He verbally committed to  Cleveland State last summer. Saturday, MaLik London signs on the dotted  line.

In a special signing  ceremony in the Alumni Library at CHS, the Cavs 6’9” center takes the next step to his dream of playing  basketball in college.

Through 16 games London  has averaged 14.8 points per game, 9.8 rebounds per game and 5.3 blocks per game  this season. The pivot man’s field goal percentage is 61% up from 49% his junior  year.

Cavs  Head Coach Gary Kellough “We’re really proud of him, he’s come a long ways. I  remember when we got him as a Freshman, he shot the basketball with one hand. In  four years, he’s worked really hard… one thing you can always count on about  MaLik, he worked hard in practice and year ‘round.”

Following a Cavs game at  Dayton Stivers last December, assistant coach Dave Hammond said “He’s just got  that ability to get up, block a shot and then go get a rebound and you don’t  teach that’s just raw athletic ability.”

While London has been a  human highlight reel of dunk demonstrations and blocked shots, he unveiled  another side of his game this season, the mid-range jumper. In a postgame  interview on WBEX in January, London explained “I want to have that power to  dribble inside, take it down the court sometimes… I have to develop a shot  (mid-range) if I want to be that lethal (a player).”

Coach K adds “(He’s)  probably one of the most dramatic shot blockers and rebounders in the state and this year, with his  offensive threat becoming greater as a shooter, he’s rounded himself as a really  good basketball player.” One the Cavs coach is happy to have on his  side.

Warren’s Blane Maddox  minces no words when discussing London. “You press them (the Cavs defensively)  and MaLik’s down there and ready to jam it on ya.”

Something that opened the  eyes of CSU recruiters was London’s commitment and ability move up and down the  floor as a big man. “If you’re gonna play at the Division 1 level, you have to  set yourself aside from what other kids are doing… he’s got a great work ethic” said Kellough.

The Vikings are a  perennial powerhouse in the Horizon League under 6^th year head coach  Gary Waters. Entering Thursday’s game with Valparaiso, CSU is 16-4 and in first  place of the Horizon.

Cleveland State has five  seniors in its 2012 class, only Aaron Pogue a Dayton Dunbar product, at the  forward where London will play. The spot is filled with underclassmen and London  will be part of the mix.

CLICK HERE to read more about the Cleveland  State Men’s Basketball program.

Portsmouth stepped a game ahead of Chillicothe for their 12 consecutive win and grabbed sole possession atop the SEOAL with a 56-34 home victory over the Cavs.

It’s been 20 years since Portsmouth has been in the driver’s seat for a league championship. They’ve done it by winning the close games. Coach Eugene Collins says his Trojans avoided some speed bumps along the way, hanging
on for wins at Logan, Jackson and Chillicothe “and that’s the reason we’re
where we are.”

The game had swings of momentum and was nip and tuck for nearly three quarter but Portsmouth rode the biggest wave in the second half, sparked by a goal tending call on the Cavs’ MaLik London.

It came during Chillicothe’s last serious threat in the final three minutes of the third. The Cavs got a quick series of thunderous dunks by MaLik London on back-to-back trips to cut the margin to 30-29. Then London raced back to defend a shot by McKinley and was called for goal tending.

Collins said it was the turning point in the game. “It kinda got our kids goin’ and we went on from there.”

The Trojans jumped out to a 9-4 lead on back-to-back baskets by Dion McKinley, but the Cavs closed the gap on a shot by London and a couple of shots by Jalen Jones to close the quarter at 11-10 Portsmouth.

In the second, the Trojans went ahead by six 18-12 at the 4:48 mark on a bucket by Jallen Carter. Adam Bixler hit a short jumper to tie the game at 18 and an Aaron Elliott three-pointer from the corner gave the Cavs their first lead of the game at 1:27. Chillicothe used a 9-2 run to take a 21-20 lead into intermission.

Held scoreless in the first half, Zach Johnson found the bottom of the net to start the 3^rd for a 23-20 Cavs lead. It was their last of the game.

Zaide Whitley drained a three from the left wing to tie the game and Portsmouth went on a run to take a 30-25 lead.

Leading 32-29 with 2:29 left in the 3^rd, the Trojans extended their lead to seven and had the ball with less than two seconds left in the quarter. Whitley drained another 3-ball and Portsmouth was up by ten through three quarters.

The Trojans finished off Chillicothe with a 17-5 fourth period.

The Cavs had some opportunities in the third to see-saw with Portsmouth, but had four turnovers in four trips. The Trojans had 17 takeaways on the night.

London was the Cavs leading scorer with 12 points and 11 rebounds.

McKinley paced the Trojans with 14 points, Whitley had 13 and Wayne Evans had 11. Portsmouth had a good night from the three-point line hitting 8-of-12. Whitley had three and Carter added three more.

Chillicothe (11-6/6-2) holds a slight lead over Warren (5-2) in the SEOAL. The Warriors scored a 57-55 victory over Logan.

NOTES: One of the oddities of the game came from the free throw line. There were only three shots taken on the night, one by Jalen Jones and two by Charlie Demint. Neither made the shots. Portsmouth had no attempts… According our buddy “Trojandave” of www.southeasternohiopreps.com Portsmouth leads the series 43-41 after completing the season