Lexington Catholic High School
Lexington, Kentucky
January 5-6, 2007
© 2007 Ron Harrison
Lexington Catholic High School and Lexington based Game Se7en Sports Marketing
have joined forces to host an event that will feature top prep teams and some
of the elite prep players in the nation. Four out-of-state teams
(Norcross, Georgia, Joseph Wheeler, Georgia, Christian Life Academy, Louisiana,
and Arlington Country Day, Florica) will join with four Kentucky teams (Bryan
Station, Madison Central, Lexington Catholic, and South Laurel) for the two day
event. There will also be a top girls’ game featuring Lexington Catholic
versus North Canton Hoover (Ohio).
Theis event also features several talented performers who have committed to top Division I programs. Norcross will feature 6-9 Sr. Gani Lawal (Georgia Tech), 6-7 Sr. Jordan DeMercy (Florida State), and 6-5 Sr. Tony Neysmith (Oklahoma). Norcross has one of the highly recruited juniors in the nation in 6-8 Al-Farouq Aminu. Arlington Country Day features 6-9 Sr. A. J. Stewart (Kentucky). Marietta Joseph Wheeler features 6-9 Sr. J. J. Hickson (North Carolina State). Some other top out-of-state performers include 6-6 Sr. David Ndoumba (Christian Life - Louisiana) and 6-8 Sr. Trey Lang (Norcross).
Some of the top Kentucky boys performing include 6-2 Jr. Shelvin Mack and 6-5 Sr. Jaron Jones (Bryan Station), 6-5 Jr. Taylor Stewart, 6-6 Jr. Jordan Smart, and 6-5 Jr. Nathan Novosel (Lexington Catholic), 6-6 Jr. Aaron Morris and 6-2 Sr. Duane Fields (Madison Central), and 6-5 Sr. Jordan Hammonds, 6-8 Sr. Trey Smith, and 6-4 Sr. Ty Proffitt (South Laurel). Proffitt will continue his basketball career at Notre Dame.
Schedule of Events
|
Friday January 5, 2007 |
|
|
5:30 PM |
Bryan Station vs. Norcross (GA) |
|
7:30 PM |
Lexington Catholic vs. Joseph Wheeler (GA) |
|
9:00 PM |
Madison Central vs. Christian Life Academy (LA) |
|
Saturday January 6, 2007 |
|
|
2:00 PM |
Lexington Catholic (Girls) vs. North Canton Hoover (OH) |
|
3:30 PM |
Bryan Station vs. Christian Life Academy (LA) |
|
5:00 PM |
Madison Central vs. Norcross (GA) |
|
7:00 PM |
Lexington Catholic vs. Arlington Country Day (FL) |
|
8:30 PM |
South Laurel vs. Joseph Wheeler (GA) |
Norcross (GA) (10-2) vs. Bryan Station (9-1)
Norcross coach Eddie Martin started the following lineup: 6-7 Sr. Jordan DeMercy, 6-8 Jr. Al-Farouq Aminu, 6-9 Sr. Gani Lawal, 6-2 So. Taariq Muhammad, and 6-5 Sr. Tony Neysmith. Bryan Station coach Champ Ligon countered with 6-3 Sr. Stefan Lewis, 6-1 Sr. Courtney Embry, 6-5 Sr. Jaron Jones, 5-7 Sr. Dorian Cloyd, and 6-2 Jr. Shelvin Mack.
Norcross outscored Bryan Station 25-11 in the second quarter on their way to a 76-62 victory. Bryan Station trailed 61-39 early in the fourth quarter but rallied to close within 10, 65-53, late in the game but could never catch the high flying Blue Devils. The victors utilized superior size, 10 dunks, and 73.8% field goal shooting to claim the victory.
Norcross shot 73.8% from the field including two of seven from the three point line. The Blue Devils connected on 12 of 19 free throws, pulled down 39 rebounds, and scored 14 points off 12 Bryan Station turnovers. Bryan Station shot 37.1% from the field including six of 24 from beyond the arc. The Defenders connected on only four of 14 free throws, grabbed 27 rebounds, and scored 31 points off 28 Norcross turnovers.
