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Lakota West became the fourth and final varsity basketball team from the Lakota school district to be eliminated from postseason play when it lost by the score of 58-55 to Turpin in a sectional semifinal game in the Division I state basketball tournament Wednesday.

Lakota West's Tyler Williams reacts going into a timeout against Fairfield during a basketball game Jan. 24, 2012. Photo taken by Jeff Swinger.

Helping Turpin hold on was junior guard Connor Grotten, who made a pair of free throws to push the lead to three points with three seconds remaining. Prior to the foul shots, senior forward Adam Boyer blocked a potential game-winning layup by the Firebirds on the other end of the floor.

“They’re a really good team and this win validates what we thought of our team all season,” Turpin coach Brad Cupito told The Cincinnati Enquirer. “We knew we were one of the top teams in the area and are thankful there’s a tournament format that allows us to prove it.”

Turpin sophomore Zach McCormick may have proved to be one of the area’s top sophomores, after finishing with a game-high 23 points. During the season, McCormick averaged 18.7 points per game. According to Rivals.com, he already has a scholarship offer from Duquesne.

Meanwhile, Lakota West junior Monty Boykins led his team with 16 points. Boykins also has an offer from Duquesne, as well as offers from Eastern Michigan, James Madison, Kennesaw State and Miami (Ohio).

His teammates, junior Ali Barnes and sophomore Tyler Williams, also helped the Firebirds keep the game close. Barnes scored 13, while Williams finished with 14.

The loss eliminates the season for the Firebirds, who finish the year with a 15-7 overall record and a 11-3 mark within the Greater Miami Conference. The 15 wins equals the program’s best since the 2006-2007 season and the best record under current head coach Sean Van Winkle.

“In my eight years as a head coach both at Ross and Lakota West I have never had a team improve as much as we did this season in so many different ways,” Van Winkle said. “The true credit goes to the players and assistant coaches for their persistence towards wanting to become a better team.”

Next year, the Firebirds will return their top three scorers in Boykins, Barnes and Williams, but will be without seniors Jackson Blue, Cole Stalker, Kayuane Ross and Caleb Poston.

“This year’s seniors – Jackson Blue, Cole Stalker, Kayuane Ross, and Caleb Poston all represented Lakota West in a very good way,” Van Winkle said. “For our underclassman we will challenge them to continue to work hard and build on this year’s success.”

Posted in: Sports, Winter Sports |

Tags: Tags: Ali Barnes, Caleb Poston, Cole Stalker, Jackson Blue, Kayuane Ross, Lakota West, Lakota West basketball, Lakota West sports, Monty Boykins, Tyler Williams

To let West Chester and Liberty Township residents catch up with the news that they need to know, WestChesterBuzz.com will list and link to all of last week’s top local stories every Monday morning. (Stories are listed in order of date)

West Chester Police identify passengers in fatal crash: Two people, who were killed in a strange crash Jan. 29 were identified and both tested positive for alcohol, according to information provided by the West Chester Police Department last Monday. The men, German Francisco Mejia-Rodriguez and Jorge Rosalio Rodriguez Lopez, are believed to have died from blunt-impact injuries and may have been dead for more than four hours by the time the wreckage was discovered.

Liberty Town Square gets key go-ahead: Liberty Town Square, billed as the largest retail development ever in Butler County, cleared a key hurdle this past Monday when county commissioners approved a memorandum of understanding. The $300 million project, with its promise of 3,200 jobs during construction and another 4,600 permanent jobs for people who work there when shops open, languished for several years because of the economy.

Steel beams installed by J&B Steel being examined: The Cincinnati Enquirer reported last Tuesday that steel beams fabricated by a Jackson, Miss., firm and installed by J&B Steel Erectors Inc. of West Chester will be examined as part of dual investigations into the collapse Jan. 27 of the future Horseshoe Casino Cincinnati. Investigators are trying to determine why a steel beam supporting a section of the second floor collapsed while cement workers poured concrete on sheet metal on top of it.

