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North College Hill High School (Cincinnati, Ohio)

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OSUBasketballJunkie

OSUBasketballJunkie

Never Forget 31-0
Players of Interest:

O.J. Mayo
Bill Walker
Keenan Ellis


usatoday

11/15/05

Quote:

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6. North College Hill, Cincinnati (27-1)
Returning starters: 4. Why they're good: Super 25 players 6-5 O.J. Mayo (26.7 ppg) and 6-6 F Bill Walker (19.6 ppg) are a standout junior duo. C Keenan Ellis, 6-11, averaged 13.6 points and 7.4 rebounds for the Division III champions, who averaged 94 points. Opens: Dec. 2 vs. Withrow (Cincinnati).



Regional Rankings

Quote:

Midwest
Quote:
1. Lawrence North, Indianapolis (24-2)
2. North College Hill, Cincinnati (27-1)
3. McKinley, Canton, Ohio (26-1)
4. Vashon, St. Louis (29-1)
5. Glenbrook North, Northbrook, Ill. (32-2)
6. Rufus King, Milwaukee (16-6)
7. Simeon, Chicago (24-5)
8. North Central, Indianapolis (17-9)
9. Santa Fe, Edmond, Okla. (25-4)
10. Solon, Ohio (25-1)
 
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12/3/05

NCH trio outmuscles Tigers

The already fearsome trio of O.J. Mayo, Bill Walker and Keenan Ellis, who as sophomores led North College Hill to the Division III Ohio state championship last season, opened their junior seasons Friday with an 89-38 trouncing of Withrow at Fairfield High School.

None of the three are much taller than a year ago at 6-5, 6-6 and 6-11, respectively, how much more height do they need? but their presence on the court seemed to loom even larger, particularly at the defensive end.

"They just outmanned us. Look at their bodies they've been in the weight room, you can tell," said Withrow coach Steve Gentry.

"We've matured a lot, and they're still maturing," said NCH coach Jamie Mahaffey. "They are still 17 and 18-year-old kids. People look at them and don't realize they're kids, not NBA players."

Mayo again led all scorers with 26 points and racked up double-figures in assists as well. Walker had 14 points and Ellis 7 points, but NCH also got a strong contribution out of 6-5 senior forward Andre Evans, who was the second-leading scorer with 17 points.

The game was the season opener for both teams, and the debut of NCH's beefed-up non-conference schedule with big schools.

Withrow is ranked No. 7 in the Enquirer's Division I preseason coaches poll. NCH is No. 1 in the Division II-IV poll, and No. 6 nationally in USA Today's poll.

Withrow fell behind almost immediately and then suffered repeated lapses on the way to a 51-22 halftime deficit.

When NCH was pressuring the ball with its trapping defense, the game resembled a high school version of a PlayStation game. Mayo opened the game with a steal and a dunk, and the Trojans had three more before the end of the first quarter.

"It feels like we're pretty much the same players this year," Mayo said. "But our focus this year is to be a true team. It's not 'O.J. and the Trojans' or 'Bill and the Trojans.' "

Said Mahaffey: "Winning state was kind of a relief for these guys I think it's letting us be more focused as a team. Everyone knows their role, and no one is out there on the margin, doing their own thing."

"They probably have the best two players in the state (in Mayo and Walker)," Gentry said. "But the beat goes on for us. I think I found some players I know I can count on. We're going to have to shorten our bench. This was really a learning experience for us."

Withrow (0-1) - J. Howard 1 5 7, McCullar 1 0 2, Hisle 1 1 3, Frazier 1 0 2, G. Howard 4 2 11, Turney 1 0 2, McBride 0 2 2, Maupin 0 6 6, Bland 1 1 3. Totals: 10 17 38.
North College Hill (1-0) - Evans 7 3 17, Leary 1 0 3, Glover 2 3 8, Walker 5 4 14, Mayo 9 6 26, Ellis 3 1 7, Butler 2 0 5, Davis 4 1 9. Totals: 33 18 89.

Withrow121079-38NCH24272117-89
3-point goals:W G. Howard; NCH Leary, Mayo 2, Butler.
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12/7/05

NCH 'better than last year'
North College Hill 107, Lockland 65

By Tom Groeschen
Enquirer staff writer

Lockland threw its best punch at national basketball power North College Hill, and the Panthers still lost by 42 points.

