all scorers with 22 points in the loss as Madeira continues their slow start at 1-3. 
• Indian Hill 61 Loveland 35

Note: Check back in Sunday evening for a week recap with updated team power rankings.

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.