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Lakota West's Monty Boykins. Photo taken by Mark Ferland of ferlandfotos.smugmug.com.

Lakota West junior Monty Boykins added offers to play college basketball from Bowling Green, Kent State and Robert Morris earlier this month, according Lakota West head coach Sean Van Winkle.

Boykins also has seven other offers including Lehigh, Duquesne, Miami University, Eastern Michigan, Toledo, Kennesaw State and James Madison.

• Cincinnati Enquirer’s recruiting blog with Mike Dyer
• Monty Boykins video highlights

Boykins was a Division I honorable mention all-state this past season. He averaged 16.6 points, 6.2 rebounds, 2.1 assists and 1.4 steals. He was first-team all-GMC.

As a sophomore, during the 2010-2011 season, Boykins averaged 12.5 points and 3.9 rebounds.

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Tags: Tags: Lakota West, Lakota West sports, Molly Blomer, Monty Boykins, ohio basketball recruiting, Ohio High School sports recruiting, Ohio preps recruiting, Ohio sports recruiting

Mike Dyer reports

Lehigh offered Lakota West junior Monty Boykins on Friday, according to Lakota West basketball coach Sean Van Winkle. Boykins went on an unofficial visit on Friday.

Lehigh received national attention this spring when the program pulled off one of the biggest upsets in NCAA Tournament history, by defeating second-seeded Duke by the score of 75-70. Lehigh was a No. 15 seed.

Boykins has six other offers including Duquesne, Miami University, Eastern Michigan, Toledo, Kennesaw State and James Madison.

• Cincinnati Enquirer’s recruiting blog with Mike Dyer
• Monty Boykins video highlights

Boykins was Division I honorable mention all-state this past season. He averaged 16.6 points, 6.2 rebounds, 2.1 assists and 1.4 steals. He was first-team all-GMC.

Posted in: Sports, Winter Sports |

Tags: Tags: Lakota West, Lakota West sports, Molly Blomer, Monty Boykins, ohio basketball recruiting, Ohio High School sports recruiting, Ohio preps recruiting, Ohio sports recruiting

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.”

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

Lakota West junior guard Ali Barnes made seven of his 11 three-point attempts and scored 25 points in an 82-73 win against Sycamore Friday. It was the Firebirds’ fifth straight win.

Fellow junior Monty Boykins scored 20 points and pulled down six rebounds in the win. Teammates sophomore guard Tyler Williams (18 points, four assists) and senior forward Jackson Blue (10 points, 14 rebounds) made key contributions for Lakota West.

Meanwhile, Sycamore received strong performances from junior Joey Gruden (25 points, six rebounds), senior A.J. Williams (12 points, five rebounds) and junior Mason Morgan (14 points, 10 rebounds). Gruden made seven of his eight three-point attempts.

With the win, Lakota West improved its overall record to 13-6 and its record within the Greater Miami Conference to 10-3. The Firebirds are currently tied with Mason (16-3 overall, 10-3 in the GMC) for second place in the GMC – only one game behind Middletown (14-5 overall, 11-2 in the GMC).

The Firebirds, which will receive its postseason draw Sunday, has one more regular season game left that will be played next Friday at home at 7:30 p.m. against Hamilton (4-15 overall, 2-11 in the GMC). Meanwhile, Sycamore (6-13 overall, 2-11 in the GMC) will wrap up its season next Friday at 7:30 p.m. at Lakota East (7-12 overall, 4-9 in the GMC).

Lakota West 82, Sycamore 73

Lakota West (13-6 overall, 10-3 in the GMC) – Blue 3 4 10, Barnes 9 2 27, Stalker 2 1 5, Williams 5 3 16, Martin 2 0 4, Boykins 7 3 20. Totals: 28 13 82.

Sycamore (6-13 overall, 2-11 in the GMC) – Gruden 9 0 25, Hill 3 0 9, Farquhar 0 4 4, Faust 0 1 1, Gray 1 2 4, Brown 2 0 4, Morgan 7 0 14, Williams 5 2 12. Totals: 27 9 73.

Halftime: Lakota West 32-31. 3-pointers: L 13 (Barnes 7, Williams 3, Boykins 3); S 10 (Gruden 7, Hill 3).

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Tags: Tags: A.J. Williams, Ali Barnes, Joey Gruden, Lakota West, Lakota West basketball, Lakota West sports, Mason Morgan, Monty Boykins, Monty Boykins Lakota West, Tyler Williams, Tyler Williams Lakota West

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).

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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 earned its 10^th win of the season when it defeated Oak Hills by the score of 69-41 on the road Tuesday. Last year, the Firebirds finished with a 9-13 overall record.

The 28-point margin made for the Firebirds’ most dominating win of the 2011-2012 season. Leading Lakota West to the win was junior Monty Boykins, who finished with 18 points and 5 rebounds.

