Flyin to the Hoop: Results, Pictures and More!
The ninth annual Good Samaritan Hospital Flyin to the Hoop boys basketball invitational is going on this weekend at Trent Arena in Kettering. And no one has the event covered like we do. Come here all weekend for recaps, pictures and box scores…
DAY 1
(By Kurt Stubbs/ohiohshoops.com and JJHuddle.com)
Kettering, Ohio — In Game 1 of the Flyin’ to the Hoop, Troy erased a 14-point 1st half deficit to stun Lee out of Alabama, 67-61.
The Trojans out scored the Generals 22-9 in the final frame to help propel them to victory.
Troy (8-3) enjoyed a solid 1st quarter leading to 20-17 advantage, but Lee (16-6) turned up the pressure in the 2nd period opening its biggest lead at 36-22 before the Trojans closed the gap to 38-29 at the intermission.
Troy hung tough in the 3rd frame out scoring the Alabama-based school 16-14 to creep within seven with a quarter to play.
In the final eight minutes, it was Zach Martinez and Cody May getting the job jone for Troy.
May, a 6-foot-3 junior, led Troy with 17 points and 18 rebounds. Martinez followed with 17 points and five boards.
6-foot-3 senior Lance Carter was a stat-sheet stuffer adding 12 points, nine assists, and eight rebounds. 6-foot-3 sophomore Tyler Miller was good for 12 points as well.
Lee got 13 points and 18 boards from Illinois verbal, Devin Langford. The 6-foot-7 senior was just 4-of-14 from the field.
Guards Jacob Perry and Deonte Stewart added 13 and 12 points respectively.
Lee had 21 turnovers for the game.
Chillicothe used a strong second half to run past Springfield, 68-52.
Despite being strapped with foul trouble, the Cavs were able to open up a 55-35 lead in the 2nd half thanks to the emergence of 6-foot-6 senior Jalen Ragland. He along with seniors Max Corcoran and Miloje Djacic along with junior Marcus Dunn helped Chilly hold its sizeable lead while Malik London, Tyler Manion, and Issac Beverly were on the bench in foul trouble.
Chillicothe and Springfield played a rather uneventful 1st half in which the Cavaliers came out with a 24-19 advantage.
Senior point guard Tyler Manion had eight points at half, while UTEP commit Jalen Ragland and 6-foot-8 junior Malik London added six apiece.
Ragland struggled early with his shot, but managed to find the range in the 2nd half to the tune of a game-high 20 points. The senior was 6-of-13 from the field and also added eight rebounds and three assists.
London added 16 points and was very active on both ends of the floor controlling the paint for the Cavs. London added 14 boards and six blocks.
London was terrific on the defensive end for the Cavs swatting almost everything in and out of his area.
Senior point guard Tyler Manion (5’9) had a nice afternoon chipping in with 13 points.
Manion is a very heady player with deceptive quickness and the ability to knock down the pull up. He is also a solid defender.
Junior sleeper Brantley Davis (6’0) led Springfield with 15 counters. Brantley, however, was just 4-of-14 from the floor.
Ketting Alter scrapped and clawed, but it wasn’t enough to overcome a talented and tall Our Savior New American club.
Christopher Obekpa (6’9/Jr.) was a man amongst boys for Our Savior en route to 19 points, 11 rebounds, and eight blocks. The Nigerian was 9-of-12 from the floor.
Obekpa displayed a high motor on both ends of the floor. The junior attacked the offensive and defensive boards, swatted shots, finished on the interor, and even knocked down a triple. His hunger to attack the offensive glass is rarely seen by today’s player.
Nick Lewis (6’1/Jr.)was 6-of-12 from the field scoring 15 points and adding four assists and four rebounds.
Jevon Thomas (6’0.Jr.), a St. John’s verbal, chipped in with seven points.
For Alter, sophomore Jaaron Simmons and senior Max Zukowitz were solid on the offensive end. Simmons was 6-of-15 from the floor for 19 points and Zukowitz was 7-of-16 for 18.
Joe Thuney added seven points and 11 boards for the Knights.
Alter shot just 30 percent from the field and 17 percent behind the arc, which was mainly due to the Pioneers’ superior athelticism and length.