Gani Lawal was named game MVP and led Norcross with 27 points and 10 rebounds. Lawal’s 27 points included six thunderous dunks. Al-Farouq Aminu added 19 points, 11 rebounds, and four blocked shots. Jordan DeMercy recorded 12 points and seven rebounds.
Jaron Jones led Bryan Station with 20 points including three three point baskets and 10 rebounds. Stefan Lewis added 11 points. 6-3 Jr. Terrell Combs added nine points and Shelvin Mack recorded seven points, five rebounds, nine assists, and five steals.
|
Norcross (GA) |
16 |
25 |
18 |
17 |
- |
76 |
|
Bryan Station |
11 |
11 |
17 |
23 |
- |
62 |
|
Norcross (GA) |
(76) |
- |
DeMercy 12, Aminu 19, Lawal 27, Muhammad 4, Neysmith 5, Jones 9. |
|
Bryan Station |
(62) |
- |
Lewis 11, Embry 4, Jones 20, Cloyd 0, Mack 7, Morones 5, Burnett 6, Combs 9. |
Joseph Wheeler (GA) (7-3) vs. Lexington Catholic (11-3)
Joseph Wheeler coach Doug Lipscomb started the following lineup: 6-8 Sr. Trey Lang, 6-6 Jr. DeQuan Jones, 6-9 Sr. J. J. Hickson, 6-3 Sr. Adrian Williams, and 5-10 Jr. Corey Tower. Lexington Catholic coach Brandon Salsman countered with 6-6 Jr. Jordan Smart, 6-2 Jr. Tyler Corvin, 6-5 Jr. Nathan Novosel, 6-5 Jr. Taylor Stewart, and 6-3 Sr. Zach Newton.
Joseph Wheeler took a 43-26 lead in the third quarter then withstood a furious Lexington Catholic rally to earn a 69-67 victory. Lexington Catholic led 21-16 in the second quarter but Joseph Wheeler reeled off 21 straight points to take a 37-21 lead in the third quarter. However, the tide would turn again as Lexington Catholic rallied to pull within two, 66-64, with 22 seconds remaining in the game. Joseph Wheeler managed to hold on in the closing seconds to ensure the hard-earned victory.
Joseph Wheeler shot 51% from the field including three of 11 from the three point line. The Wildcats connected on 16 of 22 free throws, pulled down 37 rebounds, and scored 18 points off 21 Lexington Catholic turnovers. Lexington Catholic shot 52% from the field including six of 18 from beyond the arc. The Knights connected on nine of 17 free throws, grabbed 22 rebounds, and scored 28 points off 24 Joseph Wheeler turnovers.
J. J. Hickson was named game MVP and led the victors with 32 points, 17 rebounds, two blocked shots, and four steals. Adrian Williams added 16 points including two three point baskets.
Nathan Novosel led Lexington Catholic with 17 points and six steals. Jordan Smart added 16 points including four three point baskets. Taylor Stewart and Zach Newton added 14 and 10 points respectively.
|
Joseph Wheeler (GA) |
12 |
18 |
17 |
22 |
- |
69 |
|
Lexington Catholic |
12 |
9 |
22 |
24 |
- |
67 |
|
Joseph Wheeler (GA) |
(69) |
- |
Lang 6, Jones 5, Hickson 32, Williams 16, Tower 4, Taylor 1, Stewart 5. |
|
Lexington Catholic |
(67) |
- |
Smart 16, Corvin 5, Novosel 17, Stewart 14, Newton 10, Botkins 5. |
Christian Life Academy (LA) (16-6) vs. Madison Central (11-3)
Christian Life Academy coach Todd Foster started the following lineup: 6-6 Sr. David Ndoumba, 6-7 Jr. Stuart Pirri, 6-7 Sr. Yan Moukoury, 5-9 Jr. Timile Lewis, and 5-9 Sr. Josh White. Madison Central coach Allen Feldhaus Jr. countered with 6-6 Jr. Aaron Morris, 6-4 Sr. Jason Beach, 6-3 Sr. Chavez Dean, 6-2 So. Keyshawn Simpson, and 6-2 Sr. Duane Fields.