Lakota student athletes honored on Signing Day: A total 30 seniors from Lakota high schools were honored on National Signing Day last Wednesday. Signing Day marks the first day high school football, soccer and cross country athletes can sign letters of intent. Many high schools across the country, like Lakota East and Lakota West, hosted special signing ceremonies throughout the week.

Lakota West upsets Lakota East: Down by a point with 10 seconds to go, Lakota East missed two shots as the game clock expired in a 40-39 loss to rival Lakota West Wednesday. The Firebirds’ win snapped a three-game losing steak against Lakota East. Prior to Lakota East’s three-game winning streak, Lakota West had taken down the Thunderhawks in 18 straight contests.

Lakota proceeds with $9 million in cuts: Before Lakota Schools can tackle its looming budget shortfall, all officials need to be on the same page – especially administrators and the governing board, said Superintendent Karen Mantia. Mantia, at last Wednesday’s board meeting, asked for clarification as to whether its five members agree that cutting $9 million to balance next school year’s budget is the way to go. After board discussion, members agreed and unanimously voted to order Mantia’s administration to proceed with planning the $9 million in reductions.

Anniversary of VOA marks beginning of national museum: Voice of America, which sent its original broadcast overseas 70 years ago this month, will see backers of its first-built transmitting station begin fundraising this year to become a national museum. Once restoration is completed in the spring, it will be up to the museum’s board of directors to raise approximately $12 million to make it a revenue generating landmark.

Lakota West knocks off Mason, 73-65: Senior wing Jackson Blue calmly hit two free throws with 45 seconds, as the Firebirds held on to upset Mason 73-65 last Friday night at Mason. The win moved Lakota West into a four-way tie for second place in the Greater Miami Conference. The Firebirds have won three games in a row and have three more to play until the regular season is over.

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Tags: Tags: Butler County Commissioners, Butler County Visitor's Bureau, Commissioner Chuck Furmon, Horseshoe Casino Cincinnati, Horseshoe Casino Cincinnati collapse, J&B Steel, J&B Steel Erectors, J&B Steel Erectors Inc., Jackson Blue, Karen Mantia, Lakota, Lakota cuts, Lakota East, Lakota East basketball, Lakota East Sports, Lakota Local Schools, Lakota preschool, Lakota preschool program, Lakota reductions, Lakota school levy, Lakota Superintendent Dr. Karen Mantia, Lakota Superintendent Karen Mantia, Lakota West, Lakota West basketball, Lakota West sports, Last week in West Chester, Liberty Town Square, Liberty Township business news, Liberty Way, Liberty Way Interchange, Liberty Way project, Libertytown LLC, Mason basketball, National Signing Day, National VOA Museum of Broadcasting, National Voice of America Museum of Broadcasting, Ohio Cultural Facilities Commission, Ohio High School sports recruiting, Ohio preps recruiting, Ohio sports recruiting, OSHA, reductions, school levy, Signing Day Lakota West, Superintendent Dr. Karen Mantia, superintendent Karen Mantia, U.S. Occupational Safety & Health Administration, VOA Museum, VOA Museum of Broadcasting, Voice of America Museum, West Chester business, West Chester business news

Cincinnati Enquirer contributor Tom Ramstetter reports:

Senior wing Jackson Blue calmly hit two free throws with 45 seconds to play and Lakota West clinging to a three-point lead and the Firebirds held on to upset No. 3 Mason 73-65 Friday night at Mason.

The Firebirds are unranked in the latest Division I Enquirer coaches’ poll.

Senior wing Kayuane Ross hit one of two free throws one possession later and junior wing Monty Boykins added two more to ice the game for Lakota West in the closing seconds.

“I’m just trying to relax and go through my normal routine so I can knock it down,” Blue said of his late free throws. “I just did what I do normally and made the shots. It’s just practice. Coach has us shoot a lot of free throws. It’s routine, so I’m used to just stepping up to the line and making a shot.”

Mason furiously trimmed a late 68-58 deficit to three points, led by senior guard JD Sprague who scored six in a 7-0 Mason run that put the Comets in position to tie the game. That set up Blue at the line with less than a minute to play.