Huntington Prep (WV) used its size advantage and depth in talent to take down one of Ohio’s best in Cincinnati Withrow, 71-52.
The game started out well for Withrow as they jumped out to a 14-3 and eventually 17-8 at the quarter.
Aaron Thomas (6’5/Sr.) came out of the gates blazing for Withrow as the Florida State commit nothced 13 points in the opening period. However, things changed as Prep switched defenders and started shutting down the line with its superior size.
Thomas finished just 6-of-15 from the field for a game-high 24 points.
“They made some defensive adjustments by putting a smaller guard on me,” mentioned Withrow senior Aaron Thomas. They just played good defense, good help defense. They put there big guys in the middle and made it hard to drive on them.
This is one of the top teams in the country, so this just shows we can play with anybody.”
The West Virginia-based institution won the 2nd frame by a decisive margin, 21-10 and never looked back. The Express exploded for 26 points in the 3rd and opened up a 55-39 lead at quarter’s end.
Cleveland State signee Charles Lee led the Express with 15 points followed by 7-foot-4 junior Sim Bhullar with 13 and 6-foot-10 junior Stefan Jankovic adding 11. Bhullar chipped in 15 rebounds as well.
Senior Carl Porter added 14 points and eight rebounds for Withrow (8-2) and 6-foot-7 sophomore Devin Williams netted seven points and grabbed seven boards.
Withrow was just 30 percent from the field, but was an outstanding 15-of-16 from the free-throw line compared to Prep’s 10-of-22.
Hamilton Southeastern of Indiana jumped out to a huge first half lead of 37-17 and needed every bit of that lead to hold and beat a game Cincinnati Taft outfit, 71-70.
Taft, who is the No. 1 D3 team in the state according to OHSH/JJHuddle, dug itself a big hole but fought its way back only to fall a single point short.
Southeastern exploded for 25 points in the opening quarter and held a decisive 42-28 advantage at the half. It’s hard to say what would have been had Taft’s star junior Adolphus Washington not exited the game with foul trouble.
While Washington was on the bench, Southeastern junior Gary Harris was busying putting on a show for the Flyin’ to the Hoop onlookers. Harris, who is regarded by all as one of the top players in the country, scored a game-high 27 points and added eight boards.
Harris easily had the play of the night when he served up a one-handed facial that would make ESPN’s Top 10. Harris was 8-of-17 from the field and a perfect 10-of-10 from the line.
Harris got support from highly-regarded sophomore Zak Irvin who contributed 16 points on 8-of-13 shooting and Jacobby Bledsoe with 13 points, five assists, and five boards.
Taft, who scored a remarkable 30 points in the game’s final quarter, received an outstanding performance from 6-foot-4 senior Chris Lowe. The lefty was 6-of-13 from the field, but 4-of-5 from behind the arc good for 21 points in all. According to the final stats, Lowe played just over 12 minutes.
Washington ended with 16 points on 7-of-8 shooting and five rebounds despite missing almost the entire 2nd quarter.
Chris’s brother, Jalean Lowe (6’3/Jr.), tallied 15 counters.
Taft made nine triples for the game compared to Southeastern’s 1-of-11, but as Chris Lowe knocked down a long-range bomb as time expired it wasn’t quite enough. Another 10 second and who knows.
Southeastern was a terrific 20-of-22 from the foul-line, while Taft was just 11-of-19.
In a game featuring Kentucky signee and arguably the best player in the country, Anthony Davis, it was local favorite Dayton Meadowdale who stole the show on the scoreboard in a 79-69 triumph over Perspectives Charter (Ill.).
The teams played even much of the 1st half, but Meadowdale was able to gain a 22-12 upperhand in the 3rd quarter before opening up its biggest lead in final stanza of 61-40.
The Meadowdale Lions got quality play from 6-foot-4 senior Richard Weaver, 5-foot-9 junior Nick Thornton, and 6-foot-6 senior Dwayne Martin.
Weaver paced the Lions with 23 points and seven rebounds, while Thornton added 20 on 7-of-12 shooting including three triples. Martin added eight points.
For Perspectives it was Davis and more Davis. The future Wildcat had little help, but still managed to garner 32 points, rip down 18 boards, and swat away six shots.
