Exclusive Interview- Semaj Christon

CPHR recently had the opportunity to sit down with Winton Woods senior Semaj Christon. Christon, a 6-3 PG, discussed his improved recruiting stock, his senior season, what he is doing to take his game to an even higher level, and much more. After their sectional final win over Middletown it looks like Winton Woods could make a long run in the tournament. This will be the first in a series of exclusive interviews, keep checking in as we talk to more of the city's top young players.

Thanks to Reggie Revels for his help in production and to Isaiah Revels for doing the filming and video editing. To see more of Isaiah's videos go to YouTube and search "Workout Nation TV".

Saturday Results- Division I & II Sectional Finals

A day of near upsets highlights today's scores. Fairfield, Aiken, and St. Xavier all had a chance to pull off an upset but none of them could finish the job. Here's a look at who will be advancing to district play next week, as always CPHR will have a full preview coming soon. CPHR would also like to mention that every team that won a sectional final game was predicted to win by this site, so keep checking in for all the high school hoops action. Pics from the games at XU.

Carl Porter posted a great stat line for Withrow tonight.

Note: Our exclusive interview with Semaj Christon is being re-edited to add on more of the questions and some effects. That interview will be re-posted in its entirety tomorrow.

• Moeller 51 Fairfield 45: The Indians looked poised to pull an upset when they led at the half and then regained the lead with 2 minutes remaining on a three pointer from Devon Barlow; but Charlie Byers thought otherwise. Byers went in the post and was dominant, while also converting his free throws, and Moeller held on to win a close and intense contest. Byers, who put the Crusaders up for good at the line with :45 remaining, scored 19 points and Josh Davenport added 8. Fairfield was led by Devon Barlow, Marcus Jones, and Brandon Murphy who all scored 9 points. CPHR would like to commend the energetic and enthusiastic play of Fairfield and recognize coach Tim Austin for a doing a great job in his first season at the helm.
• Lakota East 45 St. Xavier 32: The Bomb squad was able to hang around through three quarters, the game was tied at 26 after three, but East just had too much depth for them to get a upset win. The fourth quarter play of Cameron Lee and Jalen Goodwin, along with Mike Boyd was exceptional tonight as East advanced to the district final round. Lee and Goodwin each scored 10 points while Boyd added 7. X was led by Sean Duggan's 10 points. 

• 

  Brandon Neel scored a game high 24 points against Aiken.

  Withrow 51 Mason 46: The Tigers out-rebounded Mason by 22 en route to the win in which they initially trailed 12-0. Withrow looked to have control of the game until 5 quick points from Mason left the score at 33-32 Withrow entering the fourth. The fourth quarter was all Withrow however as their switch from a laid back zone to a pressuring defense changed the game. Aaron Thomas and Carl Porter were excellent tonight for Withrow. Thomas scored 18 while Porter totaled 20 points, 7 boards, 5 blocks, and 3 steals. Devin Williams added 6 points and 13 rebounds for Withrow. Mason got 14 points from Mike Van Kleinnen, 12 from JD Sprague, and Ethan King added 7 points and 7 dimes.
• LaSalle 72 Aiken 56: The Lancers blew the game wide open in the second half thanks to their signature pressure defense and fast paced offense. Brandon Neel was unstoppable tonight, he scored 24 points, grabbed 5 boards, and had 5 assists. Josh Lemons scored 16 points for LaSalle while Ryan Fleming and Trey Casey each added 12. Aiken was led by Austin Grimes who scored 17 points, Keron Hicks scored 12, Femi Thompson 10, and Landen Gaulden 9. 

• 

  East couldn't have won without the 4th quarter play of Cam Lee.

  Winton Woods 63 Middletown 42: Semaj Christon totaled 6 points, 7 rebounds, 7 assists, and 7 steals in the blowout win. A 13-2 run in the second quarter busted this game, which was considered to be the the most intriguing of all today's contests, wide open for good. Mark Ellison led Winton Woods with 18 points and 8 boards and Dion Dearmond added on 12 points. Middletown was led by Zach Edwards' 11 points in the disappointing loss.
• Princeton 52 Elder 38: Malcom Smith scored 20 points off the bench to lead the Vikings who jumped out to an early lead and never looked back. Lionel Hill added 9 points and Dorian Jordan 8 for Princeton. Corey Cason and Alex Viox each scored 10 points for Elder.
• Roger Bacon 72 Finneytown 62: Jared Bryant led the Spartans with 27 points and 11 rebounds while Gavin Schumann added on 22 points in the win.
• North College Hill 40 McNicholas 37

Friday Results- Division III Sectional Championships

The first game at XU was a nail-biter between Summit and Shroder, one in which the Silver Knights earned the right to go to UD Arena next week at districts. As predicted, Taft took care of business in game two. In the third game, both teams played even the first half and then in the second it was all Clark as they helped the MVC finish 2-0 for the day. The three winners will all play next Thursday night at UD Arena.
  Pictures from all three games

