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Lakota West battled injuries and couldn’t finish off its comeback attempt against Princeton, falling by the score of 56-50 Friday.

The Firebirds had trailed Princeton 49-48 with 55 seconds to play. The Vikings, however, converted 5-of-6 free throws in the last minute to hold on to the win.

Senior De’Arius Young (6-foot-7, 280 pounds) led Princeton with 15 points and 7 rebounds.

Meanwhile, Lakota West senior Jackson Blue set a Lakota school district single game record with 8 blocks. According to WestFirebirds.com, the previous record was 7 set by Josh Chichester during the 2003-04 season.

The Firebirds also received strong performances by junior Monty Boykins (13 points, 11 rebounds), junior Ali Barnes (13 points) and sophomore Tyler Williams (11 points, 6 rebounds).

Due to injury, Lakota West took the court without senior forward Kayaune Ross. Furthermore, Barnes was injured during the game.

Next up for the Firebirds is a matchup against Dixie Heights (10-5 overall) in the Bluegrass-Buckeye Classic at the Bank of Kentucky Center (Northern Kentucky University) at 7:45 p.m. Saturday. Princeton, on the other hand, is not scheduled to play another game until next Friday when it will host Hamilton (3-8 overall, 1-5 in the GMC) at 7:30 p.m.

Princeton 56, Lakota West 50

Lakota West (7-4, 4-2 in the GMC) – Blue 1 2 5, Barnes 5 2 13, Stalker 1 0 2, Williams 3 4 11, Boykins 5 2 13, Thomas 0 2 2, Moo Young 1 0 2, Bengal 1 0 2.

Princeton (8-3, 3-3 in the GMC) – Jordan 2 5 9, Tivis 2 0 4, Isham 4 0 8, McAvinchey 2 1 5, Young 5 5 15, Pritchett 1 0 2, McGill 3 0 7, Watkins 1 0 2, Lowmeyer 1 2 4.

Halftime: Princeton 28-24. 3-pointers: L 4 (Barnes, Boykins, Blue, Williams); P 1 (McGill).

Posted in: Sports, Winter Sports |

Tags: Tags: Ali Barnes, De’Arius Young, Josh Chichester, Josh Chichester Louisville, Kayaune Ross, Lakota West, Lakota West basketball, Lakota West sports, Monty Boykins, Monty Boykins Lakota West, Princeton basketball, Tyler Williams, Tyler Williams Lakota West

Recently hired Ohio State football head coach Urban Meyer and former OSU head coach and now defensive coordinator Luke Fickell were on hand to watch a Lakota West basketball game Friday night.

Meyer and Fickell were in West Chester to see junior Kyle Meadows, who is a 6-foot-6 295-pound offensive tackle during the football season, play in a junior varsity basketball game. According Lakota West football head coach Larry Cox, Meadows has also received interest from Cincinnati, Bowling Green, Michigan, Louisville, Miami (Ohio), Alabama and Georgia.

Meanwhile, the Lakota West varsity basketball team fell to Greater Miami Conference rival Mason by the score of 70-60. It was the Firebirds first loss to a conference opponent this season.

Mason, on the other hand, improved its overall record to 9-1 and its record within the GMC to 4-1. 6-foot-5 seniors Michael Van Kleunen (26 points) and Darin Harris (22 points) combined to score 48 points to lead the Comets.

Sophomore point guard Tyler Williams (17 points) and junior small forward Monty Boykins (14 points) led Lakota West by combining to score 31 points in the loss. Like Meadows, Williams and Boykins have both received interest from multiple Division I schools. Boykins currently has offers to play basketball at Miami (Ohio), Toledo, James Madison, Eastern Michigan and Kennesaw State.

Lakota West is now 6-3 overall and 4-1 in the GMC this season. The Firebirds will be back in action Saturday when it visits Elder (1-7 overall, 0-3 in the Greater Catholic League). Mason will host La Salle (8-0 overall, 3-0 in the GCL) in its next scheduled game at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday.

Mason 70, Lakota West 60

Mason (9-1, 4-1 in the GMC) – Sprague 3 2 9, Reale 0 4 4, Harris 7 6 22, Van Kleunen 11 4 26, McVey 2 2 6, Matula 1 0 3. Totals 24 18 70.

Lakota West (6-3, 4-1 in the GMC) – Ross 3 0 8, Blue 2 0 5, Barnes 3 6 12, Williams 5 6 17, Boykins 5 2 14, Bowling 2 0 4. Totals 20 14 60.

Halftime: Lakota West 37-31. 3-pointers: Mason 4 (Sprague, Harris 2, Matula); LW 6 (Ross 2, Blue, Williams, Boykins 2).