Keyshawn Simpson scored on a putback basket with 49 seconds left to give Madison Central a 55-53 lead and the Indians held on to earn a 56-53 victory over Christian Life Academy. The Crusaders trailed 45-35 entering the final period but tied the score at 53-53 on a three point basket by Josh White with 1:09 remaining on the clock.
Madison Central shot 37.5% from the field, connected on only 12 of 29 free throws, and pulled down 42 rebounds. The Indians scored 20 points off 18 Christian Life Academy turnovers. Christian Life Academy shot 38.8% from the field, connected on 12 of 18 free throws, and grabbed 36 rebounds. The Crusaders scored 18 points off 14 Madison Central turnovers.
Madison Central was led by game MVP Aaron Morris who scored 23 points and pulled down seven rebounds. Chavez Dean added 10 points and six rebounds. Duane Fields and Keyshawn Simpson each recorded eight points and Simpson pulled down 11 rebounds.
Josh White led Christian Life Academy with 22 points including three three point baskets. Yan Moukoury added 16 points and seven rebounds. David Ndoumba chipped in with 11 points, 10 rebounds, and four steals.
|
Christian Life Academy (LA) |
9 |
19 |
7 |
18 |
- |
53 |
|
Madison Central |
14 |
17 |
14 |
11 |
- |
56 |
|
Christian Life Academy (LA) |
(53) |
- |
Ndoumba 11, Pirri 0, Mourkoury 16, Lewis 0, White 22, Galloway 4. |
|
Madison Central |
(56) |
- |
Morris 23, Jason Beach 2, Dean 10, Simpson 8, Fields 8, Metcalf 3, Johnson 2. |
North Canton Hoover (OH) (6-2) vs. Lexington Catholic (13-1) (Girls)
North Canton Hoover started the following lineup: 6-0 Sr. Giavanna Dipietro, 5-11 Jr. Brittany Orban, 6-3 Jr. Kyle Baumgartner, 5-6 Jr. Jackie Nicodemo, and 5-6 Sr. Stephanie Gibson. Lexington Catholic coach Jeff Hans countered with 5-11 Jr. Natalie Novosel, 5-9 So. Maggie Wilson, 6-0 Sr. Kellie Cash, 5-8 Jr. Briana Green, and 5-7 Sr. Keyla Snowden.
Lexington Catholic trailed 56-53 entering the final period but rallied to defeat North Canton Hoover 78-69. Lexington Catholic led 41-34 at halftime but the Lady Vikings outscored Lexington Catholic 22-12 in the third quarter to take the lead at the end of the quarter. Brittany Orban scored 11 points in the third quarter to lead the surge. Kellie Cash and Natalie Novosel each scored seven points in the final quarter to lead Lexington Catholic to victory.
The victors shot 47.1% from the field including seven of 21 from the three point line. The Lady Knights connected on 23 of 26 free throws, pulled down 28 rebounds, and scored 30 points off 23 North Canton Hoover turnovers. North Canton Hoover shot 50.9% from the field including four of 13 from beyond the arc. The Lady Vikings connected on seven of 10 free throws, grabbed 32 rebounds, and scored 14 points off 18 Lexington Catholic turnovers.
Natalie Novosel led Lexington Catholic with 22 points including 11 of 12 free throws, pulled down six rebounds, and recorded five steals. Kellie Cash was named game MVP and added 20 points including three three point baskets. Cash pulled down 10 rebounds and recorded four steals. Keyla Snowden and Briana Green added 16 and 11 points respectively.
