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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

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

Lakota West avoided a late rally and snapped a two-game losing streak against Lakota East by defeating its school district rival by the score of 56-51 at a packed Hawks Nest Tuesday.

In practice, leading up to the game, Lakota West junior Monty Boykins put the score of last year’s loss to Lakota East – 74-34 – up on the scoreboard.

“We didn’t forget about that,” Lakota West head coach Sean Van Winkle said.

“We have almost everyone back from that situation last year. To them, that was inspiration. To me, it was just our next game. Its East, we just got to beat them. Now, we are 3-0 in the GMC. That is something to be said.”

Fueling off last year’s embarrassment at home Lakota West spoiled the evening for East fans, who celebrated their 2011 state championship baseball team at halftime.

Playing the role of spoilers were two players who remembered last year’s loss well in sophomore point guard Tyler Williams and senior forward Kayaune Ross.

“Our team came in hard to win and they were ready to play, so we knew it was going to be fight,” Ross said.

“Honestly, we didn’t get the win the way we wanted it, but a win is a win so we will take it.”

After scoring two points in last season’s blowout loss, Ross converted four free throws in the final minute to seal the win for the Firebirds.

Meanwhile, his teammate, Williams broke a 49-49 tie with 2:16 left in the game with a three pointer. The sophomore, who has been attracting the attention of Division I scouts, finished with a career high 15 points.

The heroics of Williams and Ross wouldn’t have been needed if not for a Lakota East fourth quarter comeback, which featured a 10-0 run that turned a 42-33 deficit into a 43-42 lead with five minutes to play.

Junior Stedman Lowry led Lakota East with 15 points. His teammates, juniors Keith Brady and Zach Panzecca, each finished with 12 points.

Boykins, who used last season’s blowout to inspire the Firebirds, finished with 11.

Lakota West 56, Lakota East 51

Lakota West (3-0, 3-0 in the GMC) – Ross 1 4 6, Blue 3 4 10, Barnes 4 0 8, Stalker 1 0 2, Williams 5 2 15, Boykins 5 0 11, Grove 2 0 4. Totals 21 10 56.

Lakota East (1-3, 0-3 in the GMC– Leppert 1 2 4, Emrick 0 1 1, Harpring 1 0 3, S. Lowry 7 0 15, Brady 5 1 12, D. Lowry 1 0 3, Panzecca 6 0 12, 0 1 1. Totals 21 5 51.

Halftime: Lakota West 26-16. 3-pointers: LW 4 (Williams 3, Boykins), LE 4 (Harpring, S. Lowry, Brady, D. Lowry).

Posted in: Sports, Winter Sports |

Tags: Tags: Kayuane Ross, Keith Brady, Lakota East, Lakota East basketball, Lakota East Sports, Lakota West, Lakota West basketball, Lakota West sports, Monty Boykins, Monty Boykins Lakota West, Stedman Lowry, Stedman Lowry Lakota East, Zach Panzecca

Coming off its first win of the season, Lakota West (1-2) will begin its conference portion of the schedule against a team, Princeton (3-0), who hasn’t lost a game in 2011. Both the Firebirds and Princeton have wins against Anderson this season. Lakota West beat the Redskins by the score of 20-16 last Friday, while the Vikings defeated Anderson 40-33 Aug. 26.

Lakota West: Led by sophomore quarterback Tyler Jones, the Firebirds were able to bounce back from early season losses to Elder (35-10) and Winton Woods (27-21) with a 20-16 victory on the road against Anderson last Friday night. Jones threw for a career-high 174 yards and three touchdowns in the win. Senior running back Marcus Davis has become the team’s workhorse, rushing the ball 69 times for 315 yards in the first three games this season. Davis also has five receptions for 57 yards and a touchdown. 6-foot-3 senior wide receiver Kayuane Ross has also flashed play-making ability in each game this fall and currently has 108 receiving yards and two touchdowns on only four receptions. Defensively, the Firebirds recorded eight sacks in last week’s win against Anderson. As a team, Lakota is averaging 232 total yards per game (126 rushing and 106 passing) and giving up 319 total yards per game (156 rushing and 163 passing).

Princeton: First-year head coach Gary Croley has gotten the Vikings off to a great start in 2011, winning the first three games on the schedule. The three-win total already ties the entire win total from 2010 when Princeton finished 3-7 overall and 1-6 in the Greater Miami Conference. Offensively, junior running back DeMarco Thomas leads the team in rushing (282 yards on 52 carries), receiving yards (113 yards on seven receptions) and total touchdowns (six). Senior quarterback Nate McGill has completed 22-of-46 passes for 312 yards and has five touchdowns and only one interception this fall. McGill has also rushed for 132 yards and a touchdown on 42 carries. Offensively, Princeton is averaging 200 rushing yards per game and 114 passing yards per game. Defensively, the team is struggling against pass, allowing 283 yards per game. However, on a different note, the defense already has 10 interceptions and is only allowing 50 yards of rushing per game.

