Taft made a statement with a victory over defending Division IV champ Maysville as the Senators used their high-pressure defense to turn over the Panthers while also not letting them get comfortable looks from beyond the 3-point arc. Hinton is a strong guard who kind of does a bit of everything for his team. Starting the game with the first nine points for his team, Hinton knocked down a 3-pointer, had a scoop layup and a mid-range pull-up to open the contest. Add in a handful of offensive rebounds and extra passes to shooters and Hinton checked a lot of boxes. A flat out winner at the high school level, Hinton has been impactful at all three of the CMAC schools he has played for and this final ride with Taft could end in a similar spot to where Hinton ended last season, at UD Arena in the state title game. Long ways to go till we get to that point and plenty of talented teams in the Senators way but this win proves that Taft can hang with anybody in Division IV.

Despite missing a couple of projected key pieces in the early games on Thursday, Cincinnati Taft still got after it defensively and showed off their athleticism. With a bunch of guys who want to pressure the ball and turn you over, opposing guards have to be able to handle traps and pressure thrown at them. I thought their entire team did a nice job rotating defensively and pressuring without fouling. The addition of Hinton also provides some stability at the lead guard position with an experienced floor general who had some tough finishes at the rim and rebounds the ball at a high rate for a guard thanks to his motor and frame. Safe to say Cincinnati Taft will be one of the more exciting teams in southwest Ohio once again this winter.

Hinton averaged 11 points, 6 rebounds, 3 steals and almost 4 assists per contest as a sophomore for Western Hills. He transferred to conference favorite Cincinnati Aiken and while his numbers across the board are slightly down, he’s impacting winning basketball with continued excellent defense, an improved assist to turnover ratio and fitting in on one of the best backcourts in Cincinnati. I do hope Hinton eventually takes a leap as a 3-point shooter, that will be especially important after seniors Jaiden Arnold Jaiden Arnold 5'10" | PG Cincinnati Aiken | 2025 State OH and James Burnett James Burnett 5'10" | PG Cincinnati Aiken | 2025 State OH graduate but at the moment Hinton is a strong glue piece on an Aiken squad that should have high playoff hopes at the moment.