Step Higher Tip Off Classic Preview

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Step Higher Tip Off Classic brings four competitive matchups to Holmes High School in Covington, Kentucky. The event features some Ohio and Kentucky traditional high school programs as well as some top prep talent returning to the greater Cincinnati area.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Summit Country Day Vs Pickerington Central 3:30 P.M.</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The first matchup of the day puts a top Division V team in Ohio against a perennial Division I powerhouse as Summit Country Day takes on Pickerington Central. Summit Country Day is led by Rhode Island commit [player_tooltip player_id='2222935' first='Tim' last='Martin'], unsigned senior Lj Stocks and top 5 sophomore [player_tooltip player_id='2195056' first='Max' last='Joiner']. The Knights made a run to the state semifinals before they fell to Columbus Academy last season and will be looking to finish the job this time around. For Pickerington Central, they never duck any smoke all year round. After playing in many top team camps during June and the Lima Mega scrimmage last weekend, the Tigers are back at it again with a tough challenge. They were without [player_tooltip player_id='2288381' first='Landon' last='Evans'] last weekend which meant the Tigers 2026 class led by the Snyder Twins, [player_tooltip player_id='2619275' first='Ryan' last='Donovan'] and [player_tooltip player_id='2458389' first='Titus' last='O'Neal'].</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Cincinnati Princeton Vs Archbishop McNicholas 4:45 P.M.</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Vikings were picked 4th in our Division I OHSAA preseason rankings and that's due to an elite guard rotation. [player_tooltip player_id='2453406' first='A'Mire' last='Gill'] and [player_tooltip player_id='2464138' first='Rognny' last='Santiago Lugo'] draw the headlines but [player_tooltip player_id='2568026' first='Jordan' last='Johnson'] and [player_tooltip player_id='2712640' first='Sebastian' last='Jordan'] are key pieces as well. Add in utility wing [player_tooltip player_id='2194845' first='Amir' last='Phillips'] providing athleticism, defense, rebounding and transition buckets and this team is tough to compete with. McNicholas is heading into a new era led by Trey Scotti, the director of Ohio Champion Ua Rise. McNicholas is led by star 2027 guard [player_tooltip player_id='2222756' first='Grant' last='Waters'] who led the GCL-Co Ed in scoring as a sophomore and shined playing under Scotti at the 17 U level on the UA Rise circuit. Add in a transfer from Florida [player_tooltip player_id='2872614' first='Tarik' last='Fadel Mula'] and McNicholas fans should be excited about their team this winter.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Lakota West Vs Frederick Douglass 6:00 P.M.</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Lakota West is the preseason #1 team in the OHSAA regardless of Division and we've talked about them at length so far this year. I purposely decided to skip them during the Lima Mega Scrimmage to see other teams, knowing I would see them Vs a top team from Kentucky at this event. Obviously people know about the stars [player_tooltip player_id='2125748' first='Joshua' last='Tyson'] and [player_tooltip player_id='2140178' first='Bryce' last='Curry'] but I'm most looking forward to see how [player_tooltip player_id='2842421' first='Roman' last='Combs'], Jordan Navarez and [player_tooltip player_id='2807217' first='Eli' last='Dunn'] play for the Firebirds. As for their opponents, Frederick Douglass is led by Bellarmine commit Demarcus Surratt. [player_tooltip player_id='1955757' first='Nate' last='Coen'] is another senior to watch for Frederick Douglass but they will need to bring their A game to beat Lakota West.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">RWE - OTE Vs Huntington Prep 7:30 P.M.</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The marquee event to wrap up the night, Rod Wave Elite brings former Newport star Taylen Kinney back to his hometown as well as 2028 5 star [player_tooltip player_id='2842428' first='Kameron' last='Mercer'] who is from Cincinnati and will also be making a homecoming this weekend. Other names to know on RWE include St John's commit Adam Oumiddoch. Huntington Prep always has a talented team and Koang Bol Kuany is a 7 footer who should have plenty of opportunities to protect the rim against the slashers of RWE. 2029 prospect [player_tooltip player_id='2990912' first='David' last='Johnson'] is another notable name to watch for Huntington Prep as he's already generated national buzz. This should be a great game to wrap up the event and hopefully bring a great environment to the Holmes High School Gym.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->