Davis, who was playing in front of UK head coach John Calipari and most of his staff, put on a scoring clinic. He knocked down step-back shots, triples, baseline dunks, and drive-in baskets en route to a 12-of-16 performance from the field.
However, it was Davis’ 6-of-11 performance at the free-throw line which led Calipari to give him a few tips after the contest.
Garfield Heights and Trotwood-Madison locked up in the night cap with the Bulldogs coming from 10 points down to capture a 50-49 victory.
“This was definitely a huge win for us as we are still undefeated,” said Garfield senior Trey Lewis. “That was a great team we just faced, but I feel like this is the best Garfield team we have ever had. That game just came down to sucking it up and fighting through adversity. We have never won in this house, so we were kind of excited about that.”
The Rams jumped out to a 12-9 advantage to start the game and increased the lead to 28-18 in the 2nd quarter before the Bulldogs closed the quarter on a 7-0 spurt.
Junior guard Andre Yates enjoyed a stellar 1st half for the Rams and eventually scored a game-high 22 points and added five dimes.
Trotwood opened up its lead to 40-32 following the 3rd period, but Garfield refused to go away in the 4th quarter.
Penn State signee Trey Lewis finally got in rhythm in the final frame despite a rough start. Lewis finished the game just 4-of-17 from the field and 1-of-11 from deep, but did manage to drop 16 markers thanks in large part to a 7-of-9 showing at the charity stripe.
“It just wasn’t my day, so someone else had to step up,” said Lewis in regards to his rough shooting night.
The Bulldogs out-pointed to the Rams in the game’s final eight minutes 18-9. Yates would connect on a corner three with four seconds remaining to cut the lead to a single point, but for the second time on Saturday a game ended with the other team never having to inbound the ball.
Big-bodied senior Mike McQueen came up huge for the Bulldogs throughout the contest gathering several loose balsl, ripping down some big rebounds, and scoring when called upon. McQueen made plenty of winning plays en route to 11 points and 10 rebounds.
Towards the end of that game we just came together as a team and prayed to the Lord,” stated Lewis. “If we won we were just going to give Him all the praise and glory. We truly believe this is our year. We have the tightest team. You can’t find a closer group of boys. We are just happy to get this win.”
The only other Ram in double figures was sophomore Ja’Mar Hammonds, who finished with 10 points.
DAY 2
By Kurt Stubbs/ohiohshoops.com and JJHuddle.com
Kettering, Ohio — It’s safe to say that Our Savior New American likes to play in the Flyin’ to the Hoop. After handling one of Ohio’s best Division II teams on Saturday, the New York-based outfit made Sunday morning miserable for Dublin Coffman.
The Pioneers led from start to finish en route to an 80-46 throttling of previously once-beaten Coffman. The Shamrocks have now lost two consecutive contests.
Our Savior jumped out to a 12-8 lead after one quarter and extended its advantage to 35-25 at the break. Coffman senior Christian Heine did his best to keep the Shamrocks in the contest with nine 1st half points.
If the game wasn’t decided at this point, the Pioneers left little doubt in the 3rd quarter as they out scored Coffman, 21-3 to make the 4th quarter nothing more than an after thought.
The Pioneers used full court pressure to cause 27 Coffman turnovers leading to a 32-11 advantage on points off turnovers.
Our Savior guard Nick Lewis capped off a solid Flyin’ to the Hoop with 14 points followed by backcourt mates Lebrent Walker and St. John’s verbal Jevon Thomas each chipping in with 12 points. Thomas added five rebounds.
Shooter, Will Martinez, ended his day with 10 points and 6-foot-10 Daouda Soumaoro added 10 points on 5-of-6 shooting and a game-high 14 rebounds.
6-foot-9 Christopher Obekpa wasn’t quite as spectacular on Sunday, but still very impressive nonetheless. The native Nigerian, who has only been playing basketball for three years, scored eight points and snared six boards.
Obekpa, who told the Dayton Dailey News his first love is soccer, hopes to one day play in the NBA.
Interesting to note, Our Savior’s bench out-pointed Coffman’s 36-18. Lewis and Walker were the biggest reasons with pressure leading to transition baskets.