Summit freshman PG Antonio Woods 

• Summit 33 Shroder 32: The Jaguars controlled this game throughout the first 31 minutes but then the Knights took advantage of a few Shroder mishaps to steal a win. After a Kevin Johnson three point play tied the game with less then a minute left Shroder turned the ball over. Summit went down and Jack Gustafson was able to get to the foul line and put Summit up by 1 with six seconds remaining. Shroder was then unable to get a shot off before the final horn and Summit held on for the win. Kevin Johnson and Ryan Glass each led Summit with 8 points while Jack Gustafson added 5 points and 13 rebounds. Freshman PG Antonio Woods was extremely productive tonight, Woods played all 32 minutes and finished with 5 points, 4 assists, and no turnovers. Shroder was led by Ladell Griffin's 9 points, Jalen Billups' 8, and Kairo Cannon scored 7.  
• Taft 78 Clinton Massie 42: An early run, one of the best dunks that CPHR has even seen (Dwayne Stanford off of a baseline out of bounds lob), and 13 different Taft players scoring were the highlights of yet another Senator blowout. Jalean Lowe led Taft with 13 points, Jermaine Freeman scored 12, while Adolphus Washington and Dwayne Stanford each added 10. 
• Clark 47 Reading 32: Paul Woodson led Clark with 12 points and 12 boards. The Cougars broke open the game in the second half with their pressure defense and fast paced offense. CPHR was really impressed with Reading freshman PF Devin Pike, who already stands 6-5, and freshman PG Cole Cloud. Both have been well coached and play with nice poise to match their skills and athletic abilities. 

Weekend Sectional Final Preview:

A great weekend for HS hoops fans, including a tough decision to be made Saturday evening between the Middletown-Winton Woods and Mason-Withrow games. Check back in often as CPHR will have full coverage of who will be heading up to Dayton for district play.

Friday:

• Summit vs Shroder: 5:30 @ XU- Two very talented D3 teams will be leaving it all on the court in this one, both teams are very familiar with each other and bragging rights will be on the line. The key for Summit will be slowing down Jalen Billups' production around the basket. Shroder will need to focus on not letting Summit's shooters have open looks and on stopping Kevin Johnson in transition.
  • Prediction: Could easily go either way but CPHR is going to take Summit.
• Taft vs Clinton Massie: 7:00 @ XU- The first two teams couldn't test Taft, nothing will change here.
  • Prediction: Taft by at least thirty.
• Clark vs Reading: 8:30 @ XU- Just like the first game this one is an interesting meeting of two evenly matched teams. Clark's up and down style that focuses on pressure will clash with the more traditional Reading style.
  • Prediction: Clark wins a close game.

Saturday:

• Winton Woods vs Middletown: 6:30 @ UC- Semaj Christon vs Geovonie McKnight, that should be enough said right there; with college coaches from UC, Georgetown, West Virginia, and more expected to be in attendance this one has all the hype of a heavyweight prize fight. Dennis Thomas, Dion Dearmond, Thomas Owens and the rest of the Warrior supporting cast facing off against Kirby Wright, Vince Edwards, Mikey Brown, Josh Johnson, and the rest of the Middies should make for some exciting basketball as well. The key to this game will be the Warriors ability to control pace and not let the bigger Middie squad control the paint. If Christon continues to play like he has been playing and Dennis Thomas knocks down shots it will be hard for McKnight and the Middies to put up enough points to get this win. But, if Kirby Wright and Vince Edwards can establish themselves down low then Winton Woods lack of interior depth might get exposed.
  • Prediction: Not sure which way to lean on this one. The last time that one of these teams lost was January 21^st. Middletown has looked very vulnerable in their two tourney games while Winton Woods looked excellent against Lakota West on Wednesday. So, Winton Woods appears to be slight favorites and that's who CPHR is picking, but it's a real toss up.
• Elder vs Princeton: 8:00 @ UC- GCL South teams are always tough to eliminate come tourney time but Princeton is playing very well, especially in their first tournament game against West High. The Vikings just have too much athleticism, depth, and talent for Elder to deal with.
  • Prediction: Elder will find a way to stick around but Princeton wins by about 10.
• Moeller vs Fairfield: 3:00 @ Cintas- Who would've thought that Fairfield would be playing in a sectional final game? Well, after wins over Glen Este and Turpin the Indians have earned that right. Their prize? Moeller, a team with only two losses all season. The Crusaders looked good on Tuesday, finally rebounding from their brief skid, and are trying to get to clicking on all cylinders again before district play. Look for this to be a similar result for Moeller.
  • Prediction: Moeller wins big.
• St. Xavier vs Lakota East: 4:30 @ Cintas- The Bomb Squad has floated under the radar as a really solid team this season, and they're no stranger to state ranked opponents (they played Moeller and LaSalle twice). East has been dominant all year, only losing one game, and has blown out both of their tourney opponents so far. X might be good but they probably don't have enough to take down the Thunderhawks.
  • Prediction: Lakota East wins.
• Withrow vs Mason: 6:00 @ Cintas- Another game that everyone has been talking about. Two totally different styles here as Mason is very deliberate in their attack while Withrow plays as fast as they can with the ball. The sharpshooters of Mason will need to be on their mark and Mason will have to contain Withrow's great athletes. Withrow will need to stay disciplined on both ends of the court and limit their turnovers and bad shots to win. This could be one of those games where Aaron Thomas turns in a special performance.
  • Prediction: Should be a good game with Withrow getting the win.
• Aiken vs LaSalle: 7:30 @ Cintas- LaSalle is playing as well as anyone in the state, while Aiken has been up and down all season long. But, the Falcons do have the talent on the perimeter and the big game experience to match LaSalle. The Lancers are major favorites but if Aiken can get hot early then they could give LaSalle quite a scare or maybe even pull an upset.
  • Prediction: Aiken hangs around for a while but LaSalle gets the win.

