WestChesterBuzz.com

Kevin Goheen reports:

Lakota West completed an impressive weekend of work by beating Withrow 69-56 Monday night in the championship game of the inaugural LaRosa’s Royal 8 Hardwood Classic at Fairfield.

The Firebirds, unranked in last week’s Enquirer Division I coaches’ poll, got 49 points from the guard trio of Ali Barnes, Tyler Williams and Malik Grove to hand the No. 4 Tigers just their second loss in 14 games this season.

Lakota West beat No. 3 St. Xavier 55-50 in Sunday’s semifinals. The Firebirds have now won six straight games to improve to 10-4 on the season.

The three guards took turns as leading scorers in the three-game tournament; Williams had 22 against Anderson on Saturday, Barnes had 18 against St. Xavier and Grove had 21 points on 8-of-17 shooting against Withrow.

Barnes was named the Player of the Game Monday as he had 17 points, eight rebounds and four assists. Williams added 11 points and seven assists.

“When we’re rolling like that we’re the best team in the city,” said Barnes. “When us three guards are playing like that and we’re together everyone is knocking down shots. When we’re knocking down shots it opens up the inside game for people like Tyler Bowling and Justin (Martin) and Zach Moo Young.”

Bowling, a 6-foot-8 junior center, scored 13 points and grabbed 14 rebounds as the Firebirds won the battle of the boards 43-35. Withrow had 21 offensive rebounds with 18 second-chance points against Fairfield in the semifinals but had just six second-chance points on 12 offensive rebounds Monday.

“We knew they were going to come out and be overly-aggressive and attack the boards after every missed shot so we had everybody crashing the boards,” said Bowling, who had his fifth double-figuring rebounding game of the season. “We knew that’s what we needed to do to win.”

Monday was the fourth game in four days for Withrow. The Tigers beat Woodward in a Cincinnati Metro Athletic Conference game Friday night before beating Turpin and No. 7 Fairfield to reach the final.

The teams were tied, 12-12, at the end of the first quarter but Lakota West outscored Withrow 17-9 over the final 5:28 of the second quarter to take control. Grove had 10 points during that run, including two 3-pointers and a spinning baseline jumper two seconds before halftime to give the Firebirds a 35-25 lead.

Withrow never got closer than six points in the second half.

“No excuses but we were dog tired,” said Withrow coach Ty Gibert. “West played lights out tonight and they’re playing great ball. I’m not taking anything away from them. They beat us but we were dog tired. We ran into a buzz saw tonight.”

Senior guard Corey Wise scored 24 points to lead the Tigers, while senior guard Timothy Coleman added 14.

Withrow shot just 38.7 percent (24 of 62) from the field overall and made just four of its 22 attempts from 3-point range. The Tigers went to the free throw line just six times, making four of their attempts.

Lakota West held St. Xavier to 21-of-61 (34.4 percent) shooting in the semifinals, utilizing an aggressive zone in both games.

“We were really trying to protect and cover up Coleman as much as we could,” said Lakota West coach Sean Van Winkle. “He got some shots off but they weren’t on the 3-point line, they were about 25-feet out. The guys did a great job with the scouting report the last two games with that in mind.”

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Tags: Tags: Ali Barnes, Ali Barnes Lakota West, Lakota West, Lakota West basketball, Lakota West sports, Malik Grove, Malik Grove Lakota West, Sean Van Winkle, Sean Van Winkle Lakota West, Tyler Williams, Tyler Williams Lakota West

Kevin Goheen reports:

Withrow and Lakota West won semifinal games Sunday night to reach the championship game of the inaugural LaRosa’s Royal 8 Hardwood Classic at Fairfield. Both teams can thank their plethora of guards for getting them there.

Lakota West outscored St. Xavier 9-4 over the final 2:05 to knock off the No. 3-ranked team in the Enquirer’s Division I coaches’ poll 55-50 in the first semifinal. The unranked Firebirds improved to 9-4 with their fifth consecutive win as guards Ali Barnes, Malik Grove and Tyler Williams all scored in double figures.

