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.
WestChesterBuzz.com also recently added a new video page last week. To view West Chester and Liberty Township related videos, visit westchesterbuzz.com/videos.
The latest proposal for Liberty Center in Butler County’s Liberty Township shaves some retail in favor of increased space for office buildings and luxury apartments. Rendering provided.
Liberty Township retail project has new look – A Columbus developer returned to Butler County Thursday with a slightly revised plan for the $300 million shopping destination spot it wants to build in Liberty Township, Sheila McLaughlin reported for The Cincinnati Enquirer. Yaromir Steiner, founder and chief executive officer of Steiner + Associates, is counting on $35 million from the county and township to make improvements around the 100-acre site, at Liberty Way west of Interstate 75.
West Chester Hospital tax status case watched closely – Butler County and the cash-strapped Lakota Local School District stand to lose a combined $43 million over the next 18 years if West Chester Hospital’s charitable tax status is upheld, Sheila McLaughlin of The Cincinnati Enquirer reported. County commissioners are appealing the case to the Ohio Board of Tax Appeals, saying the county failed to receive a hearing on the matter. School officials are keeping an eye on it.
The Home Builders Association of Greater Cincinnati (HBA) held a groundbreaking ceremony for its Homearama 2013 location, Carriage Hill in Liberty Township, on Nov. 8, 2012. File photo.
Summer’s Homearama being delayed until July – The director of the Home Builders Association of Greater Cincinnati confirmed Thursday that due to unforeseen construction delays, that this summer’s Homearama at Carriage Hill in Liberty Township is being pushed back to July. It will be the latest summer Homearama, which will now take place July 13-28, in the 50-year history of the home showcase, according HBA executive director Dan Dressman. The event was previously scheduled to take place June 8-23.
Bridgewater Falls is back on the block – Fairfield Township’s upscale shopping center, Bridgewater Falls, is for sale. And this time it’s for a positive reason, Cindi Andrews reported for The Cincinnati Enquirer. Blue Ash-based Phillips Edison bought Bridgewater Falls out of foreclosure in 2010. It boosted occupancy to 97 percent and is now testing the possibility of cashing in on its investment.
Due to fire code, West Chester residents were forced to watch a zoning commission meeting March 18 in the lobby of Township Hall. More than 100 residents attended the meeting, many of them were against a proposed shopping center being built near homes.
Kroger Marketplace discussion to be revisited – Last month, a Blue Ash developer scrapped plans to bring a Kroger Marketplace to West Chester after local residents convinced the township’s zoning commission that it wasn’t good idea. The developer, Silverman and Company, is considering a new plan, but wanted to hear from their opposition first by hosting a public input meeting at the Wingate Inn Thursday. During that meeting, many residents continued to voice their concerns.
Larry Sykes named Lakota East girls’ basketball coach – Larry Sykes was named the Lakota East girls’ basketball coach Tuesday. Sykes, an assistant at Lakota East the past two seasons, was formerly the Purcell Marian head coach during the 2010-11 season. Sykes, 40, replaces Nikki Drew, who stepped down at the end of this past season in order to spend more time with her family.
Larry Sykes was named the Lakota East girls’ basketball coach Tuesday.
Nikki Drew is only coach to ever lead a Lakota East girls’ basketball team to a winning season. She stepped down after the season so she could spend more time with her family. File photo.
Sykes, an assistant at Lakota East the past two seasons, was formerly the Purcell Marian head coach during the 2010-11 season.
Sykes, 40, replaces Nikki Drew, who stepped down at the end of this past season in order to spend more time with her family.
Sykes, a former Xavier University player from 1991-95, said he is looking forward to having fun as he takes over the program he’s very familiar with.
“Continue the tradition that has been set,” Sykes said. “Helping the players improve on all aspects with their game on and off the court.”
Lakota East returns all 12 players from last season. There is one incoming senior. “They know me and I know them,” said Sykes.
Sykes, who lives in Kennedy Heights, went through two rounds of interviews for the position. He said he was confident during the process. He is looking forward to scheduling staff meetings and figuring out which two college camps the team will attned this summer.
Did you see this? Alpacas invade West Chester last week
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.
WestChesterBuzz.com also recently added a new video page. To view West Chester and Liberty Township related videos, visit westchesterbuzz.com/videos.
Lakota East head coach Nikki Drew gives instructions to her team during their girls basketball game against Lakota West Jan. 9, 2013. Photo taken by Tony Tribble.
Nikki Drew steps down from coaching job at Lakota East – The only coach to ever lead a Lakota East girls’ basketball team to a winning season is stepping down, so she can spend more time with her 8-year-old daughter. Drew posted a 55-40 overall record at Lakota East. In other words, Drew led East to more wins in 4 seasons than East had been able to win its previous 12.