• North College Hill vs McNicholas: 6:00 @ Mason- The Trojans handled their business on Tuesday against Indian Hill and now will focus on doing the same against McNick.
  • Prediction: NCH cruises.
• Roger Bacon vs Finneytown: 7:30 @ Mason- Finneytown has had a very successful season but Roger Bacon is playing excellent basketball right now.
  • Prediction: Roger Bacon.

Wednesday Sectional Semi-Final Results:

Lots of blowouts tonight from the top teams as they tune up for this weekend's sectional finals: Photos

• 

  Malcom Smith was Princeton's leading scorer tonight.

  Princeton 68 West High 47: Huge statement made by the Vikings in a game that was never close, and they did it with their top scorer, Ulysses Thomas, sidelined with an injury. Malcom Smith and Marcus Monterio were both hot tonight as Smith scored 15 points and Monterio 11. Lionel Hill was very productive attacking the basket and added 13 points, Deion Isham scored 9, Jay McCants 8, and Dorian Jordan totaled 5 points and 7 assists in one of his better games. West High was led by Keevin Tyus' 14 points and Darrell Bullock's 12 in a disappointing loss. Princeton advances to play Elder on Saturday at UC. 
• St. Xavier 50 Loveland 20: Freshman Roderick Mills, who scored 7 points, was extremely impressive in the first varsity game that CPHR has had a chance to see him play. Mills showed a good understanding of when to pick his spots to attack in St. Xavier's disciplined offense and was active on the glass as well. Once he gains strength and adds a little more to his ball skills the sky is the limit for this young player.

• 

  6'6 Freshman wing Roderick Mills has a bright future at St. X

  Aiken 62 Little Miami 44: Austin Grimes scored 12, Willy Moore 11, Gene Primus 11, and Landen Gaulden 9 to lead Aiken who advances to play LaSalle on Saturday at XU. 
• Lakota East 72 Hughes 26: Mark Minch scored 15 and Mike Boyd 13 as East cruised. East advances to play St. Xavier on Saturday at XU.
• Elder 49 Colerain 48: Corey Cason led the Panthers with 13 points in the win. Elder advances to play Princeton at UC on Saturday.
• LaSalle 87 Amelia 30: Brandon Neel led LaSalle with 21 points and 13 boards. The Lancers advance to play Aiken on Saturday at XU.
• Roger Bacon 95 New Richmond 33: In the win JaBriel Coaston scored 18 points, Gavin Schumann 15, Jared Bryant 14, and Paul Byrd 8.The Spartans advance to play Finneytown at Mason on Saturday.
• Reading 44 Badin 26: The Blue Devils advance to play Clark on Friday at XU.
• Summit 68 Williamsburg 43: Kevin Johnson was the leading scorer for Summit with 22 points in the blowout win. The Knights advance to play Shroder on Friday at XU.
• Shroder 58 Felicity 28: The Jaguars advance to play Summit at XU on Friday.
• Clark 71 Ripley 45: The Cougars advance to play Reading on Friday at XU.
• Finneytown 80 Clermont NE 62: The Wildcats advance to play Roger Bacon on Saturday at Mason.

Tuesday Tourney Scores:

Sterling Gilmore

Another exciting night of tournament play, highlighted by the action at Princeton HS: Photos 

• Middletown 55 Walnut Hills 44: Intense game that was closer then the score indicates. The Middies survived a scare from the upset minded Eagles of Walnut Hills. Walnut has a lot of talent but many of their top players are young, and their leader Alex McGlothin missed almost the whole year with an injury. Geovonie McKnight was not feeling his jumper tonight so he did what great players do, find a way to contribute somewhere else. McKnight was active on defense, scored 3 times off of offensive rebounds, and passed the ball exceptionally well. He led the way with 17 points while senior sharpshooter Mike Brown added 14. Vince Edwards had another strong night for the Middies scoring 7 points and grabbing 9 rebounds. Walnut Hills was led by sophomore guard Sterling Gilmore's 10 points and also got 8 points from sophomore center Isiah Johnson. Johnson is a wide body down low that really played physical tonight and also possesses a soft touch to compliment his great strength. The Middies next game will be against Winton Woods at UC on Saturday night.

• 

  Semaj Christon

  Winton Woods 79 Lakota West 42: With college coaches from Georgetown and Iowa in the building to watch, Semaj Christon made sure not to disappoint. Semaj was electric in the first quarter, the only competitive stretch of this game, getting into the paint and wreaking havoc on the defense with buckets and assists. Semaj finished with 18 points and 6 assists for the night. Winton Woods was led by Dion Dearmond, who scored 21 points, and Dennis Thomas' 18. Winton Woods will play Saturday night against Middletown at UC. 
• Mason 43 Anderson 33: Brian Carden led the way with 14 points in the win. The Comets advance to face Withrow on Saturday at XU.
• Withrow 48 Harrison 35: Aaron Thomas led Withrow with 24 points, on 9-11 shooting, and 10 rebounds in the win. The Tigers will play Mason Saturday night at XU.
• Fairfield 52 Turpin 41: The Indians advance to play Moeller at XU on Saturday.
• Moeller 62 Oak Hills 33: Charlie Byers and Alex Barlow each scored 11 points while sophomore wing Josh Davenport added 8 in the win. The Crusaders will play Fairfield on Saturday at XU.
• North College Hill 65 Indian Hill 54: Jalen Render led NCH with 20 points in the win. The Trojans will play McNicholas at Mason on Saturday.
• Taft 98 Deer Park 25: Senior forward Glen Gilliam had a career night with 14 points and 9 rebounds off the bench as Taft cruised. The Senators will next play on Friday night at XU against Clinton-Massie. 