Fourth-ranked Withrow harassed No. 7 and host team Fairfield into 16 turnovers, holding the Indians to 17 points in the second half, en route to a 52-41 victory in the second semifinal. The Tigers improved to 12-1 on the season behind 17 points and eight rebounds – six on the offensive glass – by senior guard Corey Wise.

Tip-off for Monday’s championship game is scheduled for 8 p.m. St. Xavier (10-3) and Fairfield (9-5) will play for third place at 6 p.m.

Fairfield had a 10-0 run in the first quarter to take a 14-6 lead and led 16-10 with 1:39 remaining in the quarter but Withrow’s defense allowed just 25 points the final 25-plus minutes of the game.

“I don’t always know about these guys but I know they’re always going to play hard and they don’t want to lose,” said Withrow coach Ty Gilbert. “Nothing fazes them. We were down 16-10 and they’re telling me in the huddle ‘Calm down, coach. We’re good.’ They calmed me down.”

The Tigers out-rebounded Fairfield 30-24, including grabbing 21 offensive rebounds. They outscored Fairfield 18-8 in second-chance points.

“They kept us at bay by the glass,” said Fairfield coach Tim Austing. “Every time we got a big stop and could make a run they’d get a stick-back. So much of what we do is transition but if you’re not getting rebounds you can’t run the (fast) break.”

Wise made all seven of his free throws before fouling out going for a steal with 3:09 remaining in the game. He had just one rebound in Saturday’s first-round win against Turpin.

“I let him know that,” said Gilbert. “He always plays good defense but today he rebounded the basketball.”

Timothy Coleman added 11 points for Withrow, while forward Darius Cannon had 10 points and six rebounds.

Fairfield was led by guard Herman Brunis’ 17 points and guard T.C. Wells’ 11 points and seven rebounds.

Lakota West didn’t trail against St. Xavier until the fourth quarter. Barnes, a senior, scored 18 points, including hitting 9 of 10 free throws, and added six assists against just one turnover for Lakota West.

The Firebirds shot 52.9 percent from the field, making 18 of 34 shots. Conversely, St. Xavier struggled from the field. The Bombers were just 21 of 61 shooting overall, including making just six of their 26 3-point attempts.

Senior guard Ben Carroll led St. Xavier with 14 points but he had just two points in the second half.

“We just didn’t hit enough shots,” said St. Xavier coach Scott Martin. “We only had three turnovers, so we took care of it and got a lot of good shots but the last couple of games we’ve lost our shooting touch.”

The Firebirds have dealt with injuries to some of their top players this season, including losing guard Monty Boykins to an ACL injury, but have begun to find their groove.

“It helps to have the depth we have and we’re definitely figuring out who can play late in the game, early in the game,” said Barnes.

Grove had 13 points, while Williams scored 12 points, including three 3-pointers.

Lakota West out-rebounded St. Xavier 30-29 despite being at a height and weight disadvantage inside. Junior center Tyler Bowling grabbed eight rebounds, including seven on the defensive end where Lakota West held a 26-15 advantage.

Lakota West 55, St. Xavier 50

Lakota West (9-4)- Barnes 4 9 18, Bowling 2 0 4, Williams 3 3 12, Peterkin 2 0 4, Grove 5 1 13, Martin 2 0 4. Totals: 18 13 55.

St. Xavier (10-3)- Carroll 6 0 14, King 1 0 3, Mills 1 0 2, Blink 2 0 5, Gellenbeck 1 0 2, Barrett 5 2 13, Hadden 5 0 11. Totals: 21 2 50.

Halftime: Lakota West 31-26. 3-pointers: LW 6 (Williams 3, Grove 2, Barnes); SX 6 (Carroll 2, King, Blink, Barrett, Hadden).

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Tags: Tags: Lakota West, Lakota West basketball, Lakota West sports, Malik Grove, Malik Grove Lakota West, Tyler Williams, Tyler Williams Lakota West

Kevin Goheen reports:

Junior guard Tyler Williams scored 22 points, including a go-ahead 3-pointer with 2:16 left in regulation, as Lakota West outlasted Anderson 73-65 Saturday afternoon in the opening round of the LaRosa’s Royal 8 Hardwood Classic.

