Five Takeaways: Walnut Hills at Withrow

In a game that was supposed to be the Battle of the Big Men, it was an unsigned senior who stole the show Tuesday night at Withrow High School. Lead by senior guard Kameron Gibson (PHO #23) 23 points, Walnut Hills used a stifling defense to take a 45-23 ECC road victory. After a close first half which ended with the Eagles leading 17-13, they used the third quarter as the quarter to pull away from the Tigers. In that frame Walnut outscored the Tigers 17-2, with most of those 17 points coming from Gibson. Junior point guard Ryan Hill chipped in 7 points and 2 assists while 2018 center Zubi Nwankwo (7’1) finished with 5 points, 14 rebounds and 3 blocks for Walnut. For Withrow, 2019 C Abba Lawal (6’11/PHO #11) finished with 8 points and 9 rebounds to go along with 3 blocked shots. No other Tiger scored over 5 points.   Five Takeaways: Walnut Hills at Withrow

1. Kam Gibson is the best pure scorer in Cincinnati. He gets it done from all three levels and can shoot the ball off the dribble just as well as he does off the catch. With his size and skill-set there is no reason why he should not have a D-I offer from an Ohio school.
2. While not the match-up it was hyped up to be, both big men involved in the contest showed flashes that will translate well to the next level. Both Lawal and Nwankwo showed that they can protect the rim as they finished with 3 blocked shots a piece. And that does not account for the shot attempts that their presence and size altered. But Lawal showed better on the offensive end finishing in the paint while not forcing bad shots. But when it comes to the upside of both these young men, as Michael Jordan said, “The ceiling is the roof.”
3. Coach Shaun O’Connell must find consistent perimeter scoring if Withrow hopes to advance far in February/March. In particular 2019 W Mike Hill Jr. (0-9, 0 points) and 2018 PG Timmy Cottingham (2-11, 4 points) must be playmakers and shot makers and help keep the paint unclogged for Lawal. It will also help the young big man get easier chances and not have to work so hard for offensive looks.
4. Where does Walnut sit when it comes to D-I teams in Cincy you might ask? With Princeton and Moeller the clear top two teams in the city, Walnut sits right there in the next tier of teams that includes Mason, Oak Hills and possible St. Xavier. While he only finished with 2 points on Tuesday, 2020 F Nick Smith (PHO #76) has scored in double-digits at least 7 times this season per the ECC website. If he continues his strong play throughout the season to go along with Gibson, Walnut could make a deep post-season run come post-season time.
5. With Tuesday’s victory the Eagles sweep the season series against Withrow 2-0 and drops the Tigers into 3^rd place in the ECC with Milford (7-1) moving into 3^rd As long the standings remain the same, Milford’s trip to Walnut February 9^th could basically determine the conference race.