Coffman was led by Heine with a game-high 19 points. Senior Zach Riddle, who came into the game averaging better than 17 points per game, was held to just a single point.
Cleveland Heights made short work of host, Kettering Fairmont in a 79-36 throttling.
The Tigers (11-2) jumped out to a 16-8 lead after one period and proceeded to out score the Firebirds, 63-28 over the next three quarters.
It started in the 1st half with junior guards Tyree Gaiter (5’7) and Sean Dominick (5’6) attacking the basket and scoring or assisting. Gaiter concluded with 12 points, seven rebounds, and four dimes. Dominick added 10 on a perfect 3-of-3 from the floor including 2-of-2 from distance and 2-of-2 from the foul line.
In the 2nd half, it was the Cody Martin (6’5/Sr.) show. The senior dunked everything possible en route to 20 points on 10-of-13 shooting. The senior, who missed last season with a torn ACL, added nine rebounds.
Senior Aaron Ashley, which is arguably the best story in the state, recorded 15 points. Ashley, who was regarded by most as a D1 prospect early in his career, missed all but one game his junior year and than his entire “first” senior season with an illness.
The Tigers defense forced 22 Fairmont turnoves leading to 31 points off turnovers in comparison to just seven by the Firebirds. They also held the host team to just 28 percent shooting.
Heights’ bench held a 38-9 advantage as well.
The lone bright spot for Fairmont was 6-foot-7 senior Adam Westbeld, who tallied 13 points and grabbed five rebounds.
In a game lacking much entertainment value, Cincinnati Aiken was able to get by Greater Western Ohio Conference’s Vandalia Butler, 50-36.
For much of the game, neither team was able to get any real rhythm with neiter team scoring more than 12 points in the first three quarters of play. Though, Aiken won all three of those mentioned quarters to give them a 34-22 advantage.
Aiken got 12 points and seven rebounds from 6-foot-3 sophomore Austin Grimes. The kid wearing the high-top fade listed Wisconsin, Ohio, and Akron as a few of the schools that were interested in him.
When asked what would be his school of choice, Grimes responded with “any D1 school that wants me the most.”
In all, 11 Falcon players scored at least a point. 6-foot-3 junior, another D1 prospect, chipped in with seven points.
Butler got 12 points from 6-foot-9 junior Taylor Decker along with six boards. Decker, who is a highly-regarded offensive tackle prospect, was just 3-of-10 from the floor. Teammate Ryne Pugh added 10 points and a team-high seven boards.
Aiken’s bench out scored Vandalia’s bench 22-5, which was the big difference in the game. In addition, Butler shot just 29 percent from the floor thanks to a pesky Aiken defense.
The Dayton-area schools continued to struggle at the 2011 Flyin’ to the Hoop in game 11 where Centerville fell to Christian Faith Academy out of North Carolina, 66-53.
The Elks fought and battled, but couldn’t overcome Christian Faith’s superior size, length, talent, and athleticism.
Christian Faith, who had just seven players in uniform, jumped out to an 18-13 advantage after eight minutes and pushed the lead to 25-19 at the break.
The Elks won the 3rd quarter to draw within five points, but a 31-point final frame from Christian Faith did Centerville in. Christian Faith had just 35 points in the first three periods before its 4th quarter explosion.
Kaza Kajami-Keane paced Christian Faith with 18 points and never missed a shot. He was 6-of-6 from the floor, 2-of-2 from behind the arc, and 4-of-4 from the free-throw line.
Strong-bodied Rainer Croft was also productive scoring 14 points and ripping down 10 boards, while sensational freshman Xavier Rathan-Mayes also added 14, but was just 6-of-15 from the field.
Electric 6-foot-6 sophomore Mikyle McIntosh chipped in with 11 and athletic 6-foot-8 senior Kevin Thomas followed with nine counters.
Thomas listed Texas, Marquette, Connecticut, and Arkansas among others but says his favorite at this point is the Longhorns.
For Centerville, William Hobby led the way with 17 points, six rebounds, and four dimes. Jimmy Staley added 11.
6-foot-11 junior Jake Campbell continues to show improvement for the Elks. He tallied seven points on 3-of-4 shooting and pulled down three rebounds.