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

Posted in: Fall sports, Sports, Winter Sports |

Tags: Tags: Alabama football, Bowling Green football, Cincinnati football, Darin Harris, Georgia football, Kyle Meadows, Kyle Meadows football recruiting, Kyle Meadows Lakota West, Lakota West, Lakota West basketball, Lakota West football, Larry Cox, Louisville football, Miami football, Michael Van Kleunen, Michigan football, Monty Boykins, Monty Boykins Lakota West, Ohio football recruiting, Ohio High School sports recruiting, Ohio preps recruiting, Ohio sports recruiting, Ohio State football, Tyler Williams, Tyler Williams Lakota West

The athletic departments at Lakota East and Lakota West high schools recently named their athletes of the week for the first time in the 2012. Junior Monty Boykins and senior Shabazz Reeves received the honor at Lakota West, while sophomore Shelby Hutton and junior Tyler Phillips were honored at Lakota East.

During the holiday break, Lakota West also honored sophomore point guard Tyler Williams, junior swimmer Savannah Rice, senior forward Kayaune Ross and sophomore swimmer Casey Frazier as athletes of the week.

Boykins scored a total of 58 points in the Republic Bank Holiday Classic in Lexington, Ky., last week. He led the Firebirds with 16 points in the team’s opening round win against Simon Kenton. On Tuesday, Boykins scored 15 points in Lakota West’s 60-46 win against Hamilton. The junior small forward has scored in double figures in each game (all 8 games) this season.

During Lakota West’s Holiday Hoops Fest, Reeves led all of her Firebird teammates with 21 points. On Wednesday, Reeves scored 10 points, had 2 assists and 3 steals off the bench in a 68-60 loss to Greater Miami Conference power Princeton. Reeves is also the leading scorer for Lakota West at 8.9 points per game. She has also already signed on to play at Morgan State University.

Hutton finished in first place in the 100-yard butterfly and 100-yard breaststroke during a swim meet that included Middletown and Lakota West Dec. 27. She was also on the 200-yard freestyle relay and 400-yard freestyle relay teams that finished in first place at the same event.

On the boys’ swimming side, during the same meet Dec. 27, Phillips finished first in the 100-yard backstroke and second in the 200-yard individual medley. He was also on the 200-yard freestyle relay and 400-yard freestyle relay teams that finished in first place.

Posted in: Sports, Winter Sports |

Tags: Tags: athletes of the week, Casey Frazier, Greater Miami Conference, Kayaune Ross, Lakota athletes of the week, Lakota East, Lakota East athletics, Lakota East Sports, Lakota West, Lakota West athletics, Lakota West basketball, Lakota West sports, Lakota West swimming, Monty Boykins, Monty Boykins Lakota West, Savannah Rice, Shabazz Reeves, Tyler Williams, Tyler Williams Lakota West

Lakota West, which lost two of its three games at the Republic Bank Holiday Classic in Lexington (Ky.) last week, remained perfect against Greater Miami Conference opponents after defeating Hamilton on the road by the score of 60-46 Tuesday.

The win sets up a big game for the Firebirds (6-2 overall, 4-0 in the GMC) at 7:30 p.m. Friday, when they will host Mason (8-1 overall, 3-1 in the GMC).

In Tuesday’s win against Hamilton, juniors Ali Barnes and Monty Boykins each scored 15 points for the Firebirds. Senior forward Kayaune Ross and sophomore point guard Tyler Williams each added 8 points in the win.

Hamilton 6-foot-8 senior Torrell Sutton led all players with 18 points and 12 rebounds in the loss.

After the upcoming Mason game, Lakota West will play at Elder (1-6 overall, 0-2 in the Greater Catholic League) at 7:30 p.m. Saturday.

Lakota West 60, Hamilton 46

Lakota West (6-2, 4-0 in the GMC) – Ross 4 0 8, Blue 3 3 9, Barnes 6 1 15, Stalker 1 0 2, Williams 3 2 8, Boykins 6 2 15, Grove 1 0 3. Totals 24 8 60.

Hamilton (2-6, 0-4 in the GMC) – Boyd 2 1 5, Bailey 3 0 7, Jones 2 1 6, Sims 3 0 7, Oliver 1 1 3, Sutton 8 2 18. Totals 19 5 46.

Halftime: Lakota West 26-22. 3-pointers: L 4 (Barnes 2, Boykins, Grove); H 3 (Bailey, Sims, Jones).

Posted in: Sports, Winter Sports |

Tags: Tags: Ali Barnes, Kayaune Ross, Lakota West, Lakota West athletics, Lakota West basketball, Lakota West High School, Lakota West sports, Monty Boykins, Monty Boykins Lakota West, Torrell Sutton, Tyler Williams

Lakota West, ranked No. 10 in The Enquirer Division I coaches’ poll, rebounded from its first loss of the season by outscoring Pulaski County 14-5 in overtime to earn a 79-70 victory at the Republic Bank Holiday Classic in Lexington.

The Firebirds, which lost by 13 points to Louisville Trinity on Wednesday night, were paced by a season-high 23 points from junior guard Ali Barnes.