Tuesday/Wednesday Tournament Preview

The tourney is about to heat up to another level, these mid-week games will determine the weekend's showdowns:

Tuesday:

• Walnut Hills vs Middletown: @ Princeton 6:00
• Winton Woods vs Lakota West: @ Princeton 7:30
• Mason vs Anderson: @ Fairfield 6:30
• Withrow vs Harrison: @ Fairfield 8:00

• 

  Darrell Bullock has West High thinking upset on Wednesday.

  Turpin vs Fairfield: @ Lakota West 6:30
• Moeller vs Oak Hills: @ Lakota West 8:00
• North College Hill vs Indian Hill: @ Mason 6:00
• Deer Park vs Taft: @ Turpin 8:00

Wednesday:

• St. Xavier vs Loveland: @ Lakota West 6:30
• Princeton vs West High: @ Lakota West 8:00- CPHR is putting the Vikings on upset alert in this one. Admittedly, the Mustangs did not look good in their first playoff game, an overtime buzzer beater win over a depleted Northwest squad. But, West High does have the tools to pull this upset; they can match the depth, talent level, size, and athleticism of Princeton and have a level of intensity and toughness that the Vikings will have to rise to. Princeton is the favorite and will probably get the win, but an upset would not be that big of a shocker.
  • Prediction: Princeton survives a scare, barely.
• Elder vs Colerain: @ Princeton 6:30
• Hughes vs Lakota East: @ Princeton 8:00
• Aiken vs Little Miami: @ Fairfield 6:30
• Amelia vs LaSalle: @ Fairfield 8:00
• Clark vs Ripley: @ Monroe 6:30
• Reading vs Badin: @ Monroe 8:00
• Summit vs Williamsburg: @ Western Brown 6:30
• Shroder vs Felicity: @ Western Brown 8:00
• New Richmond vs Roger Bacon: @ Mason 6:00
• Finneytown vs Clermont NE: @ Mason 7:30

Saturday Tourney Results:

• 

  Bryan Porter led Colerain to a comeback
  win to keep the Cardinal's season alive.

  Roger Bacon 92 Batavia 35: Jared Bryant led Bacon with 23 points while JaBriel Coaston added 17 points and 9 boards in the win. Bacon advances to play New Richmond on Wednesday.
• Clermont NE 54 Wyoming 49: CNE will play Finneytown on Wednesday night.
• Finneytown 71 Taylor 44: Finneytown will play CNE on Wednesday night.
• LaSalle 81 Mt. Healthy 50: Ryan Fleming led LaSalle with 15 points in the win.
  The Lancers advance to play Amelia on Wednesday.
• Middletown 72 Woodward 62: The Middies pulled away in the fourth behind the strong play of freshman forward Vince Edwards who scored 19. Geovonie McKnight and Kirby Wright each added 15 points for the Middies. Trent Donald scored 27 points and grabbed 13 boards in the loss for Woodward. Middletown advances to play Walnut Hills on Tuesday.

• 

  Ramar Hairston did everything he could tonight,
  but West High pulled off the win on a OT buzzer beater. 

  Lakota West 59 Kings 57: The Firebirds just managed to hold on to their lead and squeaked out a win behind the superb shooting of sophomore guard Ali Barnes who scored 22. West will now play Winton Woods on Tuesday night.
• Colerain 66 Milford 53: After trailing by 8 at the break the Cardinals dominated the second half, led by Bryan Porter who scored 22 points. The Cards also got strong play from freshman forward Treyvon Hudson, who logged the most minutes of his young career tonight. Colerain advances to meet Elder on Wednesday night.
• West High 81 Northwest 78:  Randon Clark hit a three pointer with one second remaining in overtime to break the tie and win the game. West High was led by Darrell Bullock's 22 points and Keevin Tyus' 18, both of these players stepped up after Bubba Hill went down early with an ankle injury. Northwest, forced to play without star Melvin Hunter, got 18 points from Ramar Hairston, 17 from Allen Thompson, and 15 from Dorrell Flowers. West High will play Princeton on Wednesday.
• Lakota East 80 Talawanda 44: Mark Minch led the Thunderhawks with 14 points while Mike Boyd added 11 points and 7 assists in the win. East will play Hughes on Wednesday.
  
  
  Check back into CPHR tomorrow for a complete preview of the second round of the tournament.

Friday Tourney Results

Here's a look at who advanced on the first night of tournament play:

• Fairfield 46 Glen Este 45: A major upset in the first D1 tournament game of the season as the Indians knocked off Glen Este. Fairfield will play Turpin on Tuesday night.
• Anderson 74 Sycamore 70: Anderson will play Mason on Tuesday night.
• Indian Hill 65 Bethel Tate 55: Indian Hill will play North College Hill on Tuesday night.
• Taft 92 Purcell Marian 24: The Senators will play Deer Park on Tuesday night.
• Shroder 72 East Clinton 51: Shroder will play Felicity on Wednesday.
• McNicholas 51 Norwood 48: McNick will play Goshen on Tuesday night.
• Oak Hills 50 Hamilton 48: The Highlanders advance to play Moeller on Tuesday night.

City League Freshman Championship

Taft celebrates their title. 

