The most anticipated boys' basketball game of the season did not disappoint on Friday night in suburban Cincinnati with the state's two top-ranked Division I teams going toe-to-toe.
Archbishop Moeller (Cincinnati) took advantage of its home court to defeat league rival
La Salle (Cincinnati) 50-45 Friday night in front of a sold-out crowd.
The Crusaders improved to 13-0 overall and 5-0 in the Greater Catholic League South division. La Salle, the preseason No. 1 team in the Cincinnati Enquirer's
area coaches' poll, dropped to 12-2 overall and 4-1 in the conference.
Moeller was led by senior guard
Charlie Byers, who had a team-high 11 points. Junior center
Tony Sabato had nine points, according to the publication.
"We're not worried about the rankings right now," Sabato told the Enquirer.
Indeed, there are plenty more regular-season games to follow. The two teams meet again in the regular-season finale at La Salle Feb. 18.
La Salle was led by junior guard
Josh Lemons, who had a game-high 15 points, according to the publication. La Salle coach Dan Fleming told the publication he was discouraged by the Lancers' poor field-goal percentage on Friday night.
"We just came out (and) laid an egg," Fleming told the publication. "That's the first time in three years. They had something to do with it. They played well, but we were bad. We just wasted everybody's time and money."
It was La Salle's second consecutive loss to Moeller going back to the 48-41 overtime game last postseason.
This week, La Salle plays host to Chaminade-Julienne Tuesday night while Moeller plays at Dayton Carroll the same night.
DAYTON CARROLL GIRLS CONTINUES TO DOMINATE BY BEATING ARCHBISHOP ALTERDayton Carroll remained undefeated with a 47-38 win over Alter last Wednesday. Defense was the difference, according to the Dayton Daily News
.
Carroll (Dayton) moved to 13-0, while Alter dropped to 8-3. Carroll junior
Kelly Austria and guard
Molly McGloin each had 12 points for the Patriots, according to the publication.
"Sometimes it's not the best offensive team that wins; it's the best defensive team," Carroll coach Rob Berry told the publication. Carroll is ranked No. 1 in the Associated Press Division II state poll, while Alter is No. 6.
ST. XAVIER WINS GCL BOWLING TITLESt. Xavier (Cincinnati) won its third consecutive Greater Catholic League bowling tournament title last week. The Bombers were led by seniors Tim Sause and Bryan Walsh and juniors Joey Bruns and Chris Hecht in the tournament. St. X defeated Purcell Marian, Roger Bacon and Elder en route to the title. The tournament was held on Shark lane conditions, which is a modified PBA Tour lane known for its low scoring patterns. It was a significant win for St. X, which finished second in the Bearcat Classic two weeks ago. St. X (8-3) plays La Salle on Tuesday in another GCL-South match.
TOP STANDOUTS* Jaaron Simmons, Alter boys basketball: The sophomore guard had a season-high 30 points to lead the Knights past host Elder 58-53 last week. He also had five rebounds in the game. He averages close to 19 points, 3.5 rebounds and three steals.
* Malcolm Smith, Princeton boys basketball: The junior guard had 22 points to lead the Vikings past Hughes 80-46 for their fourth consecutive win last week. Smith, who came off the bench, scored a season high against the non-league opponent.
* Cory Goedde, Glen Este boys basketball: The senior guard had a season-high 21 points to lead the visiting Trojans past Kings 55-33 last week. Goedde also had six rebounds and four assists. After the game, he averaged 11.6 points, 4.6 rebounds and 5.6 assists.
UPCOMING SCHEDULE* Lakota East (Liberty Township) at Lakota West (West Chester) boys basketball, 7:30 p.m. Tuesday: These two district rivals meet in West Chester. Lakota East, ranked No. 2 in the Cincinnati Enquirer Division I area coaches' poll, started the season 12-0. The Thunderhawks have been led by senior guard
Michael Boyd, who averaged 12.6 points, 3.6 rebounds and 3.3 assists as of late last week.
* Elder (Cincinnati) at Archbishop Moeller (Cincinnati) wrestling, 7 p.m. Thursday: Two Greater Catholic League South division rivals meet on the East Side of Cincinnati for what should be a classic matchup. These two teams are considered among the favorites in Southwest Ohio this winter. Moeller and Elder are ranked Nos. 4 and 5 in the Division I state coaches' poll.
* Roger Bacon (Cincinnati) at Archbishop McNicholas (Cincinnati) boys basketball, 7:30 p.m. Friday: This is a pivotal game for the GCL-Central division standings. Roger Bacon is led by senior guard
Paul Byrd (14.2 points per game) and senior forward
Jabriel Coaston (12 points and eight rebounds per game). McNicholas is led by junior guard
Drew Hall, who averages close to 16 points and more than five rebounds.
RANDOM THOUGHTSThe Ohio High School Athletic Association Board of Directors adopted a proposal from the ice hockey advisory team to allow the use of video replay during the state semifinals and state finals at Nationwide Arena to review goals and the correct time on the clock. …The state volleyball coaches' association has made a proposal that would allow schools to place the school name or logo on the top of the volleyball net. The OHSAA will vote on that in April. …The
Archbishop Moeller (Cincinnati) hockey team is ranked No. 4 in the Cincinnati-Columbus-Dayton state poll.
(Information from the Cincinnati Enquirer, Hamilton Journal-News, Pulse Journal, ScoutingOhio.com and Dayton Daily News was used in this report)