“They were playing really well,” Boykins said. “They were trapping us and we had to make a few quick adjustments. I think we handled it pretty well. It was pretty nerve-wracking. It’s just the will to win. We had more heart than them tonight.”

Boykins scored a team high 25 points, junior point guard Ali Barnes scored 17 and Blue added 16 as West avenged a 70-60 loss to the Comets Jan. 6 at Lakota West.

Sprague led all scorers with a season-high 26 points. Mason senior forward Darin Harris added 14 for the Comets.

“It feels great to come in here and steal a win at Mason Arena,” Boykins said. “It’s always been tough for us every time we play here. It’s the first time I’ve ever won here. It was definitely something that motivated us, to get them back.”

Mason had beaten Lakota West in the teams’ three previous meetings. The Firebirds’ last win over Mason was a 59-55 overtime final Jan. 15, 2010 at Mason.

Blue said the Firebirds let a win slip away in the first game this season. This time, the Firebirds didn’t falter.

The Comets led briefly in the third quarter when a layup by Sprague put Mason In front 43-42. But Lakota West surged ahead for good when a free throw by sophomore Tyler Williams made the score 46-45 with 5:55 to play in the third.

“It was a big game for us,” Blue said. “We played them earlier in the season. We were up on them and we let them come back into it. We had a big lead again today and they started to come back. We just wouldn’t let them.”

Lakota West led 42-41 at halftime after leading by as many as 10 points twice in the second quarter. Senior guard Jonathan DeLotell hit a 3-pointer off the glass at the buzzer for Mason to give the Comets momentum heading into the locker room. Sprague scored 13 points in the second quarter for Mason.

Lakota West put together a rally of its own in the first quarter after trailing 4-0 early and 8-4 midway through the opening period. Barnes hit a 3-pointer with 3:45 to play in the first to give the Firebirds their first lead of the game at 12-11. Lakota West led 24-19 after the first quarter and never trailed again in the first half.

“We played hard defense, played together and it was a good team win,” Blue said. We can get a lot better.”

Lakota West 73, Mason 65

Lakota West (11-6 overall, 8-3 in the GMC): Ross 0 1 1, Blue 4 7 16, Barnes 4 7 17, Stalker 2 1 5, Williams 2 1 7, Boykins 9 3 25, Grove 1 0 2. Totals 22 20 73.

Mason (14-3 overall, 8-3 in the GMC): McVey 1 2 5, Sprague 9 5 26, Niehoff 2 0 4, DeLotell 1 0 3, Reed 1 1 3, Reale 1 0 2, Harris 6 2 14, Van Kleunen 1 6 8. Totals 22 16 65.

Halftime: 42-41, Lakota West. 3-pointers: LW 9 (Boykins 4, Williams 2, Barnes 2, Blue) M 5 (Sprague 3, McVey, DeLotell).

Posted in: Sports, Winter Sports |

Tags: Tags: Darin Harris, J.D. Sprague, Jackson Blue, JD Sprague, Kayuane Ross, Lakota West, Lakota West basketball, Lakota West sports, Mason basketball, Monty Boykins, Monty Boykins Lakota West, Tyler Williams, Tyler Williams Lakota West

The athletic departments at Lakota East and Lakota West high schools recently named their athletes of the week. Seniors Molly Blomer and Jason Shake were honored at Lakota East, while seniors Jackson Blue and Amanda Horne received the honor at Lakota West.

The Lakota East girls’ basketball team has been dealt numerous injuries this season. Playing a big role in keeping the team on the winning side of the scoreboard has been senior forward Molly Blomer, who leads Lakota East in scoring (14.2 points per game) and in rebounding (5.9 rebounds per game). Blomer tied a career high Monday when she scored 25 points in a 51-44 win against Rogers (Toledo) in the Classic in the Country at Berlin High School.

Jason Shake is a senior member of the Lakota East chess team. According to EastThunderhawks.com, Shake “has a long history of being a reliable player, consistently working hard every week year after year while exhibiting good sportsmanship. He was also more helpful than many, taking the initiative to complete various tasks without being asked to do them.”