Brittany Orban led North Canton Hoover with 19 points and five steals. Stephanie Gibson added 13 points and seven assists. Kyle Baumgartner chipped in with 12 points and nine rebounds and 5-7 So. Jessica Carpenter recorded 11 points.
|
North Canton Hoover (OH) |
25 |
9 |
22 |
13 |
- |
69 |
|
Lexington Catholic |
23 |
18 |
12 |
25 |
- |
78 |
|
North Canton Hoover (OH) |
(69) |
- |
Dipietro 6, Orban 19, Baumgartner 12, Nicodemo 8, S. Gibson 13, Carpenter 11. |
|
Lexington Catholic |
(78) |
- |
Novosel 22, Wilson 9, Cash 20, Green 11, Snowden 16. |
Christian Life Academy (LA) (16-7) vs. Bryan Station (9-2)
Christian Life Academy coach Todd Foster started the following lineup: 6-6 Sr. David Ndoumba, 6-7 Jr. Stuart Pirri, 6-7 Sr. Yan Moukoury, 5-9 Jr. Timile Lewis, and 5-9 Sr. Josh White. Bryan Station coach Champ Ligon countered with 5-11 So. Montell Morones, 6-1 Sr. Courtney Embry, 6-5 Sr. Jaron Jones, 5-7 Sr. Dorian Cloyd, and 6-2 Jr. Shelvin Mack.
Christian Life Academy defeated Bryan Station 79-74 in overtime. Bryan Station rallied from 14 points down to take a 67-64 lead with 12 seconds remaining in regulation. However, Christian Life answered as Josh White, despite being closely guarded, nailed a three point basket at the buzzer to tie the game. White led Christian Life with six points in overtime to claim the victory. Bryan Station was hampered today by the absence of Stefan Lewis due to injury.
Christian Life shot 66.7% from the including six of nine from the three point line. The Crusaders connected on 17 of 24 free throws, pulled down 37 rebounds, and scored 15 points off 10 Bryan Station turnovers. Bryan Station shot 44.1% from the field including eight of 23 from beyond the arc. The Defenders connected on six of 13 free throws, grabbed 25 rebounds, and scored 35 points off 24 Christian Life turnovers.
Josh White was named game MVP and led the victors with 31 points including 11 of 11 from the free throw line. David Ndoumba added 19 points and 13 rebounds. 6-0 Fr. Langston Galloway recorded 12 points.
Shelvin Mack led Bryan Station with 22 points, eight assists, and five steals. Montell Morones added 17 points including three three point baskets. Courtney Embry chipped in with 14 points, seven rebounds, and five steals and Jaron Jones recorded 13 points.
|
Christian Life Academy (LA) |
20 |
20 |
10 |
17 |
12 |
- |
79 |
|
Bryan Station |
16 |
12 |
11 |
28 |
7 |
- |
74 |
|
Christian Life Academy (LA) |
(79) |
- |
Ndoumba 19, Pirri 9, Mourkoury 6, Lewis 0, White 31, Galloway 13, Minor 1. |
|
Bryan Station |
(74) |
- |
Morones 17, Embry 14, Jones 13, Cloyd 0, Mack 22, Dawson 2, Combs 6. |
Norcross (GA) (11-2) vs. Madison Central (12-3)
Norcross coach Eddie Martin started the following lineup: 6-7 Sr. Jordan DeMercy, 6-8 Jr. Al-Farouq Aminu, 6-9 Sr. Gani Lawal, 6-2 So. Taariq Muhammad, and 6-5 Sr. Tony Neysmith. Madison Central coach Allen Feldhaus Jr. countered with 6-6 Jr. Aaron Morris, 6-4 Sr. Jason Beach, 6-3 Sr. Chavez Dean, 6-2 So. Keyshawn Simpson, and 6-2 Sr. Duane Fields.
Norcross’ formidable inside duo of Gani Lawal and Al-Farouq Aminu combined for 48 points and 21 of 24 shooting from the field in a 78-48 victory over Madison Central.