Junior Malik Grove added 19 points, including making all eight of his free throw attempts as Lakota West won its fourth game in a row to improve to 8-4.

Lakota West advances to face St. Xavier, ranked No. 3 in the Enquirer Division I coaches’ poll, in Sunday’s semifinal. The game will take place at 6 p.m. A win puts West in the championship game at 8 p.m. on Monday, and a loss would put West in the third-place game at 6 p.m. All games will be played at Fairfield.

Anderson (7-6) will face Elder in a consolation bracket game. The Redskins had four players in double figures, led by senior guard Charlie Carroll’s 21 points. Senior center Joe Cossins had 17 points, senior forward Bobby Murdock had 12 points and senior guard Dane Stevlingson had 11 points.

The game featured 12 ties and 11 lead changes. A basket by Murdock with 2:34 left tied the score, 60-60.

Williams’ third 3-pointer of the game gave Lakota West the lead for good.

He followed that up with a steal. He would miss the layup on the other end but Grove grabbed the rebound and was fouled on his put-back attempt. His two free throws gave the Firebirds a five-point lead. Anderson never got closer than three points the rest of the way.

“That’s when the game slows down and you have to be ready to make a play,” said Williams. “My teammates gave a good pass and I was able to hit the shot.”

Williams came into the game averaging 9.8 points. He had played in just five games because of an ankle injury suffered in the season-opener against Talawanda. He re-injured the ankle on the layup attempt. Lakota West lost senior guard Monty Boykins to a season-ending knee injury on Dec. 28.

“We’ve gotten past the loss of Monty,” said Lakota West coach Sean Van Winkle. “I was really proud of our guys because we had a season-high 18 assists (on 24 field goals). Our guys played good team ball.”

Anderson, which beat Glen Este 62-50 Friday night, led 34-32 at halftime and held a 42-36 lead with 5:06 left in the third quarter. Lakota West used an 11-2 run to erase that deficit and eventually take a 51-46 lead into the fourth quarter.

Anderson regained the lead 53-51 and held its last advantage at 56-55.

“If we make one or two more plays we win but they’re the ones who made those plays,” said Anderson coach Frank Brandy. “We did a lot of good things and this is something to build on.”

Both teams shot well from the free throw line; Lakota West made 20 of 23 attempts, while Anderson made 15 of 17.

Anderson (7-6) - Stevlingson 4 1 11, Rogers 1 02, Cossins 6 5 17, Carroll 6 7 21, Martina 1 0 2, Murdock 5 2 12. Totals 23 15 65

Lakota West (8-4) - Barnes 2 4 8, Bowling 3 3 9, Williams 7 5 22, Grove 5 8 19, Martin 4 0 8, Peterkin 1 0 3, Higginbotham 2 0 4. Totals 24 20 73.

Halftime: Anderson 34-32. 3-pointers: A – 4 (Carroll 2, Stevlingson 2), LW – 5 (Williams 3, Grove, Peterkin).

WestChesterBuzz.com will post all Lakota varsity sports results from the weekend on Monday

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Tags: Tags: Lakota West, Lakota West basketball, Lakota West sports, Malik Grove, Malik Grove Lakota West, Tyler Williams, Tyler Williams Lakota West

Both the Lakota East and Lakota West boys’ basketball programs won their season openers Friday night. Lakota East – No. 7 in The Cincinnati Enquirer preseason coaches’ poll – defeated Wilmington by the score of 72-59, while No. 2 Lakota West defeated Talawanda 51-39.

The Thunderhawks outscored Wilmington 21-14 in the third quarter, growing their lead to 10 points after leading by only three at halftime.

In the win, senior guards Stedman Lowry and Robbie Harpring combined to make 14 of their 14 free-throw attempts. Lowry finished the game with 18 points, while Harpring added 16 points and five assists.