Lakota West sophomore Tyler Williams (photo from earlier game this season) added 10 points and 5 assists.

Another bright spot for the Firebirds was the return of forward Kayaune Ross, who had not played due to injury since Jan. 7. In his return, Ross scored 5 points and pulled down 4 rebounds.

Meanwhile, junior Jake Richmond and senior Alex Bergen each scored in double figures for Oak Hills. Richmond finished with 11 points, while Bergen totaled 12.

The Firebirds will be searching for their third straight win when they visit rival Mason (14-2 overall, 8-2 in the Greater Miami Conference) at 7:30 p.m. Friday. Oak Hills will also be in action Friday at 7:30 p.m. when it visits Princeton (12-3 overall, 7-3 in the GMC).

In previous meetings, Lakota West lost to Mason (70-60) at home Jan. 6 and Oak Hills upset Princeton (60-55) on its home court the same night.

Lakota West 69, Oak Hills 41

Lakota West (10-6 overall, 7-3 in the GMC) – Bowling 1 0 2, Hicks 1 0 2, Ross 3 1 7, Blue 3 0 7, Thomas 1 1 3, Barnes 3 1 8, Williams 3 2 10, Manin 2 0 4, Boykins 7 1 18, Grove 2 4 8. Totals: 26 10 69.

Oak Hills (7-8 overall, 5-5 in the GMC) – Richmond 4 2 11, Elliott 1 0 2, Walter 0 2 2, Pflum1 1 3, Herbig 1 0 2, McDowell 1 2 4, Bergen 5 2 12, Witsken 1 0 2, Chisholm 0 3 3. Totals 14 12 41.

Halftime: Lakota West 35-22. 3-pointers: L 7 (Boykins 3, Williams 2, Barnes, Blue); O 1 (Richmond).

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Tags: Tags: Alex Bergen, Jake Richmond, Kayaune Ross, Lakota West, Lakota West basketball, Lakota West sports, Monty Boykins, Oak Hills basketball, Tyler Williams

For the second straight Friday, Lakota West won a close game against a Greater Miami Conference opponent. This time, the Firebirds blew a 12-point lead in the second half only to go onto a 77-71 overtime win against Colerain.

Last Friday, Lakota West handed Middletown its first conference loss of the season when it won by the score of 56-53.

In the overtime win against Colerain, junior Monty Boykins recorded a season high 26 points and pulled down a career high 15 rebounds for Lakota West. Teammates, sophomore Tyler Williams added 14 points and junior Ali Barnes finished with 20 points.

Senior Elisha Campbell led Colerain with 21 points. His teammates, juniors C.J. Reed and Milton Davis each scored 15 points in the loss.

In its next game, Lakota West will visit Oak Hills (7-7 overall, 5-4 in the Greater Miami Conference) at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday. Colerain will also be in action at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday when it hosts Mason (13-2 overall, 7-2 in the GMC).

Lakota West 77, Colerain 71 OT

Colerain (7-7, 2-7 in the GMC) – Porter 1 0 3, Reed 7 1 15, Campbell 9 2 21, Irby 1 1 4, Davis 4 6 15, Walters 5 2 13. Totals 27 12 71.

Lakota West (9-6, 6-3 in the GMC) – Thomas 1 2 4, Barnes 7 4 20, Stalker 3 0 6, Williams 3 6 14, Martin 2 3 7, Boykins 8 8 26. Totals 24 23 77.

Halftime: Lakota West 32-24. 3-Pointers: L 6 (Barnes 2, Williams 2, Boykins 2); C 5 (Porter, Campbell, Irby, Davis, Walters).

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Tags: Tags: Ali Barnes, C.J. Reeds, Colerain basketball, Elisha Campbell, Lakota West, Lakota West basketball, Lakota West sports, Milton Davis, Monty Boykins, Monty Boykins Lakota West, Tyler Williams, Tyler Williams Lakota West

With one of its top scorers stuck on the bench, Fairfield led by senior Keon Benjamin defeated Lakota West by the score of 70-59 in a battle of Greater Miami Conference second place teams Tuesday.

Benjamin knocked down four 3-pointers and scored a career high 24 points, while Fairfield’s second-leading scorer Brandon Murphy had to sit out after recording two technical fouls in the Indians’ 47-43 win against Oak Hills Friday.

“We say it all the time, ‘next guy in has to play,’” Fairfield head coach Tim Austing said. “It is part of the season, guys will go down with injuries or get in foul trouble. You just have to move on.”

“Keon creates a difficult matchup because it makes them cover a 3-point shooter with a center. It only works if you can really shoot it and Keon can really shoot it.”