Both teams were terrific at the line with Christian Faith converting 15-of-16 attempts and Centerville making 13-of-17 freebies.
The North Carolina-based academy held a distinctive 28-10 advantage on points off turnovers, while the Elks held a 20-0 margin on bench scoring.
The highly anticipated match up featuring Huntington Prep (WV) and Akron St.Vincent-St.Mary never really lived up to the billing with the Express leading from bell-to-bell en route to a 63-48 triumph.
The Huntington, West Virginia-based school jumped out to a 15-8 1st quarter advantage thanks in large part to 5-foot-9 Cleveland State signee, Charles Lee. The program listing of 5-foot-9 is generous, but at any rate Lee dialed up 15 points on 6-of-9 shooting and dished out five assists.
Prep used a 13-4 advantage in the 2nd quarter to propel itself to a 28-11 lead at half.
The 2nd half wasn’t quite as one-sided, but each time SVSM tried to make a run 6-foot-5 senior Maurice Aniefok or 7-foot-4 junior Sim Bhullar would answer at the other end.
Bhullar was a perfect 7-of-7 from the field and 6-of-8 at the line good for 20 points. Bhullar, who hails from Canada via India, grabbed seven strays as well.
It was almost too easy at times against the much smaller Irish as several times the Prep guards just tossed the ball in the air for Bhullar to retrieve and score.
Regardless of the final outcome, nothing can take away from the 2nd half clinic put on by the Irish’s Davonte’ Beard (6’2/Sr.). The mid-major prospect knocked down pull ups, floaters, step backs, and scored off drive-in lay ups including a couple and-one situations. In all, Beard dropped 25 markers on 9-of-17 shooting and grabbed five boards and dished out four assists.
Beard, who lists Siena, Boston College, George Washington, and almost of the MAC schools, is happy with where his recruitment at this point but feels like he is getting better. The latter couldn’t be more true.
Ricky Johnson Jr. added 12 points, but was just 4-of-14 from the floor.
The longer and taller Express really made it tough on the Irish shooters with their length. They challenged almost every shot.
The Irish (6-6) got out-pointed at the line 15 to three and 27 to seven on bench scoring.
The crowd was hype, the seats were packed to the rafters, and the throngs of fans were hoping for another Dayton Dunbar clinic. Though, they did see it a clinic but it was by the team from Chicago who happens to be one of if not the best in the country.
Dunbar, who put on one of the best shows in recent years in last year’s Flyin’ to the Hoop against Chicago Whitney Young scoring 98 points, was nothing close to that on Sunday night.
Simeon (13-0) used a stingy defense, heady play, and superior length to stage a 53-39 victory over Ohio High School Hoops’ No. 1 team in Division II.
The two teams were tied at 11 late in the 1st quarter, but from that point on the Chicago-based school seized control. Dunbar was held without a field goal in the 2nd frame until 50 seconds remaining in the quarter.
The Simeon Wolverines used its length playing a zone defense to baffle the crowd favorite, Dunbar. Simeon also rebounded the ball very well out of the zone causing for many one-and-done trips for Dunbar.
Simeon out scored Dunbar 18-6 in the 2nd quarter to take a 31-17 lead at the break.
6-foot-7 sophomore Jabari Parker, who is arguably the best in his class, was just a beast in the 1st half. The young Parker always seems to be under control while playing physical and being ultra assertive.
Parker is very heady for such a young player and always appears to make the right play. He finished with 20 points on 8-of-13 shooting and added six rebounds.
Parker listed many high-major schools that were recruiting him including Ohio State.
While Parker and his teammates were getting it done on offense, the defense was stiffling a normally up-tempo Dunbar offense. The Chicago-based Wolverines held Dunbar to just 34 percent shooting and 1-of-11 from three-point range.
Simeon received seven points and eight rebounds from 6-foot-6 senior Rashawn McElrath along with seven counters by senior Darien Walker. 6-foot-7 junior Steve Taylor was also very impressive tallying five points and snaring seven boards.
For Dunbar, Deontae “Teddy” Hawkins was able to manage 14 counters and seven rebounds. The lengthy 6-foot-7 junior was 6-of-10 from the floor.