Last Friday, Jackson Blue set a Lakota school district record when he blocked 8 shots in a 56-50 loss against Princeton. In that same game, Blue also pulled down 7 rebounds. The previous record was 7 set by Josh Chichester during the 2003-2004 season. Blue has been playing a big role for Firebirds all season, averaging 6 points and 4.5 rebounds per game.

Amanda Horne tied a Lakota West single game record when she bowled a 241 in a match at Middletown last Monday. The high score placed her eighth overall in the Greater Miami Conference this season. The 241 score was also 62 pins higher than any other score recorded by a girls’ Lakota bowler this winter. She also recorded the high series for West in both the match at Middletown and last Wednesday’s match versus Monroe.

Posted in: Sports, Winter Sports |

Tags: Tags: Amanda Horne, athletes of the week, Greater Miami Conference, Jackson Blue, Jason Shake, Lakota athletes of the week, Lakota East, Lakota East athletics, Lakota East basketball, Lakota East chess, Lakota East Sports, Lakota West, Lakota West athletics, Lakota West basketball, Lakota West bowling, Lakota West sports, Molly Blomer

Cincinnati Enquirer’s Kevin Kelly reports:

When he took an inbounds pass with seconds remaining in a tied game against Lakota West on Saturday, Dixie Heights guard Brandon Hatton knew where he wanted to go with the basketball.

“To the basket, and no one is going to stop me,” was the sophomore’s mindset. “I was going as hard as I could go.”

Hatton made it only to the three-point line before drawing a foul as he shot from behind the arc with 1.3 seconds remaining.

It became his game to win from there. And he did.

Hatton sank the three free throws for the shooting foul and two more for the technical foul that Lakota West head coach Sean Van Winkle received for protesting the call. The free throw bonanza lifted Dixie Heights to a satisfying 66-61 victory at home against the Firebirds (7-5) in the Bluegrass-Buckeye Charity Classic.

“I’m a shooter and free throws are part of my game,” Hatton said afterward.

Fourteen of his game-high 25 points for the Colonels (11-5) came at the free throw line.

Monty Boykins, a junior wing, paced Lakota West with 20 points.

“Every game we play we try to take something positive out of it, and tonight the positive we took out of it is we played a really good team that made us a lot better,” Van Winkle said.

The Firebirds led by four at halftime but the score was tied at 61 late in the fourth quarter when Lakota West senior guard Jackson Blue was called for an offensive foul. That gave the ball to Dixie Heights with 5.1 seconds remaining. There was no doubt which player was getting the ball.

“It was drawn up to put the ball in Brandon Hatton’s hands and let him make a play,” Dixie Heights assistant coach Roddy Stainforth said. “It was that simple. You’ve got five seconds. You don’t have time to run a whole lot of stuff. You just want the ball in the best player’s hands and hope that it works out.

“He got in there and he’s got great body control for a high school kid. He draws the fouls and he hit all the free throws.”

Van Winkle didn’t want to detract from Dixie Heights’ victory by dwelling on how the game ended.

“They won the game,” he said. “Their guys played really well.”

The Colonels (11-5) are ranked first in the Enquirer Northern Kentucky coaches’ poll and Saturday’s victory was their sixth consecutive.

Stainforth filled in for head coach Ken Chevalier. A sports hernia prevented Chevalier from coaching the game, Stainforth said, but he was in the team’s thoughts.

“We’ve been playing tough competition all year, including those guys,” Stainforth said. “But we’ve had trouble getting over the hump and getting that signature win of the season. I think tonight we just got our first signature win of the season.”

