Weekend Wrap-Up, Vol. 1
Everything you need to know about this weekend in Ohio high school basketball.
Contender v Contender
A matchup of two teams who could realistically make a regional final
Mentor (81) at Medina (94): Medina unsigned 6-foot-2 senior sharp-shooter Kyle Szumski went for 32 points and 11 rebounds in the state’s Friday night headliner. Szumski has no reported offers, yet is an elite shooter with good positional size. Medina junior point guard Corey Tripp added 16 points and five rebounds. The 6-0 Bees travel to Moeller today, Dec. 23, for another big-time battle.
Two Mentor Cardinals joined Szumski in scoring 30-plus. Youngstown State verbal commit Luke Chicone nailed six 3-pointers, totaling 33 points. Meanwhile, nationally renowned baseball recruit Chad Rogers scored 32.
Records: Medina 6-0, Mentor 1-1. Information courtesy of Cleveland.com and reporter Matt Goul.
Wayne (53) at Springfield (63): Wayne’s comeback effort wasn’t enough to overcome Springfield’s 16-point halftime advantage. Sixth man Devin Alston keyed Springfield’s first half with 15 points before the break. Springfield needed this win to avoid a 1-4 start, as they were dominated by Pickerington Central on Saturday.
Records: Wayne 4-2, Springfield 2-3. Information courtesy Dayton Daily News and reporter Jeff Gilbert.
Green (46) at Canton McKinley (53): Canton McKinley junior Brenton Walker might be the best 2021 prospect nobody talks about. The powerful interior presence led the Pups with 17 points and 13 rebounds, handing Green their first loss of the season.
As to be expected, this was a grind-it-out game between a couple of physical Federal League foes where Green struggled to score in the second half. They were without senior Walsh signee Garrison Keeslar for a fourth straight game, who has an injured ankle.
Records: Green 5-1, Canton McKinley, 4-2. Information courtesy Canton Rep and reporter Josh Weir.
Lake Catholic (41) at Cleveland Central Catholic (43): Lake Catholic had the ball, game tied at 41-41 with 15 seconds left. Then, 5-foot-11 CCC guard Jaden Williams stole the ball and took it the distance for a game-winning layup.
CCC’s unsigned senior 6-foot-7 forward Deshaun Nettles kept up his strong play with 17 points, all the while going against Miami (OH) stretch four recruit Luka Eller.
Records: CCC 5-2, Lake Catholic 3-2. Information courtesy Cleveland.com and reporter Matt Goul.
Wyoming (74) at Deer Park (69): It took overtime to determine whether Wyoming or Deer Park would take early-season control of the CHL.
Wyoming 6-foot-5 junior wing Isaiah Walker powered the Cowboys, continuing his roaring start with 28 points, 13 rebounds, and three assists. Despite the loss of 2019 graduate Joey Edmonds and a late start to the season following the football team’s run, Wyoming has started undefeated with five wins in 11 days.
Records: Wyoming 5-0, Deer Park 5-1. Information courtesy the Cincinnati Hills League official website.
Cincinnati Woodward (81) at Aiken (73): Paul McMillan IV is on fire. He scored 34, topping the 30-point threshold for the fourth straight game. The high-IQ sophomore point guard is averaging 31.2 points in his first year at Woodward.
This game snapped Aiken’s four-game winning streak. They recovered the following night with a one-point victory over 4-2 McNicholas.
Records: Woodward 3-2, Aiken 5-1. Information courtesy WLWT 5.
Moeller (78) at Chillicothe (51): Moeller buried ’em in the second half. The defending Division I champs outscored the hosts 40-16 after halftime behind 23-point games from Logan Duncomb and Max Land. Impressive outing for Duncomb, who was presumably matched up with senior 6-foot-8 Brandon Noel, a Wright State signee.
Chillicothe seniors Jayvon Maughmer and Tre Beard scored 20 and 19 respectively for the Cavs.
Records: Moeller 4-1, Chillicothe 8-1. Information courtesy Chillicothe Gazette and reporter David Wysong.
Columbus DeSales (63) at Ready (54): Interesting matchup. Both teams are led by a junior wing and are in the discussion for Columbus’s best in Division II.
DeSales’ Desmond Watson won the battle against Darius Parham and Ready on Friday, scoring 30 points in their road victory. Previously thought of as more of a tweener (not quite a big, not quite wing), Watson is showing more perimeter skill than ever while averaging 23.0 points through seven games. His recruitment will likely be prioritized this summer if he keeps it up.
Records: DeSales 6-1, Ready 3-2. Information courtesy the Dispatch and 270 Hoops.
Elyria Catholic (79) at Fairview (86): Fairview has raced to a 6-1 start this season. Playing yet another fast-paced game against a quality opponent, they nabbed their sixth consecutive win. They were paced by seniors Luke Howes (32 points), Martin Lowry (20), and Noah Mesaros (15).
Elyria Catholic’s unsigned senior Edward Wright continued his breakout senior season with 22 points.
Records: Elyria Catholic 4-2, Fairview 6-1.
COACHES FOR A CURE CLASSIC
We covered these Saturday games — Bradley v St. Edward, Pickerington North v Centerville, Gahanna v Walnut Ridge, Pickerington Central v Springfield, and Columbus South v Johnstown. Four of those were Contender v Contender. Find game and player recaps by clicking on the following links.
Rogers (67) at Lima Senior (71): The Kewpee Holiday Classic championship brought together the two best teams in Northwest Ohio, both of which have legitimate state championship potential.
