Big Time Games Received Big Time Players – (Cincinnati D-I)
Tuesday night was the beginning of the grind to getting out of Cincinnati’s bracket for some top teams and players in Southwest Ohio. Hamilton faced off against Mt. Healthy. St Xavier matched up against West Clermont, and Lakota West and…
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Continue ReadingTuesday night was the beginning of the grind to getting out of Cincinnati’s bracket for some top teams and players in Southwest Ohio. Hamilton faced off against Mt. Healthy. St Xavier matched up against West Clermont, and Lakota West and Mason gave the fans a thriller.
The most influential performer of the night was Julian Mackey (2020, 6’3″ G) of Lakota West. Julian was mentioned in one of our previous articles as a player who needed to step up, and he did just that. Julian finished the game with 34pts and 6reb. The two most impressive takeaways from his game were his ability to get to the line and his major 20 point, killer-instinct 4th quarter. Julian went 15-21 from the line, which was the ultimate difference in the night. Lakota and Mason both made 22 shots from the floor, and the exact point difference in the game was the 8 more free throws Lakota made than Mason. Lakota West beat Mason 74-66.
While Trey Robinson (2020, 6’6″ G) did his part and dropped 21 points in their win against Mt. Healthy, it was a standout performance from Jackson Lewis (2021, 5’11 G) that sparked Hamilton early. Jackson simply could not miss early on from downtown. The way Hamilton would even make that extra pass or two just to find him in the corner was remarkable. He was the hot hand, and he was being fed. Jackson has good handles, has lockdown defending capabilities, and he can absolutely shoot. He finished the game with 25 points. Hamilton beat Mt. Healthy 70-51
St. Xavier gave us a couple of stars last night. As a team that consistently has 3 scorers in double figures, they showed up to play. St. Xavier forced turnover after turnover early on in this game, and by the time West Clermont settled, it was too late. Kobe Rodgers (2021, 6’2″ G) was the initial player I highlighted as a key performer. He went for 15pts, 4reb, and 4ast. Avery Wilson (2020, 5’10” G) stepped up and went 4-7 from downtown and ended up with 16pts. It was Hank Thomas (2020, 6’6″ F) who led all scorers with 24pts, 5reb, and 5ast. He was efficient inside and out, got to the free-throw line, and only had 1 turnover in comparison to his 5 assists. St. Xavier defeated West Clermont 70-50 and advance to play Trey Robinson and Hamilton this Friday.
(photos courtesy of Matthew Cletus)