WestChesterBuzz.com

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

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

Lakota West and Winton Woods participated in the Skyline Chili Crossdown Showdown at Nippert Stadium at the University of Cincinnati Saturday. The Firebirds couldn’t handle the Winton Woods rushing attack, which totaled 324 yards in a 27-21 win over Lakota West.

>>>PHOTOS OF THE LAKOTA WEST VS. WINTON WOODS GAME<<<

Winton Woods senior running back Aaron Kemper, who was co-athlete of the year in the Fort Ancient Valley Conference last season, finished the game with 139 yards and a touchdown on 23 carries.

Meanwhile, Lakota West head coach Larry Cox decided on Wednesday that he was going to start sophomore Tyler Jones at quarterback in the season opener. Jones, who was making his first varsity appearance, struggled at times, but also led the Firebirds on three touchdown-scoring drives.

>>>GAME STORY: WINTON WOODS 27, LAKOTA WEST 21<<<

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

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

Posted in: Fall sports, Sports |

Tags: Tags: Aaron Kemper, Bubba Williams, Gary Underwood, Lakota West, Lakota West football, Lakota West sports, Marcus Davis, Marques Graves, photo gallery, photos, Tyler Jones, Tyler Williams, West Chester photos, Winton Woods, Winton Woods football

Lakota West held the Winton Woods triple-option rushing attack to only 34 yards in the first quarter, but allowed 290 rushing yards in the final three in what turned out to be a 27-21 loss against the Warriors Saturday in the Skyline Chili Crosstown Showdown at University of Cincinnati’s Nippert Stadium.

“The option is an offense like that. You just have to stick with it and then the holes will open up and their guys will get tired. That is exactly what we wanted to do,” Winton Woods head coach Andre Parker said.

“West had a good game plan, but we knew if we just stuck to our guns, eventually we would wear them down.”

Doing much of the wearing down was senior running back Aaron Kemper, who finished with 139 yards and a touchdown on 23 carries. Kemper, who was co-athlete of the year in the Fort Ancient Valley Conference last season, was also responsible for running out the last four minutes of the game to preserve the victory.

“Kemper is a rock,” Parker said. “He is the rock of our whole team.”

While the 5-foot-7, 208-pound Kemper took hand offs up the middle, his senior teammate Marques Graves scored on rushing plays of 27 and 28 yards off pitches to the outside. Graves finished the game with 58 yards on five carries.

Winton Woods senior quarterback Gary Underwood added 109 rushing yards on 24 carries.

Winton Woods did fall behind early, however, as Lakota West scored on its first drive of the game. Sophomore quarterback Tyler Jones, who was making his first varsity start, capped off a 10-play 50-yard drive with a one-yard touchdown run. The drive included a 15-yard pass from Jones to senior H-back Josh Kinney on a fourth-and-eight.

The young quarterback did struggle with his center, as the Firebirds surrendered two safeties on snaps that went into the end zone in the second quarter.

Lakota West did receive the benefit of a fumble in the end zone in the second quarter when sophomore wide receiver Tyler Williams fell onto the ball after a fumble by West senior Marcus Davis.

When it looked like the Firebirds would go into the half with a 14-4 lead, Kemper rumbled 36 yards on a run play that went for a touchdown with 35 seconds left in the second quarter.

Lakota West tried to come back after falling behind 27-14 in the fourth quarter. Jones made it a six-point game when he threw a 7-yard touchdown pass to senior wide receiver Bubba Williams with 3:58 to go in the game.

The Firebirds kicked it deep after the score, but couldn’t stop Kemper as he finished off Lakota West and the clock.

The Warriors (1-0) will host Lakota East (1-0) Friday, Sept. 2, while Lakota West (0-1) will host Elder (1-0) on the same night.

!LW– Tyler Jones 1-yard run (Martin kick)

!WW– Safety (Lakota West bad snap – Jones falls on ball in EZ)

!WW– Safety (Lakota West bad snap – ball snapped through EZ)

!LW– Tyler Williams FR in EZ after Marcus Davis F at 10 yl

!WW– Aaron Kemper 36-yard run (kick blocked)

!WW– Marques Graves 28-yard run (Lewis kick)

!WW– Marques Graves 27-yard run (Lewis kick)

!WW– Robbie Lewis 43-yard field goal

!LW– Jones 7-yard pass to Williams (Martin kick)

(story will be updated Sunday with photo gallery from game and quotes from Lakota West head coach Larry Cox)

Posted in: Fall sports, Sports |

Tags: Tags: Aaron Kemper, Bubba Williams, Gary Underwood, Lakota West, Lakota West football, Lakota West sports, Marcus Davis, Marques Graves, Tyler Jones, Tyler Williams, Winton Woods, Winton Woods football

The Lakota West football team got off to a “fresh start” to the season when it opened its summer practice program on a hot evening on the high school’s football field Monday evening.

“What is neat about our sport is that every year is a new year, a fresh start, fresh beginnings and as I tell our kids – we are undefeated right now,” Lakota West head coach Larry Cox said. “Somebody else is going to have to prove that otherwise.”