Lakota West (7-5, 4-2 in the Greater Miami Conference) – Hicks 1-0-2, Blue 3-0-6, Thomas 0-4-4, Barnes 6-2-17, Stalker 1-0-2, Williams 3-3-10, Boykins 7-2-20

Dixie Heights (11-5) – Hassel 4-0-10, Fox 3-2-10, Stansberry 5-0-10, Evans 2-2-6, Wigger 0-2-2, Hatton 5-14-25, Niehaus 1-1-3

Halftime: LW 37-33. 3-pointers: LW 5 Boykins (3), Barnes (2). DH 5 Hassel (2), Fox (3)

Posted in: Sports, Winter Sports |

Tags: Tags: Brandon Hatton, Dixie Heights basketball, Jackson Blue, Lakota West, Lakota West basketball, Lakota West sports, Monty Boykins

Lakota West won its first game in the Lexington Catholic Holiday Tournament by defeating Simon Kenton by the score of 55-40 Tuesday. The Firebirds are scheduled to face Trinity (Louisville, Ky.) at 8 p.m. Wednesday.

Against Simon Kenton, junior small forward Monty Boykins led Lakota West with 16 points and 8 rebounds. His senior teammate, Jackson Blue finished with 12 points and 6 rebounds.

The win improves Lakota West to 4-0 on the season. It is the program’s best start since the 2005-2006 season.

Lakota West 55, Simon Kenton 40

Lakota West (4-0, 3-0 in GMC) – Blue 4 4 12, Barnes 3 0 6, Williams 2 0 4, Boykins 7 1 16, Grove 2 0 4, Ross 2 3 8, Bowling 1 1 3, Bengal 1 0 2. Totals: 24 9 55.

Simon Kenton (8-3) – Ayers 4 3 11, Mullen 2 0 4, Chambers 2 3 8, Barnes 1 0 3, Monson 1 0 2, Sampson 2 0 4, J. Swanson 1 0 2, Bowling 2 2 6. Totals: 17 8 40.

Halftime: Lakota West 30-17. 3-pointers: L 2 (Boykins, Ross); S 2 (Barnes, Chambers).

Posted in: Sports, Winter Sports |

Tags: Tags: Jackson Blue, Lakota West, Lakota West athletics, Lakota West basketball, Lakota West High School, Lakota West sports, Monty Boykins, Monty Boykins Lakota West

The Lakota West boys’ basketball team is hoping to bounce back from its first losing season in school history with a group that head coach Sean Van Winkle describes as “young, but experienced.”

“We have a good team,” Van Winkle said. “We are not just going to depend on one single person to do the scoring or the rebounding or the passing. We have a bunch of guys that we feel are decent players and hopefully can carry the load.”

Van Winkle does return 6-foot-4 junior Monty Boykins, who led Lakota West in scoring last season with 12.5 points per game.

“As a team, I believe we are a lot further along than we were last year,” said Boykins, who has collegiate offers from Miami, Toledo, James Madison, Eastern Michigan and Kennesaw State. “We are playing really hard on defense. We are getting better at playing team defense and offense.

“I just want to end the season on a win. I honestly feel that we can make a deep run in the playoffs.”

Besides Boykins, Lakota West returns starting guards junior Ali Barnes and sophomore Tyler Williams, as well as starting forward senior Jackson Blue.

Williams, who like Boykins has earned the attention of the college scouts, averaged 7.1 points per game last season.

“Tyler is very confident this year,” Van Winkle said. “He is one of the best overall guards in the city at his age. He can do a lot of things with the ball and play great defense … we are looking for him to have a really good year.”

Backing up Barnes, who averaged 8.4 points per game, and Williams will be newcomer sophomore Malik Grove.

Grove, who has impressed his coach and his new teammates on the basketball court, actually quit the bowling team this winter after being named the Greater Miami Conference Athlete of Year and rolling a perfect game in the sport as a freshman.

“Malik Grove has been a real surprise. Quite honestly, he is just a heady player,” Van Winkle said.

“He just knows how to play, he understands the game and he is just deceivingly good.”

Other newcomers who are expected to make an impact this season include 6-foot-7 sophomore Tyler Bowling and 210-pound senior Cole Stalker, who sat out last season after transferring from Ross.

“Our team just has a lot of heart this year,” Boykins said. “We play so hard every possession and that is going to take us a long way especially when we have guys coming off the bench who can contribute.”

Lakota West will tip off its season at home against Oak Hills at 7:30 p.m. Dec. 6.