The freshman league championship game of the Cincinnati Metro Athletic Conference had a familiar result, Taft won. In a game that changed hands several times in the last few seconds of regulation and overtime the Senators had just enough in the tank to get it done:

Taft 57 Withrow 55: Tamarik Washington's layup in traffic with 4 seconds left broke the tie in overtime to give Taft the title. Demetrius Gooch had just hit consecutive three balls with one minute left to put Withrow up by four, but two buckets by Washington and one layup from Marcus Scott were enough for Taft to claim a two point victory. Similar to the style of their varsity team it was a team scoring effort by Taft. Marcus Scott led the way with 15 points followed by Kenny Kauffman's 11. Tamarik Washington, Robert Smith, DeAndre Smith, and Devon Matthews all added a couple of buckets a piece in the win. Withrow got 10 points a piece from big man Landen Jackson, who shows a lot of promise down the road, and wing Malik Blaine. Demetrius Gooch was the game's high scorer with 21 points. Gooch single handedly kept Withrow in the game by doing all of the ball-handling and hitting several big three pointers and floaters in the lane. This game was destined to be close as these two teams split the regular season matchups, Taft's only loss, and both advanced relatively easily to the championship game. As always in the city league there was no shortage of talent as this game featured 4 of CPHR's ranked players in the '14 class (as well as an additional 5 honorable mention players). 

The Top 50 Spring Showcase

Presented by:

Cincy Prep Hoops Report & The Cincinnati Herald

• April 2nd and 3rd at Hughes High School and Rockdale Academy.

• Fee is $30 per player and includes jersey.
• Open to boys in grades 6-12. Spots are limited so reserve now.
• Players will be split into teams by grade level, each team will play two games per day.
• Players will be coached by some of the city's top high school coaches.
• College coaches from: Division II, Division III, NAIA, and the junior college levels will be on hand to evaluate talent. Other scouting services from all over the mid-west will also be in attendance.
• Every player will receive an evaluation from high school coaches as well as Cincy Prep Hoops Report.
• The top players from each grade will be selected to play in the All-Star game the following Thursday.

To reserve your spot today email:

Corey Albertson at cincyprephoopsreport@gmail.com or

Tim Johnson at tdarnellj@hotmail.com

Register today as spots are filling quickly! The list of already committed players includes:Aaron Thomas '11, Semaj Christon '11, Brandon Neel '11, Kirby Wright '11, JaBriel Coaston '11, Greg Sevilla '11, Mike Boyd '11, Ulysses Thomas '11, Mel Hunter '11, Charlie Byers '11, Carl Porter '11, Willy Moore '12, Orlando Berry '12, Geovonie McKnight '12, Landen Gaulden '12, Josh Davenport '13, Devin Williams '13, Kevin Johnson, Marquez Carpenter '13, Trent Donald '13, Ramar Hairston '13, Deontae Bolling '13, Tyonte Robertson '14, Devon Goodson '14, Adam Gigax '14, Roderick Mills '14, and many more. Don't miss your chance to prove that you're one of the best!

Tournament First Round Preview

Now that the regular season is officially over, CPHR is ready to turn its focus towards the state tournament. This year's tourney draw provided a lot of interesting games starting with third round action. In the third round, provided that there are no major upsets, we could see games such as: Mason vs Withrow, Aiken vs LaSalle, Milford vs Princeton, St. Xavier vs Lakota East, Glen Este vs Moeller, and even a heavyweight matchup like Middletown vs Winton Woods. Keep checking into to CPHR as full coverage of the tournament will be provided, here is a look at the first round games that will take place this weekend all over the city:

Brackets

Friday:

• Sycamore vs Anderson: @ Oak Hills 6:00
• Fairfield vs Glen Este: @ Lakota West 6:30
• Oak Hills vs Hamilton: @ Lakota West 8:00
• Indian Hill vs Bethel Tate: @ Mason 6:00
• McNicholas vs Norwood: @ Mason 7:30
• Shroder vs East Clinton: @ Western Brown 8:00
• Taft vs Purcell: @ Turpin 8:00

Saturday:

• Madeira vs Ripley: @ Monroe 6:30
• Mariemont vs Badin: @ Monroe 8:00
• Roger Bacon vs Batavia: @ Mason 11:00
• Wyoming vs Clermont NE: @ Mason 12:30
• Finneytown vs Taylor: @ Mason 2:00
• Lakota East vs Talawanda: @ Lakota West 7:00
• LaSalle vs Mt. Healthy: @ Oak Hills 12:30
• Middletown vs Woodward: @ Mason 3:30
• Lakota West vs Kings: @ Mason 5:00
• Milford vs Colerain: @ Mason 6:30- Probably the most intriguing first round game as a talented Colerain team, despite their losing record, will match up with FAVC divisional champ Milford. The Cardinals will provide problems for Milford and could pull the upset because of their athleticism and pressuring defense.
  • Prediction: Colerain gives Miford a run but can't quite pull the upset.
• West High vs Northwest: @ Mason 8:00- This is another close call, as by all indications NW's Melvin Hunter isn't ready to have his prep career end just yet. He will lead his team against a West High team that has had some high peaks and some low lows this season, but is known for playing extremely hard. This could be a very entertaining game at Mason.
  • Prediction: West High will have to come to play but they should get this win.

Several area teams such as Moeller, Princeton, Winton Woods, North College Hill, Summit, and Clark have first round byes while teams like Aiken and St. Xavier don't play their first games until what would be considered the second round (Next Tuesday and Wednesday's games). CPHR will have previews of those games once their opponents are known, based off of weekend results.   

Saturday Results:

CPHR has updated some pages in the last 24 hours, the '11, '12, '13, and '14 rankings have been updated; and, a review of this season in the city league is now available under the tabs on the top of the page.