With the departure of quarterback Jordan Darling, who moved to Texas after leading the Firebirds and the Greater Miami Conference in passing in 2010, there are currently four players trying to prove to Cox that they deserve the starting quarterback gig.

>>>PHOTOS OF LAKOTA WEST SUMMER FOOTBALL PRACTICE<<<

Cox will learn a lot more about his four candidates during the two weeks of his summer practice program. Battling for the starting position, which figures to be a close race, is junior Dustin Parker, sophomores Justin Martin, Malik Grove (photo) and Tyler Jones.

“We have four kids who are really, really working hard for that position,” Cox said. “They are also all good kids who all want a shot at it, but they are helping each other. That is the neat part about it.”

Three returning starters on the offensive line and the return of senior wide receiver Tyler Williams (21 rec. 257 yards in 2010) and senior running back Marcus Davis (542 rushing yards in 2010) should help the new starting quarterback.

>>>LAKOTA WEST 2011 FOOTBALL SCHEDULE<<<

Meanwhile, opposing quarterbacks could have a difficult time passing against West with what Cox dubs as his best secondary in his 15 years as the Firebirds’ head coach. The foursome includes seniors Dawson Fletcher (Indiana commit), Peair Foster, Amarie’ Bryant and Antonio Darden.

Also on defense, senior Blake Bell leads the defensive line and junior Mike Kelly (Ryan Kelly’s brother – Ryan is a now a freshman on the University of Alabama football team) is expected to make an impact at linebacker.

“I really like this team,” Cox said. “I think we have a lot of depth.

“Even though it is July 18th, I get a little jacked up because I know what the pay off is going to be. I know how close things are down the line and I am excited about that. Every year is a good year, some are just better than others.”

Posted in: Fall sports, Sports |

Tags: Tags: Amarie' Bryant, Antonio Darden, Blake Bell, Darwin Fletcher, Dawson Fletcher, Dustin Parker, football, Jordan Darling, Justin Martin, Lakota West, Lakota West football, Lakota West sports, Larry Cox, Malik Grove, Marcus Davis, Mike Kelly, Peair Foster, photo gallery, photos, Ryan Kelly, Tyler Jones, Tyler Williams

Winton Woods senior Semaj Christon was nearly perfect in the first half, making eight of his 12 field goal attempts and scoring 17 points in what turned out to be a 79-42 victory against Lakota West in the second round of the Southwest Ohio sectional tournament at Princeton.

For most of the first half, Lakota West kept it close and trailed 32-26 with 2:34 left in the second quarter after freshman Tyler Williams nailed a long jump shot for the Firebirds.

After that bucket, Christon scored nine of his 17 first-half points in what was a 14-0 run to end the first half giving Winton Woods a 46-26 advantage at halftime.

“As a coach, I have to tell myself that I am a coach and not a fan,” Walker said of watching Semaj Christon. “I sit there, sometimes, watching in awe, but Semaj is a pretty poised kid and is definitely going to be a good player here and at the next level.”

Walker said that Christon (photo – click to enlarge) has received interest recently from Georgetown, Iowa and Cincinnati to name a few. Numerous other scouts, including one from Boston College witnessed his latest performance.

>>>PHOTOS: WINTON WOODS VS. LAKOTA WEST<<<

Christon, who finished the game with 18 points, also got his senior teammate and neighbor Dennis Thomas involved. While Christon had five assists and only two turnovers, Thomas added 18 points and six rebounds.

“They have a chemistry that is unmatched by anybody,” said Walker said of the tandem that has shared the same backcourt in AAU for the past nine seasons.

The Warriors’ other seniors were just as impressive, Thomas Owens, who is getting Division I interest from colleges for football, scored five points and pulled down five rebounds, while Dion Dearmond scored a career-high 21 points in the win.

“They all have great chemistry. They all know where the other one is going to be and they are all comfortable with each other,” Walker said. “That is how we play.” (more…)

Posted in: Sports, Winter Sports |

Tags: Tags: Ali Barnes, basketball, Boston College, boys' basketball, Cincinnati, Dennis Thomas, Dion Dearmond, Georgetown, Iowa, Lakota West, Lakota West sports, Middletown, Mike Walker, Monty Boykins, Sean VanWinkle, Semaj Christon, Thomas Owens, Tyler Williams, University of Cincinnati, Walnut Hills, Winton Woods

For the second time this season, Lakota West snapped a multiple-game losing streak with a win against Colerain. Last night, Feb. 8, the Firebirds bounced back from a four-game skid by defeating Colerain by the score of 59-54. Lakota West also snapped a three-game losing streak with a 49-36 win against the Cardinals in December.

In last night’s win, senior Phillip Cook scored the go-ahead basket to make the score 56-54 with 1:05 left in the game. Cook, who has missed six of the past 10 games due to injury, scored 14 points, pulled down six rebounds and dished out four assists in the win.

Cook’s teammates, sophomore Ali Barnes (13 points, four steals), freshman Tyler Williams (12 points) and sophomore Monty Boykins (11 points, five rebounds) also scored in double figures in the win.

Sophomores Bryan Porter (13 points, six rebounds) and Deiontay Walters (14 points) led Colerain.