Posted in: Sports, Winter Sports |

Tags: Tags: Ali Barnes, Jackson Blue, Lakota West, Lakota West basketball, Lakota West sports, Malik Grove, Monty Boykins, offer, ohio basketball recruiting, Ohio High School sports recruiting, Ohio preps recruiting, Ohio sports recruiting, Tyler Williams

Both the Lakota West and Lakota East boys’ basketball programs were given their seed for the 2011 southwest district sectional tournament this past Sunday, Feb. 13, afternoon. Lakota West was given the No. 15 seed, while Lakota East received the No. 2 seed.

Many fans of the Greater Miami Conference were upset to hear that Lakota East, which is currently 19-0 overall and 13-0 in the GMC, was given the No. 2 seed. Opinion from GMC loyalists was that the Thunderhawks’ schedule was much more difficult than that Moeller, who received the No. 1 seed and is currently 18-0 overall and 9-0 in the Greater Catholic League.

“It’s inconsequential,” Lakota East head coach Wally Vickers said of not receiving the top seed. “I knew we would be No. 1 or No. 2 – they are undefeated, we are undefeated – so we absolutely have no feelings about that either way.”

The Thunderhawks will begin postseason play against No. 31 Talawanda (5-13 overall, 3-9 in Fort Ancient Valley Conference) next Saturday, Feb. 26, at Lakota West. The winner plays No. 33 Hughes (1-17 overall, 0-11 in Cincinnati Metro Athletic Conference) March 2 at 8 p.m. at Princeton. (more…)

Posted in: Sports, Winter Sports |

Tags: Tags: Ali Barnes, basketball, boys' basketball, Jackson Blue, Lakota East, Lakota East Sports, Lakota West, Lakota West sports, Monty Boykins, Phil Cook, Phillip Cook, Sean VanWinkle, Wally Vickers, Walter Vickers

Both the Lakota West and Lakota East girls’ basketball programs won last night, Dec. 29, while the Lakota West boys’ team fell 62-46 to Columbus DeSales at the Hughes Holiday Classic.

The Lakota West girls’ team defeated Dublin Coffman 48-43 in the Holiday Hoops Fest at Lakota West High School. Junior Adrianna McNeal, who finished with 12 points and nine rebounds, led the Firebirds. Senior Ronni Grandison added 10 points and junior Rachel Huxhold scored a career-high 10 points for Lakota West.

With the win, Lakota West improves to 4-3 overall and remains 2-3 in the Greater Miami Conference. The Firebirds will be in action tonight, Dec. 30, and will host Newark at 7:15 p.m.

Meanwhile, the Lakota East girls’ team won its third straight by defeating Hughes, by the score of 53-34, in its home holiday tournament. Sophomore guard Imani Outlaw led the Thunderhawks with a season-high 12 points. Outlaw also recorded seven rebounds and six assists in the win.

Tonight, Dec. 30, Lakota East will host Ursuline at 8 p.m. The Thunderhawks enter the game with a 6-2 overall record and a 3-2 mark within the GMC.

The Lakota West boys’ team led Columbus DeSales 15-14 after the first quarter, but were outscored 22-11 in the second and couldn’t comeback in a 62-46 loss. Sophomore guard Monty Boykins led the Firebirds with 15 points and junior forward Jackson Blue scored a career-high 12 points in the loss.

With the loss, Lakota West falls to 3-3 overall and remains 1-2 within the GMC. The Firebirds will be action tonight at 6 p.m. at Hughes in the tournament’s consolation game.

Picture provided by Mark Ferland/Ferland Fotos. For more photos of other Lakota West athletic events visit ferlandfotos.smugmug.com.

Posted in: Sports, Winter Sports |

Tags: Tags: Adrianna McNeal, basketball, boys' basketball, Columbus DeSales, Dublin Coffman, girls' basketball, Hughes, Imani Outlaw, Jackson Blue, Lakota East, Lakota East Sports, Lakota West, Lakota West sports, Monty Boykins, Newark, Rachel Huxhold, Ronni Grandison