Hoops notes

Here are a few hoops notes as we head into the second weekend of December:

• Wesley Jones hit six three-pointers and scored 31 points to lead Central State University to a 78-74 win over Gannon University Tuesday night. Jones was 7-of-12 from the field, 6-of-8 from three-point range and he sank 11-of-13 free throws. Jones also had two rebounds one steal;
• Treg Setty's 26 points in Mason County's season-opening win over Pendleton County moved him past Jon Ross and Fred Hester into 30th place on the Royals' all-time scoring list. Setty has 881 career points;
• Trevor Setty scored 18 points in Pikeville College's 122-71 victory over Alice Lloyd College. He is averaging 14.45 points a game;
• In their last 76 games against 10th Region opponents, the Mason County Royals are 71-5. Mason County's record vs. 10th Region teams from the 2000-01 season through Wednesday night's win is 157-11.

Hoops recap

Here is a rundown of how the local college and professional basketball players did this weekend:

• Keller Menke hit four three-pointers and scored a career-high 16 points in St. Catharine's 71-66 loss to Shawnee State;
• Darius Miller hit three three-pointers and scored 13 points in Kentucky's 75-73 loss to North Carolina. Miller also has seven rebounds and three steals;
• Chris Lofton scored 12 points as the Iowa Energy improved to 6-1 with a 113-103 win over Sioux Falls in the NBA Development League. Lofton is averaging 12.4 points and 3.6 rebounds a game. He is hitting 50% from the field including 48.4% from three-point range (15-of-31);
• Trevor Setty had 11 points and six rebounds in Pikeville's 85-76 loss to Lindsey Wilson. Setty made three three-pointers;
• Wesley Jones had four points, six assists, three steals and one rebound in Central State's 77-64 victory over Elizabeth City State;
• Chris Owens scored four points and had two steals in Transylvania's 65-57 win over Bluffton.

Setty, Jones and Lofton have big games

Trevor Setty, Wesley Jones and Chris Lofton has big games Saturday. Here's a rundown:

• Setty hit five three-pointers and equaled his season-high of 19 points as Pikeville College beat Bluefield College 92-62. Setty also had seven rebounds, three blocks, two assists and two steals;
• Jones scored a team-high 19 points, but Central State University lost to Elizabeth City University 80-72. Jones hit four three-pointers and had six rebounds and one assist;
• Lofton scored 12 points as the Iowa Energy improved to 2-0 with a 99-90 victory over the Dakota Wizards. Lofton also had four rebounds, two assists, two steals and one block. You watch Lofton's games online on NBA D-League Futurecast. Go to www.nba.com/dleague.

The latest on the local pro and college basketball and football players

Here is the latest on the local professional and college basketball and football players:

• Chris Lofton scored nine points in his first regular season game in the NBA D-League. Lofton also had five rebounds and four steals as the Iowa Energy defeated the Dakota Wizards 113-92 Friday night in Bismark. The same two teams play tonight in Des Moines;
• Darius Miller had a big game in Kentucky's 79-48 rout of Portland Friday night. Miller scored 15 points, grabbed five rebounds and dished out four assists. He also had a career high five steals and four blocks. Miller was 6-of-7 from the field including 3-of-4 on three pointers;
• Trevor Setty hit three three-pointers and scored 16 points as Pikeville College improved to 4-1 with an 87-61 victory over Alice Lloyd College Friday night;
• Central State University senior guard Wesley Jones scored 14 points in the Marauders' 76-72 season-opening win over Lincoln University Nov. 13. Jones scored four points and had five rebounds, one assist and one steal in CSU's 70-53 loss to Wayne State University Tuesday night;
• Stephen Howell had one carry for five yards in his Senior Day game and Centre College beat defeated LaGrange College 48-7 Nov. 13. Howell was injured most of his senior season;
• Chris Marshall played in nine games for Ohio Wesleyan this season. He rushed for 100 yards on 36 carries. He also had six receptions for 38 yards.

College hoops roundup

Six local college basketball players had games over the weekend. Here is how they did:

• Wesley Jones had 16 points, five rebounds, three steals and three assists to help Central State University rout Wilberforce 92-57. Jones was 4-of-4 on three-pointers;
• Chris Owens scored 12 points and had three rebounds, two steals and one block for Transylvania in a 71-64 loss to Defiance;
• De'Sarae Chambers had 10 points, three rebounds and one assist for the Dayton Flyers in a 72-54 victory over St. Louis;
• Trevor Setty scored five points as Pikeville edged Lindsey Wilson 79-78;
• Kasey Litzinger had two points, one rebound and one assist for Lindsey Wilson in a 65-61 win over Pikeville;
• Darius Miller had three rebounds, three assists and two steals in Kentucky's 81-55 victory over LSU.

College hoops recap

Here is a recap of how the local college basketball players did in games on Saturday:

• Mikah Turner scored 34 points for Berea College in a 79-74 loss to Brescia College. Turner is averaging 26.4 points a game;
• Wesley Jones scored 19 points to lead Central State University past Kentucky State University 73-71. CSU is 16-3;
• Chris Owens had 16 points for Transylvania University in a 69-66 road win over Bluffton University;
• Trevor Setty scored five points in Pikeville College's 59-52 win over St. Catharine College;
• De'Sarae Chambers had five points for the University of Dayton Flyers in an 83-31 rout of Richmond;
  

Checking in with the local college ballers

Here is how the local college basketball players did over the weekend:

• Mikah Turner scored 23 points for Berea College in a 99-87 loss to Brescia University;
• In his first game with Pikeville College, Trevor Setty led the No. 9 Bears with 21 points in a 114-62 win over Ohio State-Mansfield. Setty, who transferred from Georgetown College, gained his eligibility Friday when the fall semester ended;
  
• Chris Owens had 11 points, three rebounds, three assists and three steals for Transylvania in a 79-72 double-overtime loss to Rose Hulman;
• Darius Miller scored seven points and had three rebounds, four assists and one block in Kentucky's 90-73 win over Indiana;
• Kasey Litzinger scored four points and grabbed one rebound for Lindsey Wilson in a 73-72 loss to Midway;
• Wesley Jones had three points, four rebounds and one assist for Central State University in an 80-62 loss to the University of Illinois at Springfield. It was the Marauders' first loss of the season.