Pulaski County, which led 35-34 at halftime, missed a potential game-winning jumper with seconds remaining in regulation to force the game into overtime. Pulaski County connected on 13 3-point field goals, including six from leading scorer Taylor Gover, who finished with 23 points.

Lakota West will play Louisville Moore today at 3:30 p.m. in the fifth-place game.

Lakota West 79, Pulaski County 70 (OT)

Lakota West (5-1, 3-0 in GMC) – Williams 5 2 14, Boykins 4 7 15, Grove 1 0 2, Barnes 8 2 23, Ross 5 0 10, Blue 2 2 6, Stalker 2 3 7, Hicks 1 0 2. Totals: 28 16 79.

Pulaski Co. (7-7) – Johnson 3 0 7, Goins 2 0 5, Gover 6 5 23, Smith 5 1 15, Burton 1 0 2, Laign 3 7 13, Ross 1 2 5. Totals: 21 15 70.

Halftime: Pulaski Co. 35-34. 3-pointers: L 7 (Barnes 5, Williams 2); P 13 (Gover 6, Smith 4, Johnson, Goins, Ross).

Posted in: Sports, Winter Sports |

Tags: Tags: Ali Barnes, Lakota West, Lakota West athletics, Lakota West basketball, Lakota West High School, Lakota West sports, Monty Boykins, Monty Boykins Lakota West

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

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

The Lakota West boys’ basketball team won its second straight game against a Greater Miami Conference opponent when it defeated Sycamore by the score of 59-53 Friday.

Junior Monty Boykins, who finished with a team high 15 points, led the Firebirds. Teammates senior Kayaune Ross (14 points, 15 rebounds) and junior Ali Barnes (14 points, 3 assistss) combined to score 28 points.

Meanwhile, 6-foot-6 260-pound A.J. Williams, who is committed to play football at Michigan, finished with 17 points and 9 rebounds for Sycamore in the loss.

Next up for the Firebirds (2-0 overall, 2-0 in the GMC) is a road contest at rival Lakota East (1-2 overall, 0-2 in the GMC). Sycamore (1-3 overall, 0-2 in the GMC) will also play Tuesday, visiting Colerain (2-2 overall, 0-2 in the GMC) at 7:30 p.m.

Box score – Lakota West 59, Sycamore 53

Sycamore (1-3, 0-2 GMC) – Gruden 2 4 8, Hill 1 2 5, Farquhar 1 0 2, Brown 3 4 10, Morgan 4 3 11, Williams 8 1 17. Totals: 19 14 53.
Lakota West (2-0, 2-0 GMC) – Ross 4 4 14, Blue 2 0 4, Barnes 6 1 14, Stalker 1 0 2, Williams 1 3 6, Moo Young 0 2 2, Boykins 5 4 15, Grove 1 0 2. Totals: 20 14 59.

Halftime score: Lakota West 26-22. 3-pointers: S 1 (Hill); LW 5 (Ross 2, Barnes, Williams, Boykins).

Posted in: Sports, Winter Sports |

Tags: Tags: A.J. Williams, Ali Barnes, Kayaune Ross, Lakota West, Lakota West football, Lakota West sports, Monty Boykins, Monty Boykins Lakota West, Sycamore basketball

Oak Hills erased a 19-point second half deficit, but came up short at the buzzer losing 56-47 to Lakota West Tuesday.

After leading Lakota West in scoring down the stretch last season, junior guard Ali Barnes waited until the final minutes of the season opener to get in the scoring column.

With the score tied 42-42 with three minutes to play, Barnes drilled a three pointer. He would later score on a lay up and make two free throws, as the Firebirds ended the game on a 14-5 run.

“When I took the three in the corner it was a little nerve racking. It was my first jumper of the season and it was when the game was tied, they were coming back and the crowd was out of it,” Barnes said.

“It felt good. It was a big shot to make and I just knocked it down.”

It appeared that Firebirds wouldn’t need any late-game heroics after jumping out to 33-14 lead in the third quarter.

Lakota West started to accumulate its big lead when 6-foot-4 senior Kayaune Ross scored 12 first-half points off the bench.

Ross, who entered the game without scoring more than two points in a varsity game, also finished with four rebounds.

Feeding off the energy in the first half, Lakota West began the second half on a 7-0 run.

Battling back, the Highlanders cut the Firebirds’ lead to 38-31 after three-point field goals from seniors Ben Laumann and Jack Pflum late in the third quarter. (more…)

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Tags: Tags: Ali Barnes, Ben Laumann, Jack Pflum, Kayaune Ross, Lakota West, Lakota West basketball, Lakota West sports, Lakota West sports photos, Mike Price, Monty Boykins, Oak Hills basketball, Ross, Sean Van Winkle, Sean Van Winkle Lakota West, Tyler Walter, West Chester photos

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