McAuley hoops has another talented team

In the last three seasons, McAuley’s basketball team has won a combined 56 games. The only Girls Greater Catholic League team to win more during that span is Mount Notre Dame, and the Cougars have been rewarded with three straight GGCL titles.

The Mohawks won a share of the GGCL two years ago, but this season McAuley’s at work for an outright title — something the Mohawks haven’t done since 2012.

Looking to improve from last season’s 18-7 record, third-year coach Dan Wallace has three returning starters, all of whom are talented and experienced.

“We are very excited about this upcoming season,” Wallace said. “Coming off a district finals appearance and returning most of our impact players, we are looking to improve on a 18-win season. We expect to be able to go deep into the bench this season with experienced players who know what it takes to win. The commitment this offseason and impressive team chemistry should help us work through a very tough schedule.”

Senior Lexi Chrisman, a 6-foot-2 post player who’s signed with Rice University, senior Caroline Taphorn, an unsigned guard, and junior Hallie Heidemann are all back in the starting lineup. Chrisman and Heidemann were both first-team All-GGCL last season and Taphorn was second-team.

Last season, Chrisman, the younger sister of Ohio State punter Drue Chrisman, averaged 11.2 points, 6.0 rebounds and 2.5 blocks per game. Heidemann averaged 10.5 points, 5.7 rebounds, 2.6 steals and 2.0 assists per game, while Taphorn posted 8.9 points, 2.7 boards and 2.6 assists a game.

The Mohawks will also rely on junior forward Bri Kelhoffer, sophomore guard Sydney Benning and freshman guard Lexi Fleming, the daughter of longtime La Salle coach Dan Fleming.

“Graduating some senior leadership from the 2015-2016 team means we need to find out who is going to take on that role for us off the court,” said Wallace. “A couple young but talented kids will need to be caught up quickly but I feel we have very smart basketball-IQ kids who play extremely hard.”

McAuley opens the season with two on the road, at Lakota East Nov. 26 and at Alter Nov. 29. McAuley’s home-opener is Dec. 1 against Colerain.

Nathaniel Snow may not be the head girls basketball coach at North College Hill anymore, but one of his longtime assistants, Dante Barker, is ready to step in this season as the Trojans’ new head coach.

The upcoming season looks promising, too, after a 10-13 season last year. North College Hill returns four starters, two of whom are premier scoring threats in senior Victoria Morris and junior Raven Willis.

Morris averaged 20.5 points, 5.5 rebounds and 2.7 assists per game last season. She reached 1,000 career points, and Barker said she’ll have a chance to become the Trojans’ all-time leading scorer this season.

Willis averaged 16.0 points, 6.8 rebounds, 2.4 assists and 2.8 steals in 22 games last year. Both Willis and Morris are being looked at by some major Division I college basketball programs, said Barker.

Seniors Aniya Jones and Laniya Carter-Wiley both return to the starting rotation. Barker added to keep an eye on junior guard Rionna Randle, a spot-up 3-point shooter.

The Trojans could be a tough team, not just in the Miami Valley Conference, but across the city.

“We’re scrappy, play hard and have multiple scorers this year,” said Barker.

The Trojans open up with perennial power Madeira on the road Nov. 25. League rival Summit Country Day visits NCH on Nov. 30.

There’s a belief that belongs with Aiken’s girls basketball team. The Falcons finished runner-up last season in the Cincinnati Metro Athletic Conference with a 10-12 overall record and 8-2 league record.

Aiken hasn’t won an outright girls basketball league title since 1986, said coach Kevin Grant, who’s entering his 13th season.

Three returning starters headline a talented young team. Junior shooting guard Destiny Cunningham, junior forward Najae Thompson and sophomore point guard Lennesha Grant all return to starting spots. Cunningham was second-team All-CMAC last season with 10.0 points per game, while Grant was the Falcons’ assists and steals leader.

Coach Grant said to keep an eye on senior Alexis Braswell, juniors Theajah Johnson and Naijeh Price, sophomores Avonah Gray and Arielle Johnson, and freshman Keinizah Fairfax.

“Players are believing that they can win and are working hard,” said Grant.

Aiken opens the season at Roger Bacon Nov. 30. The Falcons also host a Martin Luther King Tournament this year Jan. 14-16, and they travel to Nashville, Tenn., for the “She Got Game Classic” Dec. 17-18.

Jacob Cheesman was a Roger Bacon boys basketball assistant coach last season, but this year he’s transitioned over as the new head coach of the girls team at Roger Bacon.