Also contributing to the win were sophomores Myo Baxter and Alex White. Baxter had eight points and six rebounds, while White had career highs in rebounds with 13 and in points with 18.

Junior guard Tyler Williams paced Lakota West by knocking down four three pointers, finishing with 16 points. Williams, who has offers from Miami and Kennesaw State, also had five steals. Senior Ali Barnes (seven points), junior Tyler Bowling (nine points), junior Malik Grove (eight points) and Ethan Thomas (seven points) also contributed to the win as West played without its returning leading scorer in senior Monty Boykins.

The Firebirds actually trailed 11-9 at the end of the first quarter before getting out to a comfortable lead at halftime by outscoring Talawanda 23-9 in the second quarter.

Lakota East	19	16	21	16	72
Wilmington	15	17	14	13	59

Lakota East (1-0) - Emrick 2 0 4, White 7 0 18, Harpring 6 6 18, S. Lowry 6 8 18, Baxter 4 0 8, Panzeca 3 0 6, D. Lowry 1 0 2. Totals: 25 18 72

Wilmington (0-1) - Jarron Cumberland 5 7 19, Jaevin Cumberland 6 3 17, Scott 3 4 10, Mansfield 3 3 9, Briggs 1 0 2, Beaugard 1 0 2. Totals: 19 17 59

Halftime: Lakota East 35-32. 3-pointers: L 4 (Harpring 2, Lowry 2); W 4 (Jarron Cumberland 2, Jaevin Cumberland 2)

Talawanda	11	9	8	11	39
Lakota West	9	23	4	15	51

Talawanda - Webb 4 0 11, Robinson 6 0 12, Davidson 4 0 8, Kimiecik 1 0 2, Mincy 0 1 1, Adams 0 5 5. Totals 15 6 39.

Lakota West (1-0) - Barnes 2 1 7, Bowling 4 1 9, Williams 6 0 16, Grove 2 4 8, Thomas 0 7 7, Moo Young 1 0 2, Martin 1 0 2. Totals 16 13 51.

Halftime: Lakota West 51-39. 3-pointers: T 3 (Webb 3); L 6 (Barnes 2, Williams 4)

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Tags: Tags: Alex White, Alex White Lakota East, Lakota East, Lakota East basketball, Lakota East Sports, Lakota West, Lakota West basketball, Lakota West sports, Myo Baxter, Myo Baxter Lakota East, Rob Harpring, Robbie Harpring, Stedman Lowry, Stedman Lowry Lakota East, Tyler Williams, Tyler Williams Lakota West

Lakota West senior guard Ali Barnes recently netted offers to play college basketball at Findlay and Saginaw Valley State, according to Lakota West head coach Sean Van Winkle.

Barnes has already received an offer from Fairmont State and recently visited Lake Erie College. He also has received interest from Eastern Kentucky.

Last season, Barnes averaged 14 points, 1.6 rebounds, 1.9 steals and 2.1 assists as a junior. He also made 52.8 percent of his field goals, 46.4 percent of his three-point shots and 62.3 of his foul shots.

• Cincinnati Enquirer’s recruiting blog
• Ali Barnes video highlights
• Tyler Williams video highlights
• Monty Boykins video highlights

Meanwhile, Barnes’ teammate Monty Boykins has been offered scholarships from Duquesne, Eastern Michigan, Toledo, Kennesaw State, James Madison, Bowling Green, Kent State, Eastern Kentucky and Robert Morris. Previously, Boykins had an offer from Miami before the school hired a new head coach in April.

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.

Another Lakota West basketball player that has the attention of college basketball scouts is junior point guard Tyler Williams, who already has offers from Miami and Kennesaw State.

Williams finished his second season on varsity and first as a full-time starter by averaging 10.8 points and 2.2 assists per game. He made 43.2 percent of his field-goal attempts, 36.9 percent of his three-point shots and 80 percent of his free throws. He was selected to the all-GMC second team.

