HAMILTON - On a day when Hamilton High School was stripped of their boys' basketball wins due to an ineligible player by the OHSAA, the Big Blue fell short to Lakota West 76-63.
The Firebirds got 28 points from sophomore Nathan Dudukovich, 20 from Kelvin Turner and 18 points and 12 rebounds from 6-foot-5 senior forward Brady Weber.
Hamilton was without 7-foot junior center Sage Tolentino and 6-foot-4 guard E.J. Kapihe, both transfers from Hawaii that had come to the mainland as part of a program allowing players opportunities through basketball.
Tolentino's absence was due to injury, while Kapihe is believed to be the athlete in question over a district residency issue. Both were present in street clothes during warmups and sat at the end of Hamilton's seating arrangement due to COVID-19 guidelines.
More:UPDATED: Hamilton AD Stewart resigns, boys basketball forfeits wins over transfer violation
Lakota West coach Jim Leon had texted Hamilton coach Kevin Higgins prior to the game about the OHSAA ruling and was impressed with how the Big Blue responded to the controversy.
"I thought his kids played really hard," Leon said. "It's got to be tough mentally. I don't know what he said to them; it's got to be really tough. Kevin said to me, 'We're starting a new season.' He's got a tournament to look forward to. At least they didn't shut him down."
Hamilton's coaching staff has not been affected, but athletic director Bill Stewart resigned as a result of the investigation. Football coach Nate Mahon is the interim AD while the full-time AD job now posted on the Hamilton City School District website.
Hamilton coach Higgins did not address the OHSAA's ruling after the game.
Director of Communications Joni Copas said the investigation is complete but wasn't sure if the eligibility of the player in question (Kapihe) could be reversed. Hamilton's Breeon Ishmail, who led the Big Blue with 25 points and 13 rebounds, confirmed that Tolentino would be back next week, but Kapihe might have to wait until next season.
Ishmail is a 6-foot-4 sophomore who tops the GMC in field-goal percentage at over 63% per game. He says the Big Blue will use the stripped wins as motivation the rest of the way.
"We're going to go up there in the tournament," Ishmail said. "We're going to do good for sure. I'm going to play hard. Harder than I played out there."
In the game, the teams were tied early in the first quarter 8-8, when Lakota West went on a 10-0 run. They would close with a 23-12 lead.
In the second frame, the Firebirds led by as many as a dozen, but a Jackson Lewis lay-in at the buzzer cut Hamilton's deficit to four at 38-34.
Nathan Dudukovich continued his hot shooting in the third with a pair of 3-pointers, but a Tory Jett 3-ball at that buzzer brought Hamilton within 10 at 60-50. They would briefly cut the lead to nine, but Lakota West shot over 53% for the night and was 11-of 20 on threes, so they quickly pulled ahead by double digits by the midway point of the final frame.
"We just dug ourselves a hole and never really could climb out of it," Higgins said. "We couldn't get enough defensive stops. We just let them offensively do what they wanted. Dudukovich is one of the best players in the city. He's an elite shooter. He can score inside, mid-range to threes. There's not a level he doesn't score at."
Leon has seen a number of good shooters and coached former Cincinnati Bearcat Damon Flint at Woodward. Just a sophomore, Dudukovich is drawing comparisons.
"Damon Flint was the greatest shooter I ever coached but Nathan's only 15," Leon said. "It's going to be interesting the next two years. He gets better every game and just loves the game. He can't wait 'til the next game."
Hamilton, now technically 0-13, is at Lakota East next Friday where it's believed center Tolentino will be back.
"Today we lost. That's all that matters," Higgins said. "Whatever happened before is what it is. You can't change reality."
Lakota West is now 8-4 (6-2 GMC) and will be at Springboro Saturday night.
HAMILTON 12 22 16 13 63
LAKOTA WEST 23 15 22 16 76
L - Turner 7 2 20 Lavender 4 0 9 Dudukovich 10 4 28 Weber 7 1 18 Minich 0 1 1
H - Lewis 6 2 17 Simms-Marshall 3 0 6 Jett 3 0 7 Swain 1 1 4 Ishmail 11 3 25 Brito 2 0 4
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