The game featured two ties and seven lead changes.

With the win, Lakota West improves to 8-10 overall and 5-7 in the Greater Miami Conference. With the loss, Colerain falls to 5-12 overall and 2-10 in the GMC.

Lakota West has two games left in the regular season, against Middletown this Friday, Feb. 11 at 7:30 p.m. and at Fairfield next Friday, Feb. 18, at 7:30 p.m. The sectional playoff draw is scheduled to take place this Sunday, Feb. 13, at Princeton at 2 p.m.

Posted in: Sports, Winter Sports |

Tags: Tags: Ali Barnes, Bryan Porter, Colerain, Deiontay Walters, Lakota West, Monty Boykins, Phil Cook, Phillip Cook, Tyler Williams

The struggles continue for Lakota West, who has lost of four of its past five games after Friday’s 60-55 loss to Hamilton. In its latest loss, the Firebirds actually led Hamilton 42-40 through three quarters but struggled at the free-throw line (5-of-12) in the final quarter.

Lakota West played without starters Phillip Cook and Ali Barnes, who played through injuries in Tuesday’s loss to rival Lakota East. Freshman Tyler Williams started in place of Barnes and scored a career high 12 points.

Lakota West sophomore Monty Boykins led all scorers with 26 points.

Sophomore Corey Wise and junior Patrick McGuff each contributed 14 points for the Big Blue in their win.

With the win, Hamilton improves to 6-9 overall and 3-6 in the Greater Miami Conference. With the loss, Lakota West falls to 7-8 overall and 4-5 in the GMC.

It doesn’t get any easier for Lakota West next week. On Tuesday, Feb. 1, the Firebirds will host Princeton (11-3 overall, 7-2 in GMC) at 7:30 p.m. Then on Friday, Feb. 4, Lakota West will play Mason (12-3 overall, 7-2 in GMC) on the road at 7:30 p.m.

Posted in: Sports, Winter Sports |

Tags: Tags: Ali Barnes, basketball, boys' basketball, Corey Wise, Lakota West, Lakota West sports, Monty Boykins, Patrick McGuff, Phil Cook, Phillip Cook, Tyler Williams

Lakota West (1-5 overall, 0-3 in Greater Miami Conference) hosts Sycamore (4-2 overall, 2-1 in GMC) tonight, Friday, Oct. 8, at 7:30 p.m. in its homecoming game. West is still searching for its first GMC win after losing 14-13 to Hamilton (4-2 overall, 2-1 in GMC) on the road last week.

Sycamore: The Aviators trailed Middletown 17-12 late in the third quarter last week, but allowed three more touchdowns in a 38-12 loss to the Middies (6-0 overall, 3-0 in GMC). Prior to the game, Sycamore had won two straight in conference play – 31-28 vs. Princeton (3-3 overall, 1-2 in GMC) and 28-14 at Oak Hills (2-4 overall, 0-3 in GMC). In the win against Princeton, junior quarterback Kyle Sess led the Aviators with 135 yards on 24 carries. On the season, Sess has 323 rushing yards and 3 TDs on 111 carries. The junior has also completed 13-of-31 passes for 300 yards and 4 TDs and 2 INTs this fall. Sycamore’s other top rusher is sophomore running back Markus James, who has rushed for 295 yards and 2 TDs on 59 carries this season. The Aviators also have three other capable rushing threats in Darius Hillary (221 yards and 3 TDs on 36 carries), Bo Weber (159 yards on 22 carries) and Cody Sadler (96 yards and 2 TDs on 22 carries). Senior defensive back Danny Berghoff (leads GMC with 5 INTs) and junior lineman Ben Mather (3 sacks) lead the Sycamore defense, which is allowing 314 yards per game. Offensively, the Aviators are averaging 243 yards per game.

Lakota West: The Firebirds’ only common opponent with Sycamore is Middletown, which it lost to 24-13. West’s other two GMC losses were at Colerain (56-14) and at Hamilton (14-13). Lakota West sophomore quarterback Jordan Darling (photo) still leads the GMC in passing yards. Darling has only completed 38.8 percent of his passes, but is averaging 5.4 yards per passing attempt. The 6-foot-4 sophomore is still learning the offense. His top targets are wide receiver Tyler Williams (199 yards and 2 TDs on 15 receptions), tight end Cody Bowling (169 yards on 10 receptions), WR/QB Ben Gooch (166 yards on 10 receptions) and WR/RB Deionte Carlock (99 yards and 1 TD on 9 receptions). Lakota West also has a pair of dependable running backs in junior Marcus Davis (334 yards and 4 TDs on 114 carries) and sophomore Alfred Ramsby (251 yards and 1 TD on 64 carries). Defensively, Lakota West has forced 9 turnovers and is allowing 330 yards per game. Offensively, the Firebirds are averaging 245 yards per game.

Posted in: Fall sports, Sports |

Tags: Tags: Alfred Ramsby, Ben Gooch, Cody Bowling, Danny Berghoff, Darius Hillary, football, homecoming game, Jordan Darling, Kyle Sess, Lakota West, Marcus Davis, Markus James, Sycamore, Sycamore at Laktoa West, Tyler Williams