Norcross shot 63.5% from the field including seven of 17 from the three point line. The Blue Devils connected on five of nine free throws, pulled down 28 rebounds, and scored 24 points off 15 Madison Central turnovers. Madison Central shot 36% from the field including only three of 17 from beyond the arc. The Indians connected on nine of 17 free throws and grabbed 26 rebounds.
Al-Farouq Aminu was named game MVP and led the victors with 26 points including four three point baskets. Gani Lawal added 22 points and 11 rebounds. Tony Neysmith chipped in with 10 points. Jordan DeMercy recorded seven points and nine assists.
Aaron Morris led Madison Central with 13 points. Chavez Dean added 12 points and eight rebounds. Keyshawn Simpson recorded six points and six rebounds.
|
Norcross (GA) |
21 |
20 |
18 |
19 |
- |
78 |
|
Madison Central |
10 |
9 |
13 |
16 |
- |
48 |
|
Norcross (GA) |
(78) |
- |
DeMercy 7, Aminu 26, Lawal 22, Muhammad 6, Neysmith 10, Jones 3, Kent 2, Killian 2. |
|
Madison Central |
(48) |
- |
Morris 13, Jason Beach 3, Dean 12, Simpson 6, Fields 3, Metcalf 6, Johnson 2, Newman 3. |
Arlington Country Day (FL) (10-5) vs. Lexington Catholic (11-4)
Arlington Country Day coach Rex Morgan started the following lineup: 6-3 Jr. R. J. Wright, 6-3 Sr. Gabriel Charley, 6-9 Sr. A. J. Stewart, 6-2 Sr. Devon Lamb, and 6-1 Sr. David Swann. Lexington Catholic coach Brandon Salsman countered with 6-6 Jr. Jordan Smart, 6-2 Jr. Tyler Corvin, 6-5 Jr. Nathan Novosel, 6-5 Jr. Taylor Stewart, and 6-3 Sr. Zach Newton.
Arlington Country Day raced out to a 47-29 halftime lead but had to withstand a furious Lexington Catholic rally to eke out a 65-62 victory. Lexington Catholic outscored Arlington Country Day 26-8 in the third quarter to tie the score at 55-55 entering the final period. The Apaches hit their free throws down the stretch ensure the victory.
Arlington Country Day shot 45.8% from the field including only one of 14 from the three point line. The Apaches connected on 10 of 20 free throws, pulled down 44 rebounds, and scored 28 points off 19 Lexington Catholic turnovers. Lexington Catholic shot 37.5% from the field including seven of 18 from beyond the arc. The Knights connected on seven of 11 free throws, grabbed 36 rebounds, and scored 18 points off 20 Arlington Country Day turnovers.
Devon Lamb was named game MVP and led Arlington Country Day with 24 points and 15 rebounds. A. J. Stewart added 16 points and 14 rebounds, with 15 points and 11 rebounds coming in the first half. Gabriel Charley chipped in with 11 points and six rebounds.
Jordan Smart led Lexington Catholic with 21 points including six three point baskets and six rebounds. Nathan Novosel added 18 points and 10 rebounds. Taylor Stewart also reached double figures with 13 points and six rebounds.
|
Arlington Country Day (FL) |
24 |
23 |
8 |
10 |
- |
65 |
|
Lexington Catholic |
15 |
14 |
26 |
7 |
- |
62 |
|
Arlington Country Day (FL) |
(65) |
- |
Wright 8, Charley 11, Stewart 16, Lamb 24, Swann 2, Bell 4. |
|
Lexington Catholic |
(62) |
- |
Smart 21, Corvin 5, Novosel 18, Stewart 13, Newton 3, Tribble 2. |
Joseph Wheeler (GA) (8-3) vs. South Laurel (10-4)
Joseph Wheeler coach Doug Lipscomb started the following lineup: 6-8 Sr. Trey Lang, 6-6 Jr. DeQuan Jones, 6-9 Sr. J. J. Hickson, 6-3 Sr. Adrian Williams, and 5-10 Jr. Corey Tower. South Laurel coach Steve Wright countered with 6-5 Sr. Jordan Hammonds, 6-2 Jr. Jordan Bortnem, 6-8 Sr. Trey Smith, 6-1 Fr. Matt Gilbert, and 6-4 Sr. Ty Proffitt.