The Trojans, with junior guard O.J. Mayo scoring 26 points, overpowered Lockland 107-65 before a sellout crowd of 950 at NCH on Tuesday night.
Lockland actually led 26-18 early in the second period, and the home crowd was getting a tad restless. Several steals and breakaway lay-ins later, NCH was off on a 16-1 run to grab a 34-27 lead.

Game over.

"We came out a little sluggish," Mayo said. "Then we started hitting the boards harder and got out running, like we usually do. We played average, but the important thing is we won."

NCH (2-0) is rated No. 6 nationally by USA Today and is a unanimous No. 1 in The Enquirer Divisions II-IV area coaches' poll.

Lockland (0-2) is ranked No. 6, and the Panthers clearly are better than their record. Their first loss this year was to Wyoming, which is No. 3 in the Divisions II-IV poll.

"They wanted to play us , and they didn't back down," NCH coach Jamie Mahaffey said.

"It's good we can have a game like this. We have to recognize we've got to bring our championship effort every night."

NCH, the defending Division III state champion, routed perennial Division I power Withrow 89-38 in a season opener Friday. Mayo, the nation's No. 1-rated junior by most scouting services, also scored 26 in that one.

Mayo got help Tuesday from Bill Walker, a 6-foot-6 junior forward who had five dunks among his 21 points. Senior forward Andre Evans had 15 points, 6-11 junior center Keenan Ellis scored 13, and sophomore point guard Damon Butler scored 11 for NCH.

"We know about O.J. and Bill and Keenan, but they seem much deeper this year," Lockland coach Paul Andrews said of NCH. "We wanted to spread the court and make it a two- or three-quarter game, but they were too much.

They look even better than last year."

Mayo had four dunks, as NCH out-dunked Lockland 10-0 overall. Mayo's totals also included five assists and three steals.

For Lockland, junior guard Thomas Smith had 20 points, senior guard Dajuan Harris scored 15, junior forward Antoine Wilhite had 14, and senior forward Sheldon Johnson scored 10.

Lockland (0-2) - Harris 5 4 15; Johnson 4 0 10; Ogletree 3 0 6; Smith 6 5 20; Wilhite 6 2 14. Totals: 24 11 65.
North College Hill (2-0) - Walker 10 1 21; Evans 7 1 15; Ellis 5 3 13; Mayo 11 0 26; Butler 5 0 11; Glover 1 0 3; Horne 0 1 1; Davis 4 0 8; Leary 3 1 9. Totals: 46 7 107.
Lockland22131020-65NCH18262934-107
3-pointers: L 6 (Harris, Johnson 2, Smith 3), NCH 8 (Mayo 4, Butler, Leary 2, Glover).
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12/11/05

Trojans trio combines for 73
Mayo hits 33 points, Ellis 22, Walker 18 in dunk fest

HUNTINGTON, W.Va. - O.J. Mayo and Bill Walker came back home for the second time in two years and gave the packed Veterans Memorial Field House crowd plenty of dunks and highlights to drop their jaws about in a 104-point victory over Wellston on Saturday.

The top-ranked juniors in the nation and Huntington natives combined for 20 dunks in only three quarters of play in a 138-34 win for North College Hill (3-0). Mayo scored a game-high 33 points, and Walker had 18 while battling leg cramps; neither played the entire fourth quarter.

That didn't stop the two from staying after the game to sign autographs for hundreds of kids, fans and players from one of the three other teams to play in the second annual Border Battle.

"This is something very important to me, to play here and see these guys play," said Juan Carlos Torres, a Sheldon Clark (Ky.) foreign exchange student from Mexico who got his picture with the two players and their autographs after the game.

"It's an important experience in my life," Torres said.

But for the majority of the crowd, the doubleheader was a chance to see the former middle school phenoms they used to watch in the Huntington YMCA leagues or at Rose Hill Christian Academy before they transferred to the Cincinnati high school.

"It's unbelievable. I've never seen anything like this," said Brandon Hicks of nearby Coal Grove, Ohio. "I saw them when they were in eighth grade at Rose Hill, but it was nothing like this. This is amazing. Back then they were still good, better than any high school player I've seen, but this is amazing.

