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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.