The Firebirds, who were coming off a 56-53 upset win against Middletown Friday, led the game 20-16 at the end of the first quarter. Junior shooting guard Ali Barnes was perfect in the quarter, going 3-for-3 from the floor and was 1-for-1 at the free-throw line.

Benjamin, however, would knock down a 3-pointer during a 9-0 Fairfield scoring run to begin the second frame. After a pair of free throws by Benjamin, Fairfield increased its lead to 11 points with 2:03 left in the third quarter.

Lakota West quickly cut the lead to three after going on an 8-0 run of its own, capped off by an old fashioned 3-point play by Barnes.

The comeback attempt was eventually spoiled when Benjamin made his fourth 3-pointer of the game, giving Fairfield a 54-47 with 3:55 left in the game.

“I was just dialed in,” Benjamin said. “We have a little rivalry with them – they don’t like us, we don’t like them. That is what really gave me my motivation.”

Along with Benjamin, Fairfield was able to hang onto the victory thanks to making 28 of its 34 free throws. Combining to make 17 of those shots from the foul stripe, senior guards Kyle Smith and Jeff Woods finished with 16 and 19 points, respectively.

“That had to be our best free-throw shooting performance all season,” Benjamin said. “We have just been focusing in practice, shooting many more free throws than we normally have. Especially this week because we knew we were going to get fouled.”

Meanwhile, Lakota West had three players score in double figures including junior Monty Boykins (18 points), sophomore Tyler Williams (14 points) and Barnes (13 points).

Another bright spot for the Firebirds was the play of sophomore Tyler Bowling. The 6-foot-7 center started his first game of the season and scored 8 points before fouling out in 13 minutes of playing time.

“To sum it up, the better team won the game” Lakota West head coach Sean Van Winkle said. “It is as simple as that. The team that played good team defense won the game. Hopefully, we can get to that point before the season is out.”

Fairfield 70, Lakota West 59

Fairfield (12-2, 6-2 in the GMC): Turner 2 3 7, Barlow 0 2 2, Fleming 1 0 2, Smith 5 4 16, Woods 3 13 19, Benjamin 7 6 24. Totals 18 28 70.

Lakota West (8-6, 5-3 in the GMC): Bowling 4 0 8, Martin 1 0 2, Blue 2 0 4, Barnes 5 1 13, Williams 5 2 14, Boykins 6 3 18. Totals 23 6 59.

Halftime score: 32-27 Fairfield. 3-pointers: F 6 (Smith 2, Benjamin 4); LW 7 (Barnes 2, Williams 2, Boykins 3)

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Tags: Tags: Ali Barnes, Brandon Murphy, Brandon Murphy Fairfield, Fairfield basketball, Keon Benjamin, Lakota West, Lakota West basketball, Lakota West sports, Monty Boykins, Monty Boykins Lakota West, Sean Van Winkle, Sean Van Winkle Lakota West, Tim Austing, Tyler Bowling, Tyler Williams, Tyler Williams Lakota West

Junior Monty Boykins scored a season high 24 points and made a pair of key free throws in the final seconds as Lakota West defeated Middletown by the score of 56-53 Friday. The loss was the Middies first against a Greater Miami Conference opponent this season.

After Boykins converted two free throw attempts with 18 seconds remaining, Middletown was able to get off a three-point shot before the buzzer. The attempt resulted in an air ball.

Sophomore point guard Tyler Williams (13 points) and junior Ali Barnes (10 points) also scored in double figures for Lakota West.

Senior Geovonie McKnight (19 points) and Vincent Edwards (16 points, 10 rebounds) led Middletown.

The loss creates a tie for first place in the GMC between Middletown and Mason (12-1 overall, 6-1 in the GMC). Lakota West is one game behind and tied with Fairfield (11-2 overall, 5-2 in the GMC).

The Firebirds are scheduled to host Fairfield at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, while Middletown will visit Lakota East (5-8 overall, 2-5 in the GMC) at the same time Tuesday.

Lakota West 56, Middletown 53

Lakota West (8-5, 5-2 in the GMC) – Blue 2 1 5, Barnes 4 1 10, Williams 3 6 13, Boykins 6 10 24, Bowling 1 0 2, Stalker 0 2 2. Totals 16 20 56.

Middletown (9-4, 6-1 in the GMC) – Edwards 1 0 2, Edwards 6 3 16, Sorrell 4 0 8, Marshall 3 2 8, McKnight 6 5 19. Totals 20 10 53.

Halftime: Middletown 31-28. 3-pointers: LW 4 (Barnes, Williams, Boykins 2); M 3 (Edwards, McKnight 2).

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Tags: Tags: Ali Barnes, Geovonie McKnight, Lakota West, Lakota West basketball, Lakota West sports, Middletown basketball, Monty Boykins, Monty Boykins Lakota West, Tyler Williams, Tyler Williams Lakota West, Vincent Edwards

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)

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