Here are the results from the local teams on the last night of the regular season:

• Jefferson 62 West High 56: Keevin Tyus scored 17 and Bubba Hill 15 as the Mustangs suffered their second loss in as many days. 

• North College Hill 70 Woodward 59: Greg Sevilla led the Trojans with 17 points. Jalen Render and Donald Bush also scored in double figures for NCH. Zacheriah Mustafa and Antonio Fairbanks led Woodward with 16 points each.

Check back in Monday night for a full preview of the first two rounds of the tournament.

Friday Results:

Brandon Neel

The last undefeated team takes a loss, and again it's at the hands of Middletown. The GCL title will be shared between LaSalle and Moeller. Princeton takes down Mason again, and much, much more. Here are the top scores from tonight:

• LaSalle 42 Moeller 28: The Lancers earned a share of the GCL title and sent Moeller to their second straight defeat with a great defensive effort. Moeller simply did not get a good look all night as the pressure of LaSalle kept them on the perimeter and forced them into turnovers. Brandon Neel was excellent tonight for LaSalle, scoring 16 points and grabbing 7 boards. Neel did a great job of attacking the slower but taller Crusader defenders in the first half and then using his body to get to the foul line in the second half when matched with guards. Josh Lemons added 10 points for LaSalle and Ryan Fleming gave them 8 points and 8 boards. Although he only scored 1 point, Matt Woeste was a huge part of the Lancer victory, giving them great energy and dirty work all night. Alex Barlow led Moeller with 9 points and Charlie Byers added 8 in the loss. Moeller is really struggling right now, which is hard to explain after they cruised to a 18-0 start. CPHR would love to see a tie-breaker game between these two teams in the regionals. Game Pictures

  

  Ryan Fleming

  
  
• Middletown 66 Lakota East 65: The Middies rebounded from a 15 point deficit after the third quarter and pulled another upset with a Geovonie McKnight buzzer beater to ruin Lakota East's undefeated season. This was Middletown's second win over a top ten state ranked team this week, they are really coming into their own at the right time of the year. Mikey Brown led the Middies with 22 points, Vince Edwards had 13, McKnight 12, and Josh Johnson 10. East got 17 points from Cammeron Lee and 16 from Mike Boyd. 

• Aiken 78 West High 71: Willy Moore led the Falcons with 15 points and 10 boards, Austin Grimes had 13 points and 17 boards, Femi Thompson scored 18 points, and Landen Gaulden added 11 points. Gene Primus and Mikey Thompson each added on 8 points for Aiken as well.
• Withrow 83 Hughes 55: Carl Porter led Withrow with 26 points and Aaron Thomas added on 21. 
• Princeton 49 Mason 42:Marcus Monterio scored 15 in the win and Darrin Harris 14 in the loss. The win gave Princeton sole possession of third place in the GMC,
• Fairfield 59 Lakota West 46: Ali Barnes scored 18 in the loss for West.
• Colerain 53 Hamilton 26: Elisha Campbell led the Cards with 12 points in the win.
• Oak Hills 68 Sycamore 56: Corey Burgin led Oak Hills with 26 and Thomas Schneider added 17 in the overtime win. Joe Clearly scored 30 points for the Aviators in the loss.
• Roger Bacon 60 Badin 36: JaBriel Coaston led the way with 20 points and 8 boards in the Bacon win.
• Finneytown 47 Wyoming 46: Finneytown clinched at least a share of the CHL title with a buzzer beater win on a three pointer by LaVincent Daniel.
• Elder 61 St. Xavier 54
• Taft 63 Shroder 47: Jalean Lowe led Taft with 16 points, who led by as much as thirty. Jalen Billups scored 14 in the loss.
• Winton Woods 98 Northwest 71: Semaj Christon led five double figure Warrior scorers with 24 points, only missing one shot along the way. Ramar Hairston led NW with 12 points.
  
  

Final Weekend Preview:

This Friday's schedule in a word- LOADED. Two must see matchups between some of the best in the state plus a full slate of city league action. Most peoples attention will be focused on the GCL title which will be decided at LaSalle between the Lancers and Moeller. Don't forget about the East @ Middletown game as the Middies try and ruin East's perfect season and give their seniors a second signature win this week to end their home court careers.

Friday:

• Lakota East @ Middletown: The Middies are red hot right now, 7 wins in a row and coming off of a 20 point blowout win over #1 Moeller. This is the last game that stands between East and an undefeated regular season. It's hard to consider East an underdog but on the road, with the type of crowd that the Middies are capable of producing, it looks like an even matchup. Will Mike Boyd and the rest of East's guard be able to contain Geovonie McKnight and the rest of the Middies athletes?
  • Prediction: Very close game, East makes a second half comeback to finish 20-0.
• Moeller @ LaSalle: The Crusaders started the season 18-0 but now there is a chance they could start another streak, a two game losing streak. The Lancers have absolutely no intention of losing at home, especially since they need a win to split the GCL crown with Moeller. One thing can be guaranteed, Coach Kramer will not allow another performance out of Moeller like Tuesday night's. This is the most intriguing game of the season so far, with so much on the line. It just seems fitting that these two will decide the title on the last night of the regular season.
  • Prediction: It's really difficult to pick against LaSalle at home but CPHR believes that Moeller will rebound from their loss and win the GCL title outright.
• West High @ Aiken: Senior night for Gene Primus (a three year starter), Keron Hicks, and Femi Thompson. Aiken lost this match-up the first time around and wants to redeem themselves against West High, who has been the surprise of the league.
  • Prediction: Close call but Aiken pulls it off.
• Hughes @ Withrow: Senior night for a great class of Aaron Thomas, Carl Porter, and Kevin Jones. Withrow wants to end the regular season on a win while they try and gear up for a run all the way to Columbus. This will be Hughes last chance to get a league win.
  • Prediction: Withrow
• Taft @ Shroder: The final potential roadblock to ruin a undefeated league season for Taft will be at Shroder. The Senators are clear favorites but Jalen Billups and Kairo Cannon will be desperate for a win in their last Jaguar home game.
  • Prediction: Taft
• Mason @ Princeton: These are the other two teams, besides Lakota East and Middletown, to win ten league games going into the final game. That is extremely impressive considering how tough the GMC is so this one should be evenly matched like last time when Princeton won in overtime.
  • Prediction: Princeton pulls it off.
• Lakota West @ Fairfield
• Hamilton @ Colerain
• Sycamore @ Oak Hills
• Badin @ Roger Bacon
• Elder @ St. Xavier
• Little Miami @ Milford
• Wilmington @ Turpin
• Winton Woods @ Northwest