Senior guard Keontae Brown was just 3-of-14 from the floor Dunbar finishing with eight points and five rebounds.
6-foot-4 sophomore Damarion Geter showed signs of his talent throughout the game chipping in with seven points in defeat.
Dunbar, who got just four points from its bench, is yet to lose to an Ohio team. The Wolverines have lost to Huron (MI) and now Simeon.
DAY 3
By Kurt Stubbs/ohiohshoops.com and JJHuddle.com
Kettering, Ohio – They are deep, talented, balanced, and good. They are the Lakota East Thunderhawks.
On Monday’s opening game of the Flyin’ to the Hoop, Lakota East showed why they are now (11-0) with its 81-59 victory over Lee out of Alabama.
The Thunderhawks led just 16-14 after one quarter, but exploded for 20 points in the 2nd to take a commanding 36-23 lead at the break.
East used balance scoring from its 10-man rotation to seperate from the Alabama-based squad. The Black and White has very little drop off when it has to go to the bench, and it certainly showed as the winner’s bench scored an astounding 37 points.
The Thunderhakws held a 21-18 advantage in the 3rd period and then opened the gap to as much as 75-49 in the 4th.
Senior point guard Mike Boyd led the way with 14 points, followed by 13 from sophomore Stedman Lowry and 12 by junior Mark Minch.
Junior Allante Foster added 10 for the winners and senior Cameron Lee chipped in with nine.
East shot 51 percent from the field and a terrific 29-of-34 from the charity stripe.
East held a 19-8 advantage in terms of points off turnovers.
Jacob Perry led Lee with 14 points and Bobby Strickland added 10. Illinois verbal Devin Langford was just 2-of-10 from the floor for nine points.
Bowling Green and Cincinnati Roger Bacon battled to a 29-29 tie after 16 minutes of play in what looked like two evenly matched teams, however, the 2nd half didn’t appear the same way.
The BG Bobcats (10-2) out scored Bacon in the 2nd half, 37-14 including 20-4 in the final frame for a 66-43 triumph.
BG forced 16 Spartan turnovers, which led to 21 points. Bacon was only able to turn BG over seven times for four counters.
The Bobcats’ bench was also big contributing 13 points compared to just a single point by the Spartans’ bench. Kurt Fairchild scored nine points off the Bobcats’ pine.
Senior Xavier Brown paced the Bobcats with 19 points on 8-of-14 shooting, while Max Beattie and leading scorer Chauncey Orr evenly split 28 markers. Orr added seven boards.
BG’s 6-foot-7 sophomore Vitto Brown scored six points annd grabbed a like amount of rebounds. Brown listed Xavier, Ohio, Bowling Green, and Toledo as the schools recruiting him at this point.
Roger Bacon got 16 points from 6-foot-8 senior Jared Bryant along with six boards. The efficient Paul Byrd added 12 points on 5-of-6 shooting.
Shocking! Stunning!
Either two would best describe Clayton Northmont‘s upset of nationally-ranked Wheeler of Georgia, a team filled with D1 signees, commits, and prospects.
Wheeler clawed its way back into the game and eventually tied the contest at 60, but the Thunderbolts would have the ball for the game’s final shot.
After a series of traps and serious ball pressure as Northmont was trying to kill the clock for the game’s final shot, guard Devon Carter was able to turn the corner and get to the basket. Carter’s lay up attempt over 6-foot-8 Charles Mitchell came off the front of the iron and senior Cameron Taylor put back the game-winner for a 62-60 victory.
Wheeler jumped out to an 11-3 lead to start the game, and held a 24-18 advantage after eight minutes of play. Though, Northmont stole the 2nd period taking a 40-39 lead into the locker room.
The second half was back-and-forth with the Wildcats taking a 49-49 lead after three-fourths of the contest.
The Thunderbolts would seize control in the final frame before the electric finish.
Taylor led Northmont with 23 points and seven rebounds.
Jamal Trammell, who is the team’s leading scorer, added 13 points and 12 rebounds. Troy Mangen chipped in with seven points and 10 boards.
The backcourt of Carter and Solomon King-White was also solid against Wheeler’s heavy pressure. Carter scored six points and King-White was good for nine counters.