The Division I contender, Lima Senior, protected home court against the Division II challengers.
Another crucial second-half performance from Bowling Green recruit Josiah Fulcher (21 of his 24 points after halftime) powered Lima to victory. Teammates Khalil Luster, Jadakis Mack, and Jamir Simpson combined for 37 to help push the Spartans to the signature win.
Records: Lima Senior 6-0, Rogers 4-1.
Canton McKinley (53) at St. Ignatius (75): Ignatius poured it on visiting Canton McKinley, a day after the Pups took-down Green. Ignatius stars Henry Raynor and Chase Toppin combined for 34 points. Raynor, who received his first offer from St. Francis (PA) last week, added nine rebounds and four blocks. Toppin delivered 10 assists, too.
Records: Canton McKinley 4-2, St. Ignatius 4-1. Information courtesy Cleveland.com and reporter Matt Goul.
Fort Loramie (47) at Hiland (56): Defending regional champions, Berlin Hiland, earned a signature non-conference win against fellow Division IV foe, Fort Loramie. Hiland overcame foul trouble from their star Sam Habeger, thanks to a masterful shooting night from Will Schlabach.
Fort Loramie beat St. Henry, another defending Division IV regional champion, the previous night.
Records: Fort Loramie 4-2, Hiland 6-1. Information courtesy The Daily Record and reporter Alex Tichenor.
Chaminade Julienne (31) at Moeller (75): Did you guys see this dunk by Max Land? Jeeeeeeesh!
OH MY GOODNESS, MAXWELL LAND!!!!!!👀👀 #LetsGoBigMoe #beRemarkable #SCtop10 @ESPNAssignDesk @Elise_JesseWLWT @MarkVSlaughter @FOX19Joe @FOX19Jeremy @MikeDyer @ReggieWilsonTV @KJMSingleton pic.twitter.com/hhH2OHuKml
— Archbishop Moeller Basketball (@MoellerBBall) December 22, 2019
St. Francis (PA) recruit Max Land scored 23 other points on Saturday as Moeller trounced Chaminade Julienne. The senior has elevated his game to another level this season, averaging 20.8 points and 4.6 rebounds through five games.
Records: Chaminade Julienne 3-3, Moeller 4-1. Information courtesy the Greater Catholic League-South official website.
Toledo Christian (50) at Stritch (60): Stritch emerged in a battle of the top two TAAC teams. Oakland recruit Joey Holifield and teammate Justin Wiggins combined for 38 points to lead the way.
Not a bad first loss at all for Division IV Toledo Christian. They started their season with a win over Hiland — a win that is aging well.
Records: Toledo Christian 3-1, Cardinal Stritch 4-2. Information courtesy the Toledo Blade.
Fairland (47) at Ready (51): Ready bounced back from their Friday night loss to DeSales. Darius Parham (12 points), PJ Daniels (12), and Garrison Budd (10) all finished in double-figures.
Records: Fairland 6-1, Ready 3-2. Information courtesy 270 Hoops.
Worthington Christian (69) at The Wellington School (60): Worthington Christian won a Mid-State League battle on the road. Derrick Hardin led the way with 20 points. Wellington’s Elijah Meredith had 17 in the losing effort.
Records: Worthington Christian 6-2, Wellington 3-3. Information courtesy 270 Hoops.
Weekend Notables
- Denison recruit Darren Rubin became the second player in Oakwood history to score 1,000 career points. He dropped 26 in a Friday night loss against Brookville. Rubin will have the school record by mid-January.
- Lakota West is really rolling right now. They’re 5-2 after back-to-back wins this weekend. Senior 6-foot-3 guard Julian Mackey leads the GMC in scoring at 22.1 points per game.
- Ben Knostman recorded a 25-point, 11-rebounds, and 10-assist triple double on Friday against Fairborn. He shot 10-11 from the field. Knostman is a tall, crafty lead guard who might be the best passer in Ohio.
- St. Vincent-St. Mary — the state’s top Division II team as it stands right now — went 1-1 in Missouri at the Marianist Classic. Junior high-major recruit Malaki Branham scored 31 points in their loss to Chaminade (MO).
- Detric Hearst lifted Benedictine over Toledo St. Francis with a game-winning field goal on Saturday. The sophomore guard is very good at scoring in the paint.
- Sandusky beat Glenville, 76-75, in overtime on Saturday. Glenville junior Bryon Ottrix went for 42 points while Sandusky’s go-to guard Tahj Staveskie had 28. Both guards are excellent shot-creators with shooting ability and a shifty game.
- A few game-winning shots in Columbus on Friday night: Garrett Taylor drilled a pick-and-pop triple to push Marysville past Dublin Coffman. Also, Will LeMaire’s 3-pointer won the Olentangy game for Westerville Central in double-overtime.
- Beechcroft 6-foot-6 sophomore Amani Lyles dropped 45 points on International Friday night.
Week 3 Recruiting Headlines
Alex Mangold (2020), a 6-8 power forward from Lakota East, committed to Nova Southeastern. @alexmangold17 @eastsidehoops https://t.co/6tB4bnGwok
— Prep Hoops Ohio (@PrepHoopsOH) December 17, 2019
Curtis Harrison (2020), a 6-7 power forward from Seven Hills, received an offer from St. Francis (PA). @c4fazo @7HillsStingers @Apex_Basketball https://t.co/EORRFWTKCO
— Prep Hoops Ohio (@PrepHoopsOH) December 17, 2019