"It's great that they come here and play, because I'd hate to have to drive to Cincinnati to see them. I have no idea who they could find to play with these guys. No one around here would even come close."

In the waning minutes, the only suspense was whether the Trojans would hold onto a 100-point lead with Mayo and Walker sitting.

"Look at this," Hicks said with two minutes left in the fourth quarter. "A 100-point lead. That's the only reason we stuck around after Bill and O.J. quit playing, was to see if they'd win by 100."

The Trojans got 22 points from center Keenan Ellis. They finished with 29 total dunks.

North College Hill plays The Patterson School (N.C.) at 2 p.m. today in the final game of the Border Battle. Both Walker and Mayo expect a much tougher game. The Patterson School has a national reputation and a 10-0 record against top-flight competition.

"It's just about like this everywhere," said Walker, who broke one of the rims at last year's Border Battle, of the frenzied atmosphere and autograph seekers. "These are people that live in the same place I live and I'd do anything for them. I was ready to come home last year and ready to come home this year, too."

Walker and Mayo said they make an extra effort to put on a special performance at home. But there are always surprises.

"You never see that, only when you come home," Walker said after being handed a youth football team picture of him, Mayo and their childhood teammates to sign. "Stuff like that makes it worthwhile. There's no telling how old we are in that picture."

Both players said they hope to come back to Huntington again for a third consecutive season next year. Mayo said he would like to play at Marshall University's Cam Henderson Center next season if possible.

Mayo said a potential meeting with West Virginia's Class AAA state champion, Huntington High, for whom many of their old friends and teammates play, would be great.

"It's a lot different coming back home and getting to play in front of my mom, my little brother and my sister," Mayo said. "Everybody wants to see that game, and if it happens, it happens. But if it don't, it don't. I wish them the best of luck."
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12/12/05

Mayo, Walker dazzle Huntington homefolks
By David Walsh

Huntington Herald-Dispatch

HUNTINGTON, W. Va. - With 5:42 remaining in the fourth quarter, North College Hill's lead over Patterson School had been trimmed to five points at 53-48.

At that moment, O.J. Mayo and Bill Walker, both Huntington natives and standouts for the unbeaten Trojans, stepped up the intensity.

Mayo, a 6-5 junior guard who is regarded as one of the top college prospects in the country and NBA lottery pick when that day comes, hit a 3-point shot to extend the lead to 56-48.

He contributed another basket, three dunks and four free throws down the stretch to lead North College Hill (4-0) to a 75-56 victory over the Bulldogs in the second day of Border Battle II at Veterans Memorial Field House.

"We had to maximize our possessions," the 6-6 Walker said. "We got what we wanted. This was a good test. We need these kind of games."

On Saturday night, North College Hill, the defending Ohio Division III state champion and ranked No. 6 in the Preseason USA Today Top 25, coasted to a 138-34 victory over Wellston. The Trojans shot 72.6 percent from the floor in that one. They didn't fare as well Sunday (25-for-56 for 44.6 percent), but they did convert 21 of 22 free throws to six of 16 for Patterson, which is located in Lenoir, N.C.

Mayo finished with a game-high 41 points and tied Walker for team rebound honors with eight. Mayo connected on all 14 free throws.

"It's fun to come home," Mayo said. "It was more competitive today. We left with a victory."

Trojans coach Jamie Mahaffey said his team made the plays when needed in the final period.

"They're a tough team," he said of the Bulldogs (10-1). "They're well coached. We executed well at the end. We tried to force the issue in the beginning. At the end, we got the ball where we wanted."

Patterson coach Tim Thomas admitted NCH's twin towers made the difference.

"They're great players," he said. "They play hard and play against big-time competition. Every time we'd cut the lead to five, O.J. or Billy would make a play. That's the kind of athletes they are."

Walker and 6-11 Keenan Ellis backed Mayo with 11 points each. A year ago, Walker broke a rim on a fourth-quarter dunk to stop the game against Lexington Bryan Station.

