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11/30/05

Lakota West starts season in top spot
North College Hill No. 1, too

The telephone rang, and Lakota West coach Mike Mueller was fully prepared with quips and quotes.

"You've got bad news, right?" Mueller said. "You're going to tell me we're No. 1, and that puts the target right on us."

Yes.

Mueller's Firebirds are No. 1 in The Enquirer Division I preseason area coaches' poll, with four starters back from a team that went 19-4 and reached the district finals.

North College Hill, to no one's shock, again is ranked No. 1 in Divisions II-IV. O.J. Mayo, Ohio Mr. Basketball as a sophomore, returns to lead the Trojans' Division III state title defense.

In Division I, Moeller and St. Xavier are ranked Nos. 2-3 after both reached the state Final Four last season. (St. X was state runner-up). Reigning Enquirer Division I poll champ Lakota East is No. 4, and La Salle is No. 5.

Lakota West is led by 6-foot-8 senior Josh Chichester, who has committed to play both football and basketball for Ohio State. Chichester averaged 13.1 points and 8.2 rebounds last season.

West's Mueller is used to the No. 1 role. He won a state title in 1992 when Lakota was still one high school, and last season's team briefly was ranked No. 1 locally.

"We went out and lost our next game, as you recall," Mueller said. "I think this is another year where several teams are competing for the top spot."
It probably won't be that way in Divisions II-IV, where NCH's Mayo, Bill Walker and Keenan Ellis all are ranked among the nation's top 50 juniors by Scout.com. NCH, rated No. 6 nationally by USA Today, will play five-time USA Today poll champion Oak Hill Academy (Va.) and local powers St. X and La Salle, among others.

"Our kids look forward to the challenges," NCH coach Jamie Mahaffey said. "Every night, everybody is going to bring their championship game to us."
Wyoming is No. 2 in Divisions II-IVl. Taft, which lost by only seven points to NCH last year, returns much of its roster and is No. 3.