WEST CHESTER TOWNSHIP, Ohio — The front of Lakota West sophomore guard Josh Tyson’s jersey said it all. The home jersey had a blood stain after the Firebirds’ win against visiting Lakota East Friday night.
“This blood stain is like a testament to how the game was,” Tyson said. “It was just a battle all out. And you knew it was going to be a dogfight in the end and we got the dub.”
Lakota West surged late in the fourth quarter — including creating a 10-0 run at one point — to defeat visiting Lakota East 54-41 Friday night in front of a sold-out gymnasium.
The anticipation was all around West Chester on this frigid January night. The Lakota Local School District recognized graduates who are now members of the Ohio State and Notre Dame football teams, too.
Tyson took a glimpse of how quickly the gymnasium filled up with fans during the third quarter of the girls basketball game.
Tyson knew Friday night’s boys basketball showdown was going to be a special atmosphere.
“It was crazy,” Tyson said. “This was probably the most packed game I’ve ever been to so that always plays a role in how we play. It just turns us all up.”
Tyson scored 11 points, while sophomore guard Bryce Curry had 10 points and dished out three assists. Senior guard LJ Green scored a game-high 14 points. He also had six rebounds and three assists. Green scored five points in less than 30 seconds late in the fourth quarter to seal the Firebirds' victory.
“This is my third time playing this rivalry,” Lakota West coach Kelven Moss said. “I thought this was the biggest one tonight. The crowd was amazing. The energy was amazing. The game was great. I just love it. I love being in this district because the pride. The pride is there. And we wanted to make everyone at West proud.”
Lakota West (12-3, 8-2 Greater Miami Conference) won its fifth consecutive game. Friday night is the only scheduled regular-season matchup against Lakota East (10-5, 7-3 GMC) this season.
“I was super proud of our guys,” Moss said. “To be patient. A team like Lakota East is well-coached. Defensively, they’re super sound. We just had to find different ways to score. I had to go away from my game plan with long possessions and more so get some quick hitters, get our guys open and get the right guys the ball. And to try to figure out mismatches and just attack them.”
Lakota East was led by senior point guard Trey Perry (Miami University signee), who scored 13 points and grabbed five rebounds. Freshman point guard Brady Bowman scored 12 points – all on 3-pointers – and had four assists.
Lakota East led 12-8 in the first quarter. However, Tyson’s 3-pointer tied the game at 16-all with 1:34 left in the second quarter. Another Tyson 3-pointer gave the Firebirds a 19-16 halftime lead.
The Thunderhawks took the lead in the third quarter but Lakota West senior guard Isaiah Meade-Moss, Coach Moss’ son, converted a 3-point play with 58.2 seconds left to help give West the lead for good.
“It was definitely intense playing against our district rivals,” Curry said. “It’s a big game. The GMC is on the line. So we had to dig deep.”
Moss said Curry and Tyson stepped up with a mature approach during the game to help lead the Firebirds.
“Those are my guys,” Moss said. “At the end of the day they’re our leaders. I know their young but I trust these two. I let them play their game. They trust me. And as the game was going I said we’re going to get you guys where you need to go.”
Lakota West concludes January by hosting Oak Hills (Tuesday) and playing at Princeton (Friday) next week. The Firebirds’ goal is to win the GMC, Curry said.
“I feel like the sky is the limit for our team,” Curry said.
Lakota East plays host to Hamilton Tuesday and Mason on Jan. 31.
The Lakota East girls basketball team defeated Lakota West 51-40 in the first game of the doubleheader Friday night.
