Winton Woods (Ohio) 77 Covington Catholic 70

**Stardust** · 12-22-2011, 08:53 AM

12/21/2011
Winton Woods (Ohio) 77
Covington Catholic 70
Covington Catholic 17 14 12 27 70
Winton Woods (Ohio) 17 18 17 25 77
Covington Catholic (6-4) -- Ruthsatz 24, Tobler 17, Hayden 11, Fredrick 10, Pauly 8.
Winton Woods (4-1) -- Cheatham 31, Donald 15, Rousseau 12, Suesberry 7, McCorkle 5, Jones 4, Cage 3.

**Stardust** · 12-22-2011, 08:53 AM

A pair of uptempo basketball teams riding early-season winning streaks collided Wednesday in an interstate battle between Winton Woods and visiting Covington Catholic.

Although Winton Woods featured superior size and strength across the board, CovCath's quickness and 3-point shooting gave the Warriors all they could handle for most of four quarters before falling, 77-70.

"This is the type of game that can help us come tournament time," Winton Woods coach Donnie Gillespie said. "I think our schedule has great balance and playing these Kentucky teams allows us to experience different styles."

CovCath trailed by 12 late in the third quarter but made it a two-possession game with 20 seconds to play. The Colonels came up with a steal but could not convert a shot in the lane in an attempt to cut the lead to four. Winton Woods' Ronnie Rousseau hit a foul shot with 15.2 seconds left to set the final score.

"If we had made layups and short jump shots, it would have made a difference," CovCath coach Scott Ruthsatz said. "They're so tall, we were fading away too much and not going forward enough."

The Warriors (4-1), ranked eighth in the Enquirer Division I Ohio area coaches' poll, won their fourth straight after losing the opener to Moeller. CovCath (6-3), ranked sixth in Northern Kentucky, had its four-game winning streak snapped.

"I'm proud of the kids because they fought back," Ruthsatz said. "But give Winton Woods credit. They hit 22 of 28 at the free-throw line and that is fantastic. That was the difference in the game."

Junior Kwan Cheatham, a 6-foot-9, 215-pound forward, hit clutch baskets throughout for Winton Woods while leading all scorers with 31 points. He scored 18 in the second half and finished with eight rebounds. Trent Donald, a 6-4, 225-pound forward, added 13 points and a game-high 10 rebounds for the Warriors.

"My shot was falling and I was in a good rhythm," said Cheatham, who shot 7-for-9 overall from the floor, hit 3-for-6 from 3-point range and sank all eight of his foul shots. "But they're a good 3-point shooting team and their little guards were quick and they made it tough."

Sophomore point guard Nick Ruthsatz shot 4-for-5 from behind the arc and led CovCath with 24 points and four assists. He scored 11 in the fourth. "We had the game but we missed tons of layups," the younger Ruthsatz said.

Jack Tobler added 15 points and a team-high five rebounds for the Colonels, who were outrebounded, 34-25. The Warriors shot 56.1 percent (23-for-41) from the floor, 63.6 percent in the second half.

The score was tied at 17-all after one quarter. Winton Woods led by four at halftime as Cheatham scored eight points in less than three minutes to key a 9-0 Warriors run. Cheatham helped give the Warriors their 12-point third-quarter lead with 12 points in the frame.

CovCath had won six of seven before facing the first of four Ohio opponents in a 10-day stretch. The Colonels host McNicholas Friday. They play two games at next week's Kiwanis Holiday Hoops Classic in Granville, opening against Coshocton.

http://news.cincinnati.com/apps/pbcs.dll...312210107/