Saturday:

• Jefferson @ West High
• Woodward @ North College Hill

Tuesday Scores:

Geovonie McKnight

Ohio's number one team goes down, by 20! Pictures from the upset 

• Middletown 65 Moeller 45: The Crusaders are undefeated no more, the state's top ranked team lost convincingly at the Miller gymnasium tonight. Geovonie McKnight was spectacular, scoring 24 points (10-12 FT's) and grabbing 10 rebounds while Kirby Wright scored 20 points and also had 10 boards. Geovonie is just such an athletic and intense presence that he wins most matchups off sheer intimidation. McKnight and Wright were two possessed players tonight who refused to allow their team to lose, in a game that Middletown controlled from start to finish. Vincent Edwards, a freshman forward, is not quite there yet offensively but his 6 rebounds were huge in helping Middletown establish a physical presence. Moeller was not able to overcome the fierce pressure of the Middies and execute their offense all game as Charlie Byers was held to 7 points and Alex Barlow 2. McKnight was all over sharpshooter Ben Galemmo, only allowing him to make one three pointer. The only bright spot tonight for Moeller was the play of sophomore wing Josh Davenport. Davenport scored 17 points (6-8 FG's and 5-5 FT's) and grabbed 8 boards. CPHR has seen Moeller live three times this year and every single time Davenport seems to have improved dramatically. Look for him to continue that strong play in the tournament and to take it to another level during the AAU season. The crowd stormed the court at the conclusion of this game, which was the Middies 7th straight win. Coaches beware, the Middies will be a tough out in the upcoming tournament.

• 

  Josh Davenport

  St. Xavier 52 Oak Hills 43: Sean Duggan led the Bombers with 16 in the win.
• Princeton 51 Elder 38: Ulysses Thomas led the Vikings with 13 in the win
• Withrow 39 Fairfield 35: Carl Porter led Withrow with 20 points and 10 boards in the win.
• Colerain 67 Hughes 52: Khari Pleasant led the Cards with 13 points in the win. Hughes got 16 points from Terry Cook and Shaquille Prather.
• West High 68 Shroder 66: Keevin Tyus led the Mustangs with 29 in the win to keep them tied for second place in the CMAC. Darrell Bullock was next for West High with 15 points. Jalen Billups led Shroder with 21 points and Randale Griffith added 12.
• Northwest 79 Edgewood 49: Melvin Hunter went off for 27 points in the win.
• Turpin 54 Loveland 43: Connor Grotton led Turpin with 16 points and Adam Boyed added on 13 points in a win.
• Kings 71 Milford 65: Johnny Brewster led Kings with 25 in an upset win.
• Walnut Hills 45 Little Miami 39: Benson Browne and Isiah Johnson each scored 10 points in the Walnut win. Senior wing Alex McGlothin scored 7 points in his first game of the year, after coming off of a torn ACL

Tuesday Preview:

Tournament brackets were released today and can be found here: Tournament Brackets. Cincy Prep Hoops Report will have full coverage of the tournament, including a preview, Sunday, once the regular season ends.

The last week of the regular season starts out with two of Cincy's top teams going at it in Middletown. Keep checking back as CPHR begins to shift focus to the State Tournament, one of the most exciting times of the year. 

• Moeller @ Middletown: This game might not have the conference title implications but it is a huge late season game with bragging rights on the line. There will be a lot of talent on display up at The Miller on Tuesday night. Middletown has the depth and athleticism to match Moeller and possibly ruin their undefeated season. Will the Crusaders look ahead to their Friday match-up with LaSalle? The most important question might be if Alex Barlow can slow down Middies guard Geovonie McKnight, who has been on a tear lately.
• Prediction: Look for the Middies to come out ready to go, with lots of enthusiasm. Moeller might fall behind early but they will not unravel. Moeller wins this one with a late run.
• Oak Hills @ St. Xavier
• Elder @ Princeton
• Withrow @ Fairfield
• Hughes @ Colerain
• Shroder @ West High
• Winton Woods @ Norwood
• Northwest @ Edgewood
• Loveland @ Turpin
• Milford @ Kings
• Little Miami @ Walnut Hills

Saturday Results:

• 

  Melvin Hunter, of Northwest,
  has really improved in his senior season.