Cincinnati Tea Party elects Ann Becker as president – The Board of Directors of the Cincinnati Tea Party announced last Thursday that it has elected Ann Becker, who is currently the president of the West Chester Tea Party, as its new president. Becker, 36, of West Chester, succeeds George Brunemann, who has served as the Cincinnati Tea Party’s since 2011. Becker said that she will also remain president of the West Chester branch.
Suspect has recently spent 12K from stolen credit cards – Police are looking for a man, who is accused of stealing credit cards from two different Greater Cincinnati LA Fitness locations this month and then using them to buy gifts worth thousands of dollars. In both incidents, the victims had used combination padlocks on their gym lockers. Each time, the suspect was able to open the lock, go through the locker and re-lock it before being seen.
Lakota West junior running back Mikel Horton has received four Division I offers to play college football last week. The latest coming from Miami (Ohio) on March 1. Photo taken by Joseph Fuqua II.
Lakota West RB Mikel Horton has big week – Miami (Ohio) was the fourth Division I football program to offer Lakota West junior running back Mikel Horton last week. Louisville, Cincinnati and Purdue offered on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, respectively. In addition, Horton has received interest from Penn State, Michigan State and Arkansas, as well as offers from Indiana, Minnesota, Kent State, Toledo, Bowling Green, Western Michigan and Kentucky.
O’Gara pays $10M for BAE armored vehicle division – The O’Gara Group Inc., a maker of armored vehicles and other security products, completed its purchase of BAE Systems’ Fairfield-based commercial armored vehicles division last Monday, the company announced. Fewer than 20 BAE employees were laid off prior to the $10 million sale, O’Gara Group CEO Bill O’Gara said; the remaining 110 employees will remain.
Liberty Township development takes on new look – A new plan for the Carriage Hill development will provide residents of all ages everything from an ice cream shop to hiking trails. The 400-acre project is located on the east side of Ohio 747, between Millikin and Princeton roads. It is also the site for this year’s Homearama custom home show, put on by the Homebuilder’s Association of Greater Cincinnati.
Lakota East and Lakota West fall in sectional finals – Lakota East came up just short, 57-56, against Withrow, while Walnut Hills defeated Lakota West, 60-46, in the sectional finals Friday night at the University of Cincinnati. Both losses ended the boys’ basketball seasons for each program.
Boehner tells Senate to get off their … – After making a famous comment about the Senate’s inactivity (watch video below) before the sequester took affect last week, House Speaker John Boehner didn’t resort to any foul language last Thursday when talking about his political opponents in the U.S. Senate. The West Chester Republican mostly avoided responding directly to reporters’ questions about the imminent across-the-board spending cuts.
The only coach to ever lead a Lakota East girls’ basketball team to a winning season is stepping down, so she can spend more time with her 8-year-old daughter.
Lakota East head coach Nikki Drew gives instructions to her team during their girls basketball game against Lakota West Jan. 9, 2013. Photo taken by Tony Tribble.
Drew, who played basketball at Xavier and professionally overseas, took over the Lakota East girls’ basketball program before the 2009-2010 season after serving as the head coach at Colerain for 6 seasons. At Colerain, Drew helped the program win its first-ever district title in 2005.
In her first season at East, the Thunderhawks finished 13-11 and 6-8 in the Greater Miami Conference. Prior to her arrival, the East program had never won more than 8 games in a season and was a combined 54-202 over the course of 12 seasons.
In her second season at the helm, Drew led East to a 19-6 overall record and a 10-4 mark within the GMC, which was good enough to be part of a 3-way tie for second place, in 2010-2011.
In 2011-2012, East was 13-8, 9-5 in the GMC and this past season the team finished 10-15, 7-7 in the GMC.
“This has been one of the hardest decisions I have had to make,” Drew said. “It is simply a sacrifice for my family at this time.
“Basketball has afforded me so many opportunities for which I am forever grateful. I will miss my girls and the relationships I have made over the years more than any statistical win. It has been a pleasure to coach at Lakota East and I will continue to teach Butler Tech’s Sports Medicine program here at Lakota East. I would like to thank all the Lakota East and Colerain families for the support over the years. They are and have been a blessing in my life.”
In her career at East, Drew posted a 55-40 overall record. In other words, Drew led East to more wins in 4 seasons than East had been able to win its previous 12.
“Nikki Drew is exceptional in every area of coaching – however she is an even better person,” Lakota athletic director Richard Bryant said. “The decision that she has made is selfless and speaks volumes about her character.”
Bryant alerted the media Thursday of the job opening of head girls’ basketball coach at Lakota East. He did not comment if East’s assistant coaches have applied for the position. Former Xavier standout Larry Sykes, who also had a brief stint in the NBA, served as the varsity assistant the past two seasons. He was briefly the girls’ basketball head coach at Purcell Marian.