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Tags: Tags: Ali Barnes, Ali Barnes Lakota West, Lakota West, Lakota West sports, Monty Boykins, Monty Boykins Lakota West, ohio basketball recruiting, Ohio High School sports recruiting, Ohio preps recruiting, Ohio sports recruiting, Tyler Williams, Tyler Williams Lakota West

Lakota West sophomore point guard Tyler Williams added his second collegiate basketball offer Friday, according to Lakota West basketball coach Sean Van Winkle.

The latest offer came from Miami University, a program that hired a new head coach in April. During the introductory press conference, the new coach, John Cooper, mentioned that he wanted to focus on recruiting Butler County.

In May, Williams received an offer from Kennesaw State.

Williams finished his second season on varsity and first as a full-time starter by averaging 10.8 points and 2.2 assists per game. He made 43.2 percent of his field-goal attempts, 36.9 percent of his three-point shots and 80 percent of his free throws. He was selected to the all-GMC second team.

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

His teammate, Monty Boykins, who will be a senior next school year has also received offers to play at Miami and Kennesaw State. In addition, Boykins has offers Lehigh, Duquesne, Eastern Michigan, Toledo, James Madison, Bowling Green, Kent State and Robert Morris.

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 selected to the all-GMC first team.

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, Monty Boykins, Monty Boykins Lakota West, ohio basketball recruiting, Ohio High School sports recruiting, Ohio preps recruiting, Ohio sports recruiting, Tyler Williams, Tyler Williams Lakota West

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.

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	17	15	19	31	82
Sycamore	13	18	17	25	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

After losing by the score of 74-34 to Lakota East last season, Lakota West has defeated its school district rival twice this winter in two closely contested basketball games. The latest victory for the Firebirds took place Tuesday when they outscored Lakota East 30-17 in the second half en route to a 57-46 win.

Leading the second half surge was junior guard Ali Barnes, who sparked a 14-3 Lakota West scoring run in the fourth quarter. During the scoring run, Barnes scored six of his team-leading 14 points.

Barnes’ backcourt teammates, sophomores Tyler Williams and Malik Grove turned in key performances in the win. Williams, who made a three pointer to force the final lead change in the fourth quarter, finished with 11 points. Grove, who has playing well on the junior varsity level recently, scored seven points and led the team in rebounding with seven boards in limited playing time.

For Lakota East, junior Robbie Harpring led all scorers with 15 points. He also had six rebounds. Harpring’s freshman teammate, forward Myo Baxter, finished with a career high 14 points in the loss.

The win puts Lakota West (12-6 overall, 9-3 in the Greater Miami Conference) in a two-way tie for second place in the GMC standings. Meanwhile, Lakota East (6-12 overall, 3-9 in the GMC) is tied for seventh place out of 10 teams in the GMC.

Lakota West, which has won four games in a row, will play at Sycamore (6-12 overall, 2-10 in the GMC) at 7:30 p.m. Friday. Also in action at 7:30 p.m. Friday, Lakota East will host Oak Hills (7-10 overall, 5-7 in the GMC).

Lakota West 57, Lakota East 47

Lakota East	16	13	8	9	46
Lakota West	17	10	13	17	57

Lakota East (6-12, 3-9 in the GMC) – Emrick 2 1 5, Harpring 6 1 15, Lowry 3 0 6, Baxter 6 2 14, Bah 1 0 2, Panzeca 1 2 4. Totals 19 6 46.

Lakota West (12-6, 9-3 in the GMC) – Blue 2 1 5, Barnes 5 4 14, Stalker 2 0 4, Williams 4 2 11, Boykins 2 3 7, Ross 3 1 7, Thomas 1 0 2, Grove 3 0 7. Totals 22 11 57.

Halftime: Lakota East 29-27. 3-pointers: LE 2 (Harpring 2), LW 2 (Williams, Grove).

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Tags: Tags: Ali Barnes, Lakota East, Lakota East basketball, Lakota East Sports, Lakota West, Lakota West basketball, Lakota West sports, Malik Grove, Malik Grove Lakota West, Myo Baxter, Rob Harpring, Robbie Harpring, 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	24	18	14	17	–73
Mason	19	22	10	14	–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