  Ross 53 Northwest 49: Melvin Hunter led NW, in the loss, with 17 points and 18 boards. CPHR came away impressed with the improvements that Hunter has made in his shooting stroke and ball-handling. Always known as a big, strong athlete, Hunter has become near unstoppable now that his three ball is consistently falling (part of that is due to his drive-first mentality that gives him more room for jumpers); he is one of the top sleepers in the senior class in the city. Sophomore guard Ramar Hairston added 8 points and 7 boards for Northwest. 
• Woodward 83 Jefferson 77: Trent Donald had another huge night by scoring 25 points, grabbing 8 boards, and dishing out 6 assists in the upset win. Senior wing Demetrius Pruitt added 21 points, Antonio Fairbanks scored 17, and Zacheriah Mustafa 14.
• Withrow 59 Elder 47: The Panther were unable to win their third game over a CMAC team as the Tigers got the win behind the strong play of their “big 3”. Devin Williams led the way with 19 points, Aaron Thomas had 18, and Carl Porter scored 14 for Withrow.
• Lockland 77 West High 76: The Panthers got the win in double overtime behind 17 points from both Avery Barnes and Milan Riddle. DJ Wingfield added 13 points for Lockland in the win. Keevin Tyus led West High with 17 points and Bubba Hill added on 12. 

Friday Scores:

Jalean Lowe celebrates one of his fourth quarter three pointers.

A great crowd and a comeback win made the Withrow vs Taft game a memorable one. Lot's of action tonight, here are some scores from around the city: 

• Taft 65 Withrow 60: The Senators made a furious fourth quarter comeback, they trailed by 8 after the third, behind the hot shooting of junior wing Jalean Lowe; Jalean scored 12 of his 14 points in the fourth quarter, all on three balls. The win clinched another outright CMAC title for Taft on their senior night. Taft also got 14 points from Orlando Berry and Adolphus Washington. The Senators received a defensive boost in the fourth from Chris Lowe, Jermaine Freeman, Kadeem Palmer, Dwayne Stanford, and Marquez Johnson. Withrow was led by Carl Porter's 16 points, Aaron Thomas' 15, Devin Williams' 10, and Tim Coleman's 8 points. This game was somehow able to outdo the first in terms of atmosphere as a standing room only crowd was loud from start to finish, especially on dunks from Adolphus Washington and Aaron Thomas. Game pictures 

• 

  Adolphus Washington 

  Moeller 69 Roger Bacon 51: Ben Galemmo led the Crusaders with 18 points off the bench, including four three pointers. Charlie Byers added 15, Cody Wacker 11, and Alex Barlow 9. Bacon was led by Jared Bryant's 17 points. 
• LaSalle 60 Alter 44: Ryan Fleming led LaSalle with 19 points while Josh Lemons and Brandon Neel each added on 14 points.
• North College Hill 63 Summit 49: NCH won the game to share the MVC title with Summit on their senior night. Greg Sevilla led NCH with 20 points and Summit's Kevin Johnson had 18.
• Aiken 65 Woodward 62: Trent Donald led Woodward with 20 points in the loss and Zacheriah Mustafa added on 13. Keron Hicks, Willy Moore, Landen Gaulden, Austin Grimes, and Femi Thompson all scored in double figures for Aiken.
• Shroder 81 Hughes 73: Ladell Griffin scored 17 points to lead the way for Shroder while Trey Dees posted a near quadruple double with 12 points, 9 steals, 8 assists, and 7 boards.
• Lakota East 65 Colerain 46: Cam Lee led East with 13 points while Colerain junior guard Eli'sha Campbell exploded for 30 points
• Princeton 57 Hamilton 25: Ulysses Thomas led the Vikings with 11 points.
• Middletown 61 Lakota West 45: Vince Edwards led Middletown with 19 points, Geovonie McKnight scored 18, and Kirby Wright added on 11 in the win. Ali Barnes scored 15 in the loss for West and Phil Cook added 10.
• Mason 67 Sycamore 48: Darrin Harris led the Comets with 21 points.

• 

  Aaron Thomas drives on Jalean Lowe

  Northwest 66 Norwood 51: Ramar Hairston scored 18 for NW and Melvin Hunter added 17 in the win. Norwood was led by Deontez McGee's 21 points. 
• Winton Woods 89 Edgewood 51: Semaj Christon led WW with 26 points and Dennis Thomas added 23 in the blowout win.
• Wilmington 64 Walnut Hills 62: Freshman Zach McCormick led Wilmington in the upset win with 17 points, 6 rebounds, and 6 assists. Sophomore center Isiah Johnson scored 17 in the loss for Walnut Hills.

The Top 50 Spring Showcase

Presented by:

Cincy Prep Hoops Report & The Cincinnati Herald

• April 2^nd and 3^rd at Hughes High School and Rockdale Academy.
• Fee is $30 per player and includes jersey.
• Open to boys in grades 6-12. Spots are limited so reserve now.
• Players will be split into teams by grade level, each team will play two games per day.
• Players will be coached by some of the city's top high school coaches.
• College coaches from: Division II, Division III, NAIA, and the junior college levels will be on hand to evaluate talent. Other scouting services from all over the mid-west will also be in attendance.
• Every player will receive an evaluation from high school coaches as well as Cincy Prep Hoops Report.
• The top players from each grade will be selected to play in the All-Star game the following Thursday.

        To reserve your spot today email:

        Corey Albertson at cincyprephoopsreport@gmail.com or

        Tim Johnson at tdarnellj@hotmail.com

Division 1 prospects Aaron Thomas '11, Carl Porter '11, Charlie Byers '11, Willy Moore '12, Landen Gaulden '12, Josh Davenport '13, and more are already committed to playing in this event. Don't miss out!