All interested individuals should provide the application, letter of interest and resume electronically to athletic director Richard Bryant at Richard.Bryant@lakotaonline.com. The deadline to apply is March 22. The hiring process is expected to be completed by April 5.
After eight seniors graduated in 2012, the Lakota East girls’ basketball team opened the 2012-2013 season Saturday with a new young core of student athletes.
Lakota East sophomore Cydney Franklin is one of the few returning student athletes on the girls’ basketball roster this season. In 2011-2012, Franklin averaged 5.3 points per game as a freshman. File photo.
In the season opener, the Thunderhawks took McAuley – the No. 3 ranked team in The Cincinnati Enquirer coaches’ preseason poll – to the closing seconds before falling 52-50.
Leading Lakota East – No. 8 in The Enquirer poll – in scoring was freshman guard Sam Rogers, who finished with 14 points. Sophomores Kandace Satterwhite (7 points), Leah Goodwin (8 points) and Cydney Franklin (6 points) also helped keep the Thunderhawks in the game.
Heading into the opener, Lakota East head coach Nikki Drew said she was frequently asked by the local media about the rebuilding process for her team since 2012 graduates like Molly Blomer (Nova Southeastern), Whitney Wyckoff (Yale) , Bernice Satterwhite (Carl Albert State), Alyssa Grevenkamp (Findlay), Tazzie Shaw (originally committed to Marshall) and Aleth Pashi (Otterbein) were all recruited to play college basketball.
“They were a special group,” Drew said. “They were with me for three and four years.
“Some will call it a rebuilding year, but honestly what has been making it easier is the group that I have now. They very much resemble, from a mind set and work ethic rate, my last group when they were sophomores.”
While the 2012 graduating class excelled offensively, Drew sees her young group as more of a defensive team.
“They are talented, so the promise is definitely there,” Drew said. “My group, who just graduated played a different style. They were more offensive oriented and my group now can get out and play defense. They are fast and super athletic. So looking at them on paper they look very different, but from the intangible standpoint they are very similar.”
The Thunderhawks will try to get into the win column when they host Carroll in their home opener Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. On Saturday, Lakota East will have to face Mason – No. 2 in The Enquirer poll – on the road at 2 p.m.
After reaching the elite eight at the state tournament last season, Lakota East’s eight-member senior class had high expectations for the 2011-2012 season. However, due to injuries and an early postseason exit, those expectations were not fulfilled.
This past Saturday, Lakota East was upset by Hamilton by the score of 51-39. In the regular season, the Thunderhawks defeated Hamilton twice by a combined 41 points. In the postseason loss, a short-handed Lakota East team was outscored 32-15 in the second half.
Due to injuries, the Thunderhawks have been short handed all season. Senior Whitney Wyckoff (Yale University signee), who led Lakota East in scoring in each of the last three seasons was lost for the year with a knee injury just four games in. In addition to Wyckoff, senior forward Tazzie Shaw (Marshall University signee) missed most of the year after suffering a concussion in the team’s second game of the season.
Overall, the Thunderhawks finished the 2011-2012 season with a 13-8 record and a 9-5 mark within the Greater Miami Conference.
Despite the solid record, the squad’s greatest accomplishment may have come over the last three winters when the basketball program produced a total of 45 wins. In the prior 12 seasons, Lakota East won only 54 games.
Four players of this year’s eight-member senior class remember when their team was pleased to finish 5-17 in 2009 during their freshman year.
“Before we came here and entering the ninth grade, it seemed like they (the players) were ok with losing,” senior Aleth Pashi said at the start of the season. “There are four of us now on varsity since our freshman year and it is not acceptable anymore. Anything less than success is unacceptable.”
Pashi and her fellow seniors Molly Blomer (Nova Southeastern University commit), Alyssa Grevenkamp (University of Findlay signee) and Wyckoff all started as freshman that season, one year after Lakota East finished 1-20.
“It was kind of like, ‘we know we aren’t going to win so why try?’ Now, it is like, ‘we better win and if we don’t than it is a disaster,’” said Wyckoff at the start of the year.
During Senior Day, earlier this month, the group of seniors who helped change the program were recognized for their contributions and sacrifices.
“It’s been an amazing run the past several years with our seniors,” Lakota East head coach Nikki Drew said. “They have set an example of what hard work and togetherness can accomplish. I am just lucky to have been along for the ride.”
In addition to the four-year letter winners (Blomer, Pashi, Wyckoff, Grevenkamp), Shaw, Bernice Satterwhite, Aaliyah Thomas and Melanie Browne had their high school careers end Saturday.
All four Lakota varsity basketball teams were in action Saturday. See below for scores and recaps of each game.