The most shocking statistic was Northmont out rebounding the much bigger Wildcats, 39-29. The Thunderbolts scored 19 points off 2nd chance opportunities.
Wheeler turned 14 Northmont turnovers into 15 points in comparison to just two points scored against them.
6-foot-7 junior Charles Mitchell dunked his way to 16 points and snared seven rebounds. UNC-Charlotte verbal K.K. Simmons was just 5-of-17 from the floor for 13 points.
Derrick Evans earned 12 points for Wheeler.
The final score may not indicate it, but the Miller Grove (GA)/Thurgood Marshall game was as exciting and entertaining as any of the previous 16 contests.
In the end, Miller Grove’s talent and size was too much for Thurgood to overcome as the Wolverines scored an 80-60 win over the hometown favorite. Marshall head coach Darnell Hoskins summed it up best.
“Well boys, they were a little too big, a little too long and strong, a little too athletic, and a little too talented,” Hoskins told his assistant coaches.
Miller Grove jumped out to a 17-11 lead after one quarter and extended the advantage to 37-27 at the break.
Each time Marshall got the game around, near, or under 10 they weren’t able to execute to get over the hump.
Miller Grove’s 6-foot-9 junior Tony Parker was just too much for the Cougars on the interior. The big-bodied prospect bullied his way to 18 points and 18 rebounds. Parker missed several inside baskets thanks to a swarming Marshall defense, but was usually able to gather his own miss and score the basketball.
Parker spoke of Duke and Ohio State when asked what schools were recruiting him. Though, he mentioned a lot of schools are after him and he is basically open at this point.
In all, the Wolverines placed five guys in double figures including guards Thomas Marshall and Justin Colvin who each scored 13 points. Henry Brooks added 11 and bouncy Brandon Morris chipped in with 10.
Marshall also had six rebounds and six assists.
Marshall got 20 points from talented junior Joe Thomasson on 8-of-14 shooting. The lengthy junior is a relative unknown to most people outside of Dayton, but may become a household name after his performance against nationally-ranked Miller Grove.
Senior guard Jordan Watson added 13 points and sophomore Mark Alstork netted 11.
Grove out-boarded Thurgood, 46-25 which was a telling tale in the contest.
Game 18 of the Flyin’ to the Hoop was everything high school basketball is and should be about.
Westerville South and Hamilton Southeastern (IL) met in an instant classic inside Kettering Fairmont’s Trent Arena on Monday night.
The crowd was electric and the atmosphere was all that and more. The players on both teams were scratching, clawing, diving, and laying it all on the line on every possession.
Both teams were making plays and getting timely stops. It was certainly a game for the basketball purest. It was old-school. It was the way the game was meant to be played.
South and Hamilton played 32 minutes, but needed 36 to settle the encounter. The Wildcats of Westerville South remained unbeaten with a dramatic 63-61 overtime win in front of a large turnout.
“For us, at South, this is a big win,” said South senior Traevon Jackson. “It’s just one game at a time. We came down here with a little chip on our shoulder because obviously Indiana is a great basketball state that has great players.”
They got Gary Harris, Zack Irvin, a guy going to Purdue and their role players are even good. This is definitely a big for win for us. We battled through some adversity and got a big win.”
It wasn’t easy by any means. Hamilton jumped out to a 14-8 lead after one quarter and proceeded to score the first three points of the 2nd to open up a 17-8 advantage which was the biggest lead of the game for either team.
The Wildcats managed to play even in the 2nd quarter trailing 30-24 as the teams went to the locker room.
“We started the game 0-for-13,” Jackson lamented. We like to shoot from outside and in the past when we don’t shoot well, we don’t do very good. We came out in the second half and got some scoring off of our defense.”
South’s outstanding senior Traevon Jackson was good in the 1st half, but was great in the 2nd. Jackson along with his teammates willed each other to victory. The Wisconsin signeed scored 26 points and added 10 rebounds along with locking down Hamilton Southeastern star junior Gary Harris.
“It’s tough you know,” Jackson said when asked if he takes a match up with a player like Harris personally. “I know he is one of the top ranked guys. He is a great player. I don’t like to take it personally even though it’s kind of personal.”