Bottom line: In its weekly breakdown of the area’s top matchups, Cincinnati Enquirer contributor Mark Schmetzer gives the advantage to the Vikings. While Princeton does have the better record, it has also won against three teams with a combined record of 1-8. Like last week, Lakota West faces another defense that has statistically stopped the run but has struggled against the pass. This game appears to be a toss up that will likely be decided by a few big plays.

Posted in: Fall sports, Sports |

Tags: Tags: DeMarco Thomas, football, game preview, Gary Croley, Kayuane Ross, Lakota West, Lakota West football, Lakota West sports, Marcus Davis, Nate McGill, Princeton, Princeton football, Tyler Jones

Led by sophomore quarterback Tyler Jones’ three-touchdown performance, Lakota West was able to win its first game of the season when it defeated Anderson by the score of 20-16 Friday.

Trailing 16-13 in the fourth quarter, Jones connected with senior running back Marcus Davis (photo) on a 31-yard touchdown pass to make the score 20-16 with 4:43 left to play.

Jones completed 10-of-22 passes for 174 yards and three touchdowns with one interception in the win. He also rushed for 22 yards on 10 carries.

Davis finished with 76 yards on 34 carries.

Defensively, the Firebirds had eight sacks and forced two turnovers.

Junior wide receiver Jared Cook helped to keep Anderson in the game. Trailing 13-0, Cook took a pass from senior quarterback Nick Mason 69 yards for the touchdown. That led to 16-point unanswered points for the Redskins. For the game, Cook finished with 159 yards on eight receptions.

With the win, Lakota West improves to 1-2. Anderson falls to 0-3.

Next up for the Firebirds is a road game at Princeton (3-0) next Friday at 7:30 p.m. Anderson will be at Turpin (1-1) next Friday at 7:30 p.m.

Lakota West 0 13 0 7 – 20
Anderson 0 0 9 7 – 16

L– Bubba Williams 14-yard pass from Jones (kick failed) – 9:17 in second quarter
L– Kayuane Ross 36-yard pass from Jones (Justin Martin kick) – 4:55 in second quarter
A– Cook 69-yard pass from Mason (Chris Kaylor kick) – 8:19 in third quarter
A– Team Safety – 7:12 in third quarter
A– Brandon Satterfield 4-yard run (Kaylor kick) – 11:48 in fourth quarter
L– Davis 31-yard pass from Jones (Martin kick) – 4:43 in fourth quarter

Posted in: Fall sports, Sports |

Tags: Tags: Anderson, Anderson football, Bubba Williams, football, Kamel Bradley, Kayuane Ross, Kyle Payne, Lakota West, Lakota West football, Lakota West sports, Marcus Davis, Nick Mason, Tyler Jones

Both Lakota West (0-2) and Anderson (0-2) enter their matchup searching for the first win of the season. The Firebirds have lost games to Winton Woods and Elder, while Anderson has lost to Princeton and Withrow.

Lakota West: Head coach Larry Cox believes that his team has improved each week this season. In last week’s 35-10 loss against Elder, Cox said his first-year starting quarterback “took a big step forward.” Statistically, sophomore Tyler Jones appeared to struggle – completing 5-of-17 passes for 40 yards with a touchdown and an interception against Elder. However, Cox likes the way his young quarterback is handling the offense. Another bright spot from last week’s loss, was senior running back Marcus Davis. In the Elder game, Davis rushed for 196 yards on 22 carries. Another playmaker is 6-foot-3 senior wide receiver Kayuane Ross, who is currently averaging 24 yards per reception (72 yards and a touchdown on three catches). Defensively, senior lineman Blake Bell and senior safety Dawson Fletcher (Indiana commit) have played inspired football early this season.

Anderson: After the Redskins fell to Princeton by the score of 40-33 in week one, they lost a 26-25 thriller at Withrow last Friday night. In the loss to Withrow, Anderson led 25-13 until giving up two fourth quarter touchdown passes (the last with 2:10 left in the game). In two games this season, senior quarterback Nick Mason has completed 15-of-30 passes for 264 yards and four touchdowns and three interceptions. Meanwhile, junior running back Kamel Bradley has 164 yards and three touchdowns on 46 carries this season. Defensively, the Redskins have struggled against the pass allowing 222 yards through the air per game. Against the run, Anderson is only allowing 77 yards per game. In addition to the team statistics, senior safety Kyle Payne returned two blocked punts for touchdowns last Friday.

Bottom line: Offensively, running the football appears to be the Firebirds’ biggest strength. If Anderson takes that away, Jones will be forced to throw the football. It should be interesting how that plays out. Earlier this week, Anderson head coach Jeff Giesting told the Pulse Journal that Lakota West is “bigger and faster” than his team. That being said, it could be difficult for the Redskins to keep up.

Game information: Lakota West at Anderson at 7:30 p.m. Location: At Anderson, located at 7560 Forest Road. Directions: From Lakota West HS, I-75 S to I-275 E toward Columbus, exit 69 for Five Mile Rd., right onto Five Mile Rd., first right onto Old 5 Mile Rd., left onto Forest Rd. Weather: Forecast from National Weather Service, slight chance of showers, cloudy with low around 57. Tickets: Call Lakota West Athletic Office between 7:30 a.m. and 3:30 p.m. at 513-682-4111.

