It was a banner day for the Cincinnati area on Saturday in Columbus.
La Salle (Cincinnati) and
Taft (Cincinnati) won the Divisions I and III state boys basketball titles at Ohio State University's Value City Arena.
On Saturday afternoon, Taft defeated Cleveland Central Catholic 95-52 to win the Division III state final. Junior forward
Adolphus Washington had 18 points, eight rebounds, two assists and two steals to lift the Senators (26-1). Taft set Division III state championship records for most points in a game and in a quarter and tied the largest margin of victory in any division. Taft, which won the school's first state basketball title, never lost to a team from Ohio this season.
"Wow," Taft coach Mark Mitchell told the Cincinnati Enquirer. "You think about all the things that you want to do in a game of this magnitude and you just hope that everything works out," he said. "You hope that you get a break, you hope that the kids buy in. Today was a culmination of 19 years of hard work (in coaching)."
In the large school division, La Salle defeated Columbus Northland 59-40 for the Division I state title. La Salle (26-2) was led by senior
Brandon Neel, who had a game-high 22 points. He also had six rebounds, four assists, one block and two steals. Senior guard
Ryan Fleming had 17 points, six rebounds, four assists, two blocks and a steal. It was the first state title for La Salle since 1996.
"I'm so happy for this team…this has been a group effort," La Salle coach Dan Fleming told the Community Press. "From the coaches to the players, we're just happy to be state champs."
DAYTON MARSHALL FINISHES AS RUNNER-UPThe
Thurgood Marshall (Dayton) boys basketball team finished as Division II state runner-up with a 57-46 loss to
St. Vincent-St. Mary (Akron) on Saturday. Marshall, which finished the season with a 22-6 record, was led by
Jordan Watson, who had 16 points and six rebounds. SVSM was led by
Lorenzo Cugini, who had 15 points and 10 rebounds.
BOB RONAI RESIGNS AT MIDDLETOWNMiddletown boys basketball coach Bob Ronai resigned Wednesday after eight seasons and a 97-79 record, according to a news release. Ronai helped to lead Middletown to an 18-5 record this past season including 10 consecutive wins from the end of the January to the first week of March. Ronai made the announcement to his team after school on Wednesday. "I was shocked," Middletown junior Geovonie McKnight told the Middletown Journal. "I didn't expect it because the group we will have back are most of the starters." Middletown athletic director Gary Lebo told the Middletown Journal that there was no timeline on naming a new coach.
SCOTT KAUFMAN TO WYOMINGPrinceton athletic director Scott Kaufman will become the
Wyoming (Cincinnati) athletic director effective Aug. 1. Kaufman, who is leaving the Princeton athletic director position Thursday (March 31) because of budget cuts, received a two-year contract from Wyoming. Kaufman, one of the most widely known athletic directors in Ohio, is a member of the Southwest District Athletic Board.
TOP STANDOUTS * Amy Brooks, Harrison: The senior forward had 11 points to lead the West past the East 69-65 in the District 16 Division I Senior All-Star game, according to the Enquirer. Brooks averaged 18.8 points, 9.4 rebounds and 2.6 steals for Harrison this past season.
* Brittany Williams, Summit Country Day: The senior scored 15 points in the Divisions II-IV All-Star Game to lead the East to a 69-44 win over the West, according to the Enquirer. Williams averaged 17 points and nine rebounds during the regular season.
* Nikki McKee, Wyoming: The senior guard had 17 points for the West squad in the Divisions II-IV game. McKee, who was named the Associated Press Division II state co-player of the year, averaged 23.8 points and 8.1 rebounds this past season.
UPCOMING SCHEDULE * Fairfield at Lakota West (West Chester) softball, 4:30 p.m. Wednesday: These two Greater Miami Conference rivals meet in West Chester. It will be Fairfield's second game and Lakota West's third game. Both teams were 14-4 in the GMC last season.
* Fairfield Invitational track meet, 4 p.m. Thursday: Several area track and field teams will compete in this annual event at the high school stadium. La Salle and Mason are among the early favorites in boys' and girls' track, respectively.
* Elder (Cincinnati) at Archbishop Moeller (Cincinnati) baseball, 4:30 p.m. Friday: What a way to help conclude the opening week of the season. These two Greater Catholic League South division rivals are very talented again this spring. Elder defeated Moeller 1-0 in a Division I state semifinal last season en route to being the state runner-up.
RECRUITING NEWS Roger Bacon senior center
Jared Bryant has been receiving interest from VCU, Tulane, St. Bonaventure, Wofford, Bowling Green and others.
RANDOM THOUGHTS Aiken (Cincinnati) is expected to conduct interviews for its head football coaching vacancy this week. A decision is expected the first week of April. … Juniors-to-be Alfred Ramsby and Jackson Sorn are the frontrunners for the Colerain quarterback position, reports the Enquirer. Colerain senior Tyler Williams – the 2010 starter – has signed to play at Akron. … Texas sophomore linebacker Jordan Hicks reportedly fractured his right foot and will miss the remainder of the spring season, according to the Dallas Morning News. Hicks, a former Lakota West standout, was one of the nation's top recruits in the 2010 class.
(Information from the Ohio High School Athletic Association was used in this report).