Joseph Wheeler took a 21-11 first quarter lead on their way to an 83-63 victory over South Laurel. The victors shot 57.6% from the field including eight of 18 from the three point line. The Wildcats connected on seven of nine free throws, pulled down 30 rebounds, and scored 21 points off 15 South Laurel turnovers. South Laurel shot 46.2% from the field including seven of 20 from beyond the arc. The Cardinals connected on eight of 18 free throws, grabbed 28 rebounds, and scored 19 points off 13 Joseph Wheeler turnovers.
J. J. Hickson was named game MVP and led the victors with 27 points and 11 rebounds. DeQuan Jones added 15 points and six rebounds. Adrian Williams scored 14 points including four three point baskets. 5-8 Fr. Phil Taylor came off the bench to record six points and nine assists.
Ty Proffitt led South Laurel with 21 points including three three point baskets and five rebounds. Jordan Hammonds added 13 points and Trey Smith recorded 11 points and seven rebounds.
|
Joseph Wheeler (GA) |
21 |
19 |
21 |
22 |
- |
83 |
|
South Laurel |
11 |
14 |
16 |
22 |
- |
63 |
|
Joseph Wheeler (GA) |
(83) |
- |
Lang 8, Jones 15, Hickson 27, Williams 14, Tower 7, Taylor 6, Horne 2, Stewart 4. |
|
South Laurel |
(63) |
- |
Hammonds 13, Bortnem 6, Smith 11, Gilbert 2, Proffitt 21, Price 2, St. John 3, Wilson 4, Duncan 1. |
Conclusion
The stars definitely came out in this two day event. Norcross and Joseph Wheeler were especially impressive as they both went 2-0 over the weekend. Gani Lawal (Norcross) had 49 points and 21 rebounds in two games and his teammate Al-Farouq Aminu recorded 45 points in two games and was observed by Kentucky’s Tubby Smith and North Carolina’s Roy Williams. Christian Life Academy’s 5-9 Sr. dynamo Josh White recorded 36 points in two games and his teammate David Ndoumba recorded 27 points and 17 rebounds. J. J. Hickson (Joseph Wheeler) tallied 59 points and 28 rebounds in two performances. 6-2 Sr. Devon Lamb recorded 24 points and 15 rebounds in his game and his Arlington Country Day teammate A. J. Stewart recorded 16 points and 14 rebounds.
Nathan Novosel (Lexington Catholic) had 35 points in two games and his teammate Jordan Smart tallied 37 points including 10 three point baskets. Ty Proffitt (South Laurel) tallied 21 points in his game. Aaron Morris (Madison Central) recorded 36 points in two games. Jaron Jones (Bryan Station) recorded 33 points in two games and his teammate Shelvin Mack added 29 points and 17 assists.
The Lexington Catholic versus North Canton Hoover (OH) was an excellent, well-played contest in the only girls’ game of the weekend. 6-0 Sr. Kellie Cash, 5-11 Jr. Natalie Novosel, and 5-7 Sr. Keyla Snowden had excellent performances for the victorious Lexington Catholic team. 5-11 Jr. Brittany Orban and 5-6 Sr. Stephanie Gibson had good outings for North Canton Hoover.
Acknowledgements
A special note of appreciation to Brooks Downing and Game Se7en Sports Marketing and Lexington Catholic for hosting this very entertaining well-run event with attention paid to every detail. Also, a thanks to Nissan on Nicholasville and all the sponsors who make this event a success. Much thanks to the Lexington Catholic stats crew Glenn Gentry and Gary Long who provided computer stats for all the games. I highly recommend this event for true hoops junkies and hope it continues far into the future.
Please feel free to send your comments and questions concerning the event, teams, or players to me at prephoops@yahoo.com .
Ron Harrison’s reports on this and other basketball events appear on http://www.kyprephoops.com.