The Spartans went 11-12 last season. It was the eighth consecutive losing season, said Cheesman. But there was a bright side, he said: “The last three years, the number of wins has increased each year; we’re looking to get over that hump.”

Roger Bacon has three returning starters from last season, but Cheesman said the bench will run about eight-deep with players who can contribute. Senior center Aliyah Huff returns, along with sophomore guard Jalyn Jackson and junior guard Kaylee Sunders. Huff averaged 7.8 points and 5.7 rebounds last year. Sunders posted 7.6 points, 5.1 assists and 3.1 steals per game. Sunders has led the Greater Catholic League Co-ed Central in assists each of the last two seasons. Jackson, as a freshman, averaged 9.0 points per game.

Cheesman said the plan is to take Jackson off the ball in order to get her more quality shots. So with Sunders running the point and Jackson getting more opportunities to score, there should be a balance to the Spartans.

Freshman Kelly Brenner is going to play right away, said Cheesman. Also look for senior Olivia Stark, junior Ava Caldwell and sophomores Shanaya Figg and Destinee Byrd to be instrumental.

“Everything’s brand new,” Cheesman said. “The coaching staff, new offensive philosophy, new defensive philosophy … we have high goals, high aspirations and we want to be successful. Three weeks in and we’re very proud of how hard they’ve worked.”

Roger Bacon starts the season on the road Nov. 26 at Mount Healthy, with its home-opener Nov. 30 against Aiken.

Coming off a 7-17 season, Winton Woods’ girls basketball team is focused on evening that record out in the right direction.

The Warriors have three returning starters in senior Tamara Olverson, senior Jalyn Hill and sophomore Briana Ball. Olverson, a Chicago State commit, averaged 10.5 points and 5.3 rebounds per game last season.

Second-year head coach Gary Lumpkin said guards Kayla Haugabrook and Tanicia Dawson, along with forward Aria Gaines, will also be impact players.

“We have a hungry group of ladies who are focused on improving on last year’s record,” said Lumpkin. “They have been practicing hard and are looking forward to turning heads this year.”

Winton Woods opens up at home against Meadowdale on Nov. 26.

Finneytown finished at the bottom of the Cincinnati Hills League last year, but with a new girls basketball coach and one of the city’s top players returning for her senior season, the Wildcats could be in store for an improved season.

In addition to softball and volleyball, Dave Wolferst picked up his third Finneytown head coaching gig this season with hoops. It’s his first season at Finneytown, but Wolferst has 16 years of basketball coaching experience.

Leading the Wildcats will again be senior Nia McCormick, a first-team All-CHL player last season who averaged 18.0 points and 4.4 rebounds per game. McCormick’s taken a few official visits to major colleges, but she’s uncommitted at the time of print.

“In practice she’s actually taking a big leadership role bringing the freshmen and younger kids along with her,” Wolferst said of McCormick. “I think she understands that we’re hoping to improve from last year to this year and a lot of that is gonna be her, but we also have a few other options. If they can step up and perform it could be a pretty good improvement for us.”

Juniors Alexia Bonds and Andra Henson also returns as starters. Wolferst said freshman Asani Peoples has already been impressive with her energy and she should make an immediate impact.

“I like that we’ve got a lot of speed so we’re gonna utilize that and Nia’s play-making ability to create shots for other players,” he said. “We’re pretty aggressive but we need to be a little more aggressive, especially on the glass.”

Finneytown gets Cincinnati College Prep at home Nov. 30 to open its season. League play starts Dec. 3 with a visit from Madeira.

In Gregory Moore’s third season as the head girls basketball coach at Mount Healthy, he has an experienced lineup taking the floor.

The Owls return three starters from a team that finished 7-15 last season, good for sixth place in the Southwest Ohio Conference.

Senior Shauna McKenzie, juniors Gabrielle Barnett and Taylor Dickerson all return to the starting rotation. McKenzie averaged 5.7 points and 5.7 rebounds a game last season, while Barnett posted 8.5 points and 6.7 boards. Dickerson averaged 8.0 points and 4.9 rebounds per game, so the Owls have a productive group back.

Senior Kiara Moore and junior Natya Kaiser will both be pivotal parts this season for the Owls, said Moore.

Moore said his starting five and his first girl off the bench are what he likes most about his team. “They know the system and have played together for two years,” he said.

Mount Healthy opens with a pair of home games against Roger Bacon Nov. 26 and Taft on Nov. 30.