(Edited to added Trevor Setty's debut with Pikeville College)

Wesley Jones scores 15 points as CSU beats Tiffin 76-69

Here is the press release from Central State University:

After trailing most of the first half and down three at half time the Marauders received a spark from guard Wesley Jones who came off the bench and scored 15 points, thirteen of them in the second half to over come the three point shooting of Tiffin University for a 76-69 victory. Jones hit a jumper at the 12:25 mark of the second half to give the Marauders their first lead of the half 50-49. Tiffin’s Keenan Barlow, who hit 6 three point baskets on the night, hit one to move the Dragons back into the lead. Jones hit a lay-up at 11:05 to tie the score.
Gino Smith hit two of his 16 points at 9:30 and then Wesley Jones hit a three for the Marauders to give them a 60-56 lead.

Tiffin battled back and moved ahead with a 68-64 lead with 4:30 remaining in the game. Cole Prophet, of the Marauders who lead his team in scoring hit a three to move the Marauders to within one. On the other end of the court the Marauder defense stiffened and forced a turnover and Gino Smith was fouled and tied the score at 69 all hitting on one of two free throws. A minute later at 1:46 Smith hit two more from the charity stripe to give CSU the lead for good at 71-69. After missing a shot and getting the ball out of bounds Tiffin turned the ball over when Wesley Jones stole the inbounds pass and Cole Prophet hit a jumper for the Marauders. With less than a minute to play the Dragons had committed only 5 team fouls and then had to foul the Marauders twice before putting them on the line. The Marauders hit three of five free throws while the Dragons turned the ball over once and then missed a long three point attempt in the last minute to seal the CSU victory. Anthony Passley added 11 points for CSU and the Marauders turned the ball over only 13 times to the Dragons 23. The Marauders won the battle of the boards 42 to thirty five but struggled at the free throw line for the third game in a row hitting on 11 of 16 attempts.

The Dragons three point shooting disappeared in the second half when they hit only 5 of 15 as compared to 6 of 9 in the first half.

CSU is on the road until their Christmas break traveling to Springfield, IL for a rematch with the Prairie Stars of the University of Illinois—Springfield, the first of five road games, who the Marauders defeated on November 30 at home 100-82.

Wesley Jones scores 25 points for CSU

Wesley Jones scored a game-high 25 points to lead Central State University to a 100-82 win over the University of Illinois-Springfield Monday night. Jones, a 6-1 junior, hit 9-of-11 shots from the field and 7-of-8 from the free throw line. He also had four assists and two rebounds. Jones is averaging 14.2 points per game. CSU is 6-0. The Marauders host Marygrove College Friday night and Talladega College Saturday night in the Ben Waterman Classic.

Catching up with the local college athletes

Several local college basketball players were in action Saturday. Here is a recap:

• Darius Miller had five points, three rebounds and three assists in Kentucky's 92-63 win over Rider;
• De'Sarae Chambers had two points, three rebounds and one steal as Dayton upset Purdue 56-53 in the Boilermakers' Travelers Classic at Purdue;
• Chris Owens scored nine points and had three rebounds, two assists and two steals in Transylvania's 68-60 win over Centre;
• Wesley Jones came off the bench and scored 15 points, grabbed five rebounds and had one assist to help Central State University beat Clarion University 79-66 in the Shepherd Invitational;
• Kasey Litzinger tallied three points, two rebounds and one steal as Lindsey Wilson beat Berea 77-60 in the Berea College Classic

Keeping up with local college athletes

As the football season winds down and the basketball season cranks up, several local college athletes are excelling. Here are a few updates:

• Jackson Tolle had four tackles (including one for a loss) and a forced fumble in Georgetown's 35-17 loss to Lambuth;
• Chris Marshall scored a touchdown on a 10-yard run to help Ohio Wesleyan beat Hiram 38-6;
• Darius Miller scored 11 points and had four rebounds, seven assists, two steals and one block in Kentucky's 117-52 exhibition win over Clarion;
• De'Sarae Chambers had six points, two rebounds and one assist and Dayton beat Indiana (Pa.) 56-49 in an exhibition;
• Mikah Turner is off to a fast start for the Berea Mountaineers. He is averaging 21 points a game through three games and he scored a season-high 23 points in a 108-46 win over Boyce College;
• Kasey Litzinger had three rebounds, two assists and one steal for Lindsey Wilson in a 63-54 victory over Indiana University Southeast;
• Wesley Jones started and had five points, five rebounds, two assists and one steal as Central State University beat the University of Toledo 56-49 in an exhibition game.

Wesley Jones is playing hoops at Central State University

Former Mason County Royal Wesley Jones is playing college basketball at Central State University, an NCAA Division II school in Wilberforce, Ohio. Jones, a junior guard, scored two points and had two rebounds, three assists and one steal in an 89-83 exhibition win over Columbus State Community College Wednesday night. Central State has two more exhibition games before opening the season Nov. 17 at home against Wayne State University.