Posted in: Fall sports, Sports |

Tags: Tags: Anderson, Anderson football, Blake Bell, Dawson Fletcher, football, game preview, Kamel Bradley, Kayuane Ross, Kyle Payne, Lakota West, Lakota West football, Lakota West sports, Larry Cox, Marcus Davis, Nick Mason, Tyler Jones

Elder cruised to a 35-10 win against Lakota West Friday. The Panthers totaled 425 yards of offense, while Lakota West totaled 244 yards.

Elder was led by senior quarterback Ben Gramke, who completed 20-of-28 passes for a career-high 293 yards and three touchdowns against the Firebirds.

>>>PHOTOS OF ELDER VS. LAKOTA WEST GAME<<<

Lakota West senior running back Marcus Davis provided the majority of the Firebirds’ offense, finishing with 196 yards on 22 carries. Meanwhile Elder’s Cody Fox, who scored three touchdowns against Centerville last week, added two more against Lakota West. He finished the game with 83 yards on 23 carries.

>>>GAME STORY: PANTHERS TAKE DOWN FIREBIRDS 35-10<<<

With the win, Elder improves to 2-0. Lakota West falls to 0-2. Next Friday, Elder will host Trinity (Ky.) at 7:30 p.m. Lakota West will visit Anderson next Friday at 7:30 p.m.

There are also many other great moments captured on our Flickr photostream. And more West Chester and Liberty Township related photo galleries on our Photos page.

Also, remember to share your photos through the Photos page.

Posted in: Fall sports, Sports |

Tags: Tags: Ben Gramke, Doug Ramsey, Jeffrey Vorherr, Kayuane Ross, Lakota West, Lakota West football, Lakota West sports, Marcus Davis, Max Mazza, photo gallery, photos, Tyler Jones, West Chester photos

The Elder Panthers, led by senior quarterback Ben Gramke, were able to pull away to a 35-10 win at Lakota West Friday. Gramke, who only threw for 94 yards in last week’s 33-14 win against Centerville, completed 20-of-28 passes for a career-high 293 yards and three touchdowns against the Firebirds.

“They saw us rush for 340 last week, so they were stacking eight, nine guys in the box. That allowed our guys to be wide open all over the field,” said Doug Ramsey, who won his 125th game as Elder’s head coach.

Lakota West appeared to have the momentum heading into halftime after sophomore quarterback Tyler Jones connected with senior wide receiver Kayuane Ross on a 38-yard pass play that cut Elder’s lead to 14-10 with 1:35 left in the second quarter.

However, Gramke responded by tossing a 29-yard touchdown pass to junior wide receiver Max Mazza with 2.5 seconds left in the half. Gramke completed 7-of-9 passes for 65 yards on the touchdown drive.

“I thought the two-minute drill was awesome,” Ramsey said.

“That was as good as any quarterback that I have ever coached in executing that. He was accurate, he was calling the right plays and when he had a chance to take a shot – he took it.”

As a team Elder had 425 yards of total offense and converted 23 first downs. Meanwhile, Lakota West had 244 yards on offense and had 10 first downs. Lakota West senior running back Marcus Davis provided the majority of the Firebirds’ offense, finishing with 196 yards on 22 carries.

Elder senior running back Cody Fox, who scored three touchdowns against Centerville last week, added two more against Lakota West. He finished the game with 83 yards on 23 carries.

Gramke’s favorite target was junior wide receiver Max Mazza, who had six receptions for 119 yards and a touchdown. Junior tight end Joe Ramstetter (3 rec. 63 yards 1 TD) and senior wide receiver Jeffrey Vorherr (4 rec. 64 yards and 1 TD) also caught touchdown passes.

With the win, Elder improves to 2-0. Lakota West falls to 0-2. Next Friday, Elder will host Trinity (Ky.) at 7:30 p.m. Lakota West will visit Anderson next Friday at 7:30 p.m.

Elder 7 14 7 7 – 35
Lakota West 0 10 0 0 – 10

E– Fox 6-yard run (Williams kick) – 9:42 in first quarter
L– Justin Martin 29-yard field goal – 9:58 in second quarter
E– Fox 5-yard run (Williams kick) – 2:33 in second quarter
L– Ross 40-yard pass from Jones (Martin kick) – 1:35 in second quarter
E– Mazza 29-yard pass from Gramke (Williams kick) – 0:02 in second quarter
E– Vorherr 15-yard pass from Gramke (Williams kick) – 2:45 in third quarter
E– Ramstetter 29-yard pass from Gramke (Williams kick) – 8:24 in fourth quarter (Williams kick)

Posted in: Fall sports, Sports |

Tags: Tags: Ben Gramke, Doug Ramsey, Jeffrey Vorherr, Kayuane Ross, Lakota West, Lakota West football, Lakota West sports, Marcus Davis, Max Mazza, Tyler Jones