I like to think more about what I have to do. I want to focus on how he has to stop me rather than how I can stop him. I know they are going to have trouble stopping me if I play my game. If I help my team out and we play our game as a team we will be fine. That is what we did tonight.”
Harris finished with just four points before leaving the game in the 4th quarter with a cut over his eye. He never returned.
Jackson, who has a very high basketball IQ and terrific ability to lead, didn’t act alone. Junior Isiah “Zeke” Rogers came up with some huge plays on defense and some key rebounds as did senior Damarkeo Lyshe and sophomore Marcus Ball. Lyshe and senior Jaren Edward both had some big baskets late in the game.
Credit Isiah Rogers for some huge plays without his play this game is up in the air,” Jackson believes. “We definitely had some big defensive stops, Marcus had some huge rebounds, and we got the win.”
The relentless Wildcat pressure eventually got to the Royals forcing 23 turnovers accounting for 33 points at the other end.
Senior sharp-shooter Ben Jones struggled to find his range, but still managed to score nine points for the winners. Senior Donnie Fitzgerald also came off the bench and gave good minutes along with scoring a big hoop.
Edwards finished with eight points followed by Ball with seven, Rogers added six, and Lyshe chipped in with five counters.
With Harris struggling to find breathing room, highly-regarded sophomore Zack Irvin began to take over for Hamilton. The lengthy 6-foot-5 bundle of talent posted 16 points in defeat.
Josh Dather added 15 points and five boards and Randy Gregory counted for 11 points and 11 rebounds before fouling out. Gregory is a Purdue football verbal.
Interesting to note, South was just 4-of-22 from behind the arc which is far below its usual output.
In the 2011 Flyin’ to the Hoop finale, Huber Heights Wayne senior Travis Trice Jr. put on a show leading his Warriors to a 74-55 thumping of Chicago’s Whitney Young.
Whitney Young, who has talent on top of talent, won’t want to return to Ohio anytime soon. The Dolphins were destroyed by Dayton Dunbar at the event a year ago and lost later in the season to Akron St.Vincent-St.Mary’s.
The game started out with a lot of energy and certainly plenty of hype, but Wayne managed to seize control taking a 14-12 lead after a quarter of play.
6-foot-6 senior Markus Crider did a nice job of making plays for the Warriors in the 1st half, while Trice was struggling to get shots. Wayne led just 24-21 at the half.
In the 2nd half, for whatever reason, Whitney Young decided to leave its zone defense and switch to a man. Trice took a liking to the new defense.
The senior absolutely went off in the 2nd half eventually finishing his night with 30 points on 7-of-16 shooting including four bonus goals along with a perfect 12-of-12 showing at the line. The Michigan State signee added eight assists and five boards.
Trice used a series of pull up and spot up threes and drive-in baskets en route to his big 2nd half.
He was aided by the Providence verbal, Crider, who accounted for 18 points and eight rebounds.
The two teammates nearly out scored the highly-talented Dolphins on their own.
Ohio State signee Sam Thompson of Whitney Young had a good showing with 24 points on 10-of-17 shooting to go with seven rebounds.
Guard Kwai Pearson added 15 counters.
Talented freshman Jahlil Okafor was a non-factor with nary a point and two rebounds.
Interesting to note, freshman Paul White was unable to play due to a concussion and 6-foot-8 junior Jermaine Morgan wasn’t even with the club in Kettering. Point guard Derrick Randolph was also out, but is expected to return in the next week.
Wayne out-scored Whitney Young 50-34 in the 2nd half. The Warriors connected on eight three-point goals, while the Dolphins were unable to make one in nine attempts.
The following six players were selected to the 2011 Flyin’ to the Hoop All-Tournament Team:
Jabari Parker (6’7/So.)- Simeon (IL)
Aaron Thomas (6’5/Sr.)- Cincinnati Withrow (OH)
Charles Lee (5’9/Sr.)- Huntington Prep (WV)
Travis Trice Jr. (6’1/Sr.)- Huber Heights Wayne (OH)
Anthony Davis (6’10/Sr.)- Perspectives Charter (IL)
Traevon Jackson (6’2/Sr.)- Westerville South (OH)
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