Teams across Greater Cincinnati finally laced up their sneakers for the 2025-2026 boys basketball season.
With the city’s boys taking the court, including those among the state’s top 25, we had plenty of noteworthy results in the first week of December.
Teams in Ohio, Northern Kentucky, and Indiana battled to start the year on the right foot, or to continue winning streaks for those teams that got a head start. With so much going on across the city, The Enquirer will keep you up to speed on the best games you may have missed.
Take a look at the top five boys basketball games from across Cincinnati the week of Dec. 1.
Ludlow 70, Oyler 69
In Ludlow’s first game of the season, the Panthers welcomed an Oyler squad that returned its top two scorers from last year’s 22-2 season. A high-scoring back-and-forth affair saw Ludlow hold onto a home win against the Madhatters on Dec. 1.
The Panthers led by three at the halftime break before Oyler won the third quarter to lead by one. A tightly contested fourth quarter saw Ludlow hang on to the 70-69 win. Ludlow junior Jaylen Stone went off for 27 points and seven rebounds, shooting 8-of-11 from the floor, including 3-of-5 from 3-point range.
Sophomores Logan Day and Andre Englemon Jr. and junior Gage Grider all had double-figure scoring nights in a balanced offensive attack. Oyler senior Devohn Ealy dueled with Stone all night, scoring 25 points on 10-of-14 shooting with eight rebounds, coming up with five assists and three steals as well. The loss was Oyler’s second-straight one-point road loss, having fallen at Northwest 67-66 three days before.
CHCA 56, Summit Country Day 52
Summit Country Day returned critical talent from a Final Four team last season, but Cincinnati Hills Christian Academy reminded the Silver Knights who won the Miami Valley Conference-Scarlet division last year.
CHCA built a double-digit lead going into halftime, winning the half 31-20. The Silver Knights came out swinging in the third quarter to come back, but couldn’t quite keep up the necessary momentum to complete the comeback in the fourth.
Summit Country Day sophomore Max Joiner led all scorers with 30 points, but he was overcome by CHCA seniors Jason Caimano and Colin Michel, who put up 27 and 21, respectively. The Dec. 5 contest was a bounce-back spot for both teams coming off of season-opening road losses but it was the Eagles who secured their first win of the year.
Winton Woods 74, Kings 38
While perhaps not as closely contested as others on this list, Winton Woods’ performance earned recognition for the debut of transfer Isaiah Mack-Russell. The four-star recruit and No. 7 player in Ohio made a big splash in his introduction to Cincinnati hoops.
The Warriors jumped on Kings right from the opening tip, leading 21-8 after one quarter and never looking back. Mack-Russell put up 28 points in his debut, turning in a 9-of-17 shooting night with four rebounds. Returning senior star Nate Dawson scored 15 for the Warriors, adding five steals, five rebounds, and three assists. Winton Woods hounded Kings on defense, coming away with 18 steals. Kings seniors Jackson Bake and Sammy Shuler tried to kick-start the Knights with 13 and 15 points, but it just wasn’t enough to protect home court.
Lawrenceburg 54, Franklin County 44
Lawrenceburg has gotten off to a 2-0 start to the year following the Tigers’ win against Franklin County. The hot start can be largely attributed to the stellar play of seniors Kaleb Evans and Evan Lewis, who were phenomenal again on Dec. 6.
Lawrenceburg let Franklin County take the early lead but reset after the first quarter, slowly carving out a larger and larger lead over the remainder of the game. Kaleb Cole was the game’s leading scorer with 20 points, knocking down 57% of his shots. Not to be outdone, Evan Lewis was right behind with 18 points and seven rebounds. The Tigers overcame deficits on the glass and in turnover margin thanks to a defensive effort, which held the Wildcats to just 27% shooting from the field.
South Dearborn 66, Jennings County 56
Another Indiana school off to a great start, South Dearborn picked up its fourth-straight win on Dec. 6. The Knights put on a shooting clinic to pick up a home win against Jennings County.
South Dearborn shot over 60% as a team in the matchup with the Panthers, with junior Scout Gray leading the way with 18 points while going 8-11 from the field. Fellow juniors Tyler Christian and Mason Lane scored 12 and 11, respectively, while senior Mason Hamlett rounded out the double-digit scorers with 10 points. Wyatt Adams, a junior, was close to a double-double with nine points and seven rebounds. The Knights continually pressed their advantage, now having won three games by 10 points or more.
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Top five Greater Cincinnati boys basketball games, Dec. 1-7