For North College Hill, the schedule is demanding. The Trojans have a Dec. 20 date against St. Xavier. They head to California for two on Dec. 22-23. Once back, they've got dates against La Salle, Canton McKinley, Taft, South Laurel (Ky.) and Oak Hill Academy. North College Hill returns to West Virginia on Jan. 28 to take on Beckley at the Charleston Civic Center Coliseum.

"We prepare for every situation," Mahaffey said. "We know we¹re going to see championship efforts. This is something we wanted and something we must prove we can do."

North College Hill 75, The Patterson School 56

NORTH COLLEGE HILL (4-0) - Walker 4-9 2-2 11, Butler 3-6 1-1 7, Mayo 12-28 14-14 41, Evans 2-3 1-2 5, Ellis 4-8 3-3 11, Glover 0-1 0-0 0, Parks 0-0 0-0 0, Davis 0-0 0-0 0, Leary 0-1 0-0 0. Totals: 25-56 21-22 75.
THE PATTERSON SCHOOL (10-1) - Soda 1-4 0-0 2, Poelnitz 0-5 0-0 0, Sutton 9-12 0-5 18, Harman 4-13 3-6 13, Hill 7-10 3-4 17, Caudell 3-7 0-1 6, Leemon 0-0 0-0 0, Creda 0-0 0-0 0, Gabriel 0-0 0-0 0, Jackson 0-0 0-0 0. Totals: 24-51 6-16 56.
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12/13/05

NCH's 104-point victory far off national record
By Tom Groeschen
Enquirer staff writer

North College Hill, which won a game by 104 points over the weekend, remains a unanimous No. 1 in The Enquirer Divisions II-IV boys' basketball area coaches' poll. Lakota West (boys' Division I), Princeton (girls' Division I) and McNicholas (girls' Divisions II-IV) also remained atop their respective polls Monday.

North College Hill (4-0), led by O.J. Mayo with 33 points, beat Wellston (Ohio) 138-34 Saturday in Huntington, W. Va. The 138-point total is tied for seventh on the Ohio High School Athletic Association all-time boys' list.

"We just played well, and we played good defense," NCH coach Jamie Mahaffey said. "We don't run up the score. Our players off the bench wanted to play basketball too."

NCH stars Mayo and Bill Walker sat out the fourth quarter of Saturday's game.

The OHSAA does not list records for scoring margin, but national prep expert Doug Huff (Student Sports magazine national rankings/records editor) said the 104-point margin is not nearly a record. Huff said his records show at least six games with more than 160-point margins, including a 187-point spread in 1992 when Jackson City, Ky., beat Lexington Woodbridge Academy 215-28.

NCH is rated No. 6 nationally by USA Today. The Trojans' next game is at St. Bernard on Friday. Next Tuesday, NCH faces St. Xavier - The Enquirer's No. 2-ranked Division I team - at Fairfield.
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12/17/05

North College Hill 89, St. Bernard 37

Junior guard O.J. Mayo led North College Hill with 32 points, five rebounds, four assists, three steals and a blocked shot.

St. Bernard senior guard Ben Haarman had 21 points, three assists and two steals.

NCH's Bill Walker did not play because of a slight hamstring injury. He's is expected to play in the Trojans' next game.

North College Hill (5-0) -Glover 3 0 6, Horne 2 0 5, Davis 4 0 9, Butler 1 0 2, Parks 1 0 2, Mayo 13 4 32, Leary 5 0 10, Evans 2 0 4, Ellis 8 3 19. Totals 39 7 89.

St. Bernard (1-3, MVC 1-2) -Cash 0 1 1, Wells 4 0 8, Crank 1 0 2, Haarman 8 2 21, Bushelman 1 0 2, Hall 0 1 1, Burnett 1 0 2. Totals 15 4 37.

North College Hill23261921-89St. Bernard641215-37
3-pointers: NCH 4 (Mayo 2, Davis, Horne); SB 3 (Haarman 3).
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12/18/05

Ohio high school insider
Stars aligned at NCH, so enjoy

By Tom Groeschen
Enquirer staff writer

We've had some pretty good basketball here in Cincinnati, but we've never seen a team like North College Hill.

And probably never will again.

That's hardly a revelation, but when NCH beats someone by 104 points - as the Trojans did last weekend - it makes you realize even more that we're probably witnessing a once-in-a-lifetime deal here.

There is O.J. Mayo, who is hailed as the next LeBron James and is the No. 1-rated player in the U.S. junior class.

There is Bill Walker, rated among the top five juniors nationally.

There is Keenan Ellis, rated among the top 50 juniors nationally.

When has Cincinnati ever had three of the nation's top 50 players in one class, not to mention on one team? I don't think it's ever happened, but if a local basketball historian can top that, please e-mail me.

Don't forget Andre Evans and Damon Butler and a deep Trojans bench. Can we just hand NCH its second straight Division III state trophy now, and save us all some time?

Casual fans, the kind who rarely attend prep basketball games, talk about wanting to get out and see "O.J. and the Boys." That includes people here at The Enquirer, where NCH talk rivals that of the Bengals on some days.

It really picked up last weekend, when NCH drilled Wellston (Ohio) 138-34 in a game at Huntington, W. Va., near where Mayo and Walker grew up.

A 104-point spread. Kind of leaps off the page, doesn't it?

That wasn't even near the record, believe it or not.

Prep guru Doug Huff, the Student Sports magazine national rankings/records editor, said his records show six games with more than 160-point margins.

That includes a 187-point spread in 1992, when Jackson City, Ky., beat Lexington Woodbridge Academy 215-28.

NCH is rated No. 5 nationally by USA Today. The Trojans' opponents include reigning Ohio Division I champion Canton McKinley (No. 16 in USA Today ratings) and Oak Hill Academy, Va., the five-time USA Today poll champ and No. 2 currently.

NCH also faces a big test Tuesday, when the Trojans play St. Xavier before an expected sellout crowd of 3,500 at Fairfield. The Bombers, the only team to beat NCH last season, are ranked No. 2 in the Enquirer Division I coaches' poll.

With that schedule, don't be surprised if NCH loses a game or two. But with that talent, don't be surprised if the Trojans win them all.

NCH WATCH: Upcoming games for the Trojans:

Tuesday vs. St. Xavier (at Fairfield), 7:30 p.m.
Thursday vs. Harvard Westlake (at Cerritos College, Calif., time TBA)
Friday vs. Compton Dominguez (at Cerritos College, Calif., time TBA)
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12/20/05

St. X, NCH face off

By Mike Dyer
Enquirer staff writer

St. Xavier basketball coach Scott Martin likes the timing of tonight's St. X-North College Hill game. It's an opportunity to see where his Bombers stand against a team rated as one of the nation's best.

NCH (5-0) plays St. X (5-0) at 7:30 p.m. today at Fairfield. Tickets are expected to be sold out, NCH athletic director Joe Nickel said Monday.

For the second consecutive week, North College Hill garnered all the first-place votes in The Enquirer Divisions II-IV area coaches' poll.

Junior guard O.J. Mayo, forward Bill Walker and center Keenan Ellis lead the Trojans.

Mayo had 32 points, five rebounds and four assists in an 89-37 win over St. Bernard Dec. 16.

But the intrigue looms tonight because St. X was the only team to defeat NCH (78-63) last season.

"Obviously it's a big game and it has a lot of hype (surrounding it)," St. X coach Scott Martin said. "The kids are excited to play a team rated that high in the nation."

NCH is rated No. 5 nationally by USA Today.

And it was Mayo and Walker that graced the cover of Sports Illustrated Dec. 5.

One question mark for the Bombers is senior center Alex Albright, who was suffering from flu-like symptoms Monday. Martin said he hoped Albright could play tonight.

On Thursday, NCH travels to California to play Harvard Westlake at Cerritos College, then Compton Dominguez on Friday.

St. X is led by senior David Gedeon, who averages 16.8 points, and sophomore forward Walt Gibler, who averages 8.4 rebounds and 2.2 blocks. Gedeon had a game-high 25 points, including 10-for-10 from the free throw line, in a 63-57 win over visiting La Salle Dec. 16.

St. X is ranked No. 2 in The Enquirer Division I area poll with one first-place vote.

Gedeon had 24 points in last season's win at St. Xavier. Mayo scored 31, but was 10-of-31 shooting.

"I thought we had great composure and mental toughness," Martin said of last season's win. "They pulled away from us (leading 32-28 at halftime) but we didn't get flustered."

Lakota West (4-0) remained No. 1 in the Division I poll and Moeller remained No. 3.
Following NCH, No. 2 Taft and No. 3 Wyoming remained the same in the Divisions II-IV poll.

Mount Notre Dame replaced Princeton at No. 1 in the Division I girls' poll.
In Divisions II-IV, McNicholas remained in the top spot followed by Little Miami.
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Here is the write-up.....

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12/21/05

Trojans' revenge not pretty for Bombers

By Tom Groeschen
Enquirer staff writer

Several hours before North College Hill routed St. Xavier 87-49 on Tuesday night, NCH stars O.J. Mayo and Bill Walker already were itching to go.

"They were in my office this afternoon," NCH athletic director Joe Nickel said Tuesday night. "I could tell right then they were ready. They couldn't wait to get here."

"Here" was Fairfield, where a sellout crowd of 3,500 watched in awe as NCH avenged its only loss of the 2004-05 season. Amid a big-game tournament atmosphere, NCH took a highly regarded St. X team and ran it off the court.

Walker scored 28 points and fellow junior Mayo had 26 as NCH, rated No. 5 nationally by USA Today, shot a blazing 67.9 percent from the floor. NCH was never threatened after building a 47-26 halftime lead.

And yes, there was payback involved after St. X beat NCH 78-63 last season at St. X. That was the Trojans' only loss in a Division III state championship season.

"That (revenge) was definitely part of it," Walker said. "We remembered how it felt to lose to them last year, and they rubbed it in on us pretty good. I credit them for taking us out of our game that night, but we really looked forward to this game."

NCH (6-0) cruised despite the absence of 6-foot-11 junior Keenan Ellis, who was serving a one-game suspension for undisclosed disciplinary reasons.
University of Kentucky coach Tubby Smith was among those in the house.

Smith is not permitted to comment publicly on prospective recruits, but he signed autographs and was cordial to the many fans who approached him.
With Walker soaring for six dunks and eight rebounds and shooting 13-of-17 from the field, and with Mayo going 11-of-18 (including 4-of-8 on 3-pointers), St. X had few answers defensively.

Officially, the Bombers were outshot 67.9 percent to 42.9 percent from the floor.

"I thought North College Hill brought their 'A' game, and that's scary," St. X coach Scott Martin said. "That, and we played subpar."

Junior forward Walt Gibler led St. X (5-1) with 13 points.

NCH is a unanimous No. 1 in the Enquirer Divisions II-IV coaches' poll, while St. Xavier is No. 2 in the Division I poll. The Bombers were state runner-up last season in Division I.

Mayo is the No. 1-rated junior in America by most scouts, with Walker generally rated among the top five juniors and Ellis in the top 50.

NCH wanted to get the ball out and run, and the Trojans did. NCH had 10 steals and held a 27-7 edge in points off turnovers, among many breathtaking stats.

NCH enjoyed itself so much that Walker happily stuck his tongue out after one big dunk. Mayo, strolling downcourt after yet another Walker dunk in the fourth quarter, looked up and smiled broadly at the St. X student section. Fairfield is NCH's second home, with the Trojans using the larger facility to accommodate crowds.

"Any time you can beat a team like St. X, it's big," Mayo said. "We understood we would have to pick it up without Keenan, and our whole team came through."

Andre Evans added 10 points and Paul Leary came off the bench for nine points for NCH. Mayo also had six rebounds, two assists and two steals.

NCH coach Jamie Mahaffey said the Trojans' edge this season was an extra year of maturity. Last season's team was undone partially by the close-quarters intensity of the St. X gym, not to mention since-graduated Bombers star Johnny Wolf.

"We had more composure this time and took care of the ball better," Mahaffey said. "We weren't focused on revenge, we just wanted to play our game.

But payback was still nice, the Trojans acknowledged. St. X hails from the Greater Catholic League South, which is one of the best leagues in the state.

"To beat St. X is important," Walker said, "because they don't lose many games. Any time you go up against a GCL team and win, it's a good night."