Nick Chaney reported for the Cincinnati Enquirer:
Princeton rallied from a six-point halftime deficit to knock off Lakota East on the road Saturday night, 70-63. The Lady Vikings – ranked first in The Cincinnati Enquirer Division I area coaches’ poll - got a big night from their back court as sophomore guard Kelsey Mitchell scored 29 points and her senior teammate Breanna Rucker added 24 points and nine rebounds.
The teams combined for 17 3-pointers in the game, but both coaches said the difference was turnovers.
“The press got to us in the second half,” Lakota East coach Nikki Drew said. “Any time you play Princeton, you’re going to learn to get stronger and tougher with the ball.”
Drew got a big night from senior forward Molly Blomer, who scored 23 points and added eight boards in what her coach called one of the better high school games she’d seen.
“[Molly’s] energy was the difference for us,” coach Drew said.
Princeton coach Jill Phillips made the halftime adjustment to pick up the pressure, and it paid off for the Lady Vikings – they forced 18 Lakota East turnovers in the victory. Phillips also liked what she saw on the offensive end out of the locker room.
“We were a lot more patient against the zone and got some good looks in the third quarter,” she said. “We brought them out of the zone and played more our style in the fourth quarter.”
Phillips said her team tried to force things a little too much and didn’t use enough clock down the stretch, but they found a way to get the win.
“We only play (Lakota East) once this year,” Phillips said. “I think it’s a huge win for us, especially on the road.”
Princeton will be back in action on Friday at home against Ursuline. No. 3 Lakota East will have a week off before taking on Colerain on the road on Saturday.
Princeton 70, Lakota East 63
Princeton
18
16
17
19
70
Lakota East
20
20
12
11
63
Princeton (10-0, 7-0 in the GMC) – Roper 2 0 5, Ballew 3 0 7, Mitchell 9 7 29, Rucker 9 3 3 24, Mitchell 2 0 4, Pogue 0 1 1. Totals 25 11 70.
Lakota East (7-3, 5-2 in the GMC) – B. Satterwhite 2 4 10, Grevenkamp 4 2 11, Franklin 0 2 2, Shaw 3 4 11, Blomer 9 1 23, K. Satterwhite 2 0 4, Pashi 1 0 2. Totals 21 13 63.
In a series once dominated by Lakota West, the Thunderhawks cruised to a 61-54 victory against their school district rival at Lakota East High School Wednesday.
The win gives Lakota East – No. 2 in the Cincinnati Enquirer Division I coaches’ poll – their third straight against the Firebirds. The win also marks the 100th victory for Lakota East head coach Nikki Drew.
Prior to the three-game winning streak, Lakota West – No. 4 in the Enquirer poll – had taken down the Thunderhawks in 18 straight contests.
This time, Lakota East earned the win despite playing without two key seniors, Whitney Wyckoff (Yale commit) and Tazzie Shaw (Marshall commit), who will both continue their basketball careers at the collegiate level.
“I told my players and staff that true character shows when you are put through obstacles and we talked about responding the right way, controlling what we can and the girls did that,” Drew said.
Wyckoff, who has led Lakota East in scoring for the past three seasons, was ruled out for the season by Drew after the senior suffered a knee injury in the 50-21 win against Oak Hills Saturday.
In place of the 5-foot-10 Wyckoff, freshman Cydney Franklin made her first varsity start. The 5-foot-4 Franklin finished with a career high 10 points. She also had four rebounds and two assists. (more…)
Led by a strong junior class, the Thunderhawks ended up making their longest postseason run in school history by reaching the elite eight at the state tournament last season.
“The fact that we did get to the elite eight game, they know what it feels like and they know what it took to get there. It gives them that hunger to want to get back there,” Lakota East head coach Nikki Drew said. “Our goal was to get to the final four. To come one game short of that, everybody is still very disappointed.”
In the past, members of the Lakota East girls’ basketball program wouldn’t have been so easily disappointed. Four players of this year’s eight-member senior class remember when their team was pleased to finish 5-17 in 2009 during their freshman year.
“Before we came here and entering the ninth grade, it seemed like they (the players) were ok with losing,” senior Aleth Pashi said. “There are four of us now on varsity since our freshman year and it is not acceptable anymore. Anything less than success is unacceptable.”
Pashi and her fellow seniors Molly Blomer, Alyssa Grevenkamp and Whitney Wyckoff all started as freshman that season, one year after Lakota East finished 1-20.
“It was kind of like, ‘we know we aren’t going to win so why try?’ Now, it is like, ‘we better win and if we don’t than it is a disaster,’” Wyckoff said.
The Thunderhawks were able to avoid disaster the majority of the time last season, finishing with a 19-6 overall record and 10-4 mark within the Greater Miami Conference. (more…)