St. Xavier (5-1) - Gedeon 3 2 9, Gibler 6 1 13, Veith 2 2 6, Wolf 2 1 5, Albright 2 0 4, Scherer 1 0 2, Budde 2 0 4, Greiner 1 0 2, Hickey 1 0 2, Aluise 1 0 2. Totals: 21 6 49.
North College Hill (6-0) - Davis 2 2 6, Walker 13 2 28, Butler 3 0 6, Mayo 11 0 26, Evans 5 0 10, Horne 1 0 2, Leary 3 1 9. Totals: 38 5 87.
St. Xavier11151112-49NCH18291822-87

3-pointers: SX 1 (Gedeon), NCH 6 (Mayo 4, Leary 2).
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12/23/05

Mayo Superb but Walker Steals Show

Dan Arritt; Martin Henderson; Lauren Peterson, From Times Staff Reports


O.J. Mayo? How about Bill Walker?

Mayo, the high school phenom from Cincinnati North College Hill more than lived up to his billing Thursday night at Cerritos College, scoring 30 points in an 89-62 victory over North Hollywood Harvard-Westlake.

But it was Walker, a fellow junior for the Trojans who wowed the crowd with thunderous dunks and complete control of the paint, which also included Harvard-Westlake center Alex Stepheson, a North Carolina bound senior.

Walker, ranked No. 2 in the nation in his class behind Mayo, finished with 34 points and 15 rebounds. His three highlight reel dunks in the third quarter helped North College Hill outscore Harvard-Westlake, 24-18, and take a 63-47 lead.

"We were just trying to get a win," said Walker, a 6-foot-5, 210-pound forward. "We knew they were a quality team."

Mayo, a 6-4 guard who has been starring for his high school team since the seventh grade, was hot early, making five of 10 shots and scoring 15 points in the first half to help the 7-0 Trojans, ranked No. 5 in the nation by USA Today, to a 39-29 lead.

Walker started slowly, missing his first five shots from the field before scoring on a three-point play early in the second quarter to tie it at 20-20. Walker then scored 11 points in the third.

"Once he gets in the paint, he's strong," Stepheson said. "It's hard to stop him. We tried our best but we couldn't; he's just a good player."

Stepheson finished with 16 points and eight rebounds, and Ryan Merkle made four three-point baskets and scored 14 points for Harvard-Westlake (7-2), ranked No. 9 in the Southland by The Times.

North College Hill returns to Cerritos College tonight to play Compton Dominguez at 8:30. Dominguez is ranked No. 4 by The Times.
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LA TIMES

12/25/05

No Holding Mayo for Dominguez

Dan Arritt, Martin Henderson, From Times Staff Reports


With one mighty dunk, O.J. Mayo gave the spectators their money's worth Friday night.

Even those in the $50 courtside seats.

Other than that, Mayo and his Cincinnati North College Hill teammates took much of the excitement out of the game early, sprinting to a 30-point first-half lead and cruising to a 91-57 victory over Compton Dominguez in the featured game of the Rise or Fall Challenge at Cerritos College.

Mayo, the top-ranked junior in the country, finished with 29 points, including 16 in the deciding first half. Teammate Bill Walker, the No. 2-ranked junior in the nation, was unmatched in the paint for the second consecutive night, finishing with 25 points and 12 rebounds.

The Dons (7-3) had their excuses for coming out flat. They finished a tournament in Fort Meyers, Fla., on Thursday night and flew home Friday morning, arriving about eight hours before tip-off.

"I'm so tired my eyes hurt," Dominguez Coach Russell Otis said before the game.

North College Hill (8-0), ranked No. 5 in the nation by USA Today, didn't show any fatigue after defeating North Hollywood Harvard-Westlake, 89-62, on Thursday night.

The Dons took a 6-2 lead on back-to-back three-pointers by Dezon Otis and Brandon Jennings, but the Trojans closed out the first quarter with a 24-2 run.

Mayo's tomahawk dunk on a fastbreak in the opening minute of the second quarter gave North College Hill a 33-12 lead and brought the sellout crowd to its feet.

Dominguez, ranked No. 5 in the Southland by The Times, made just eight of 30 field goals in the first half and was six of 17 from the free-throw line.

Jennings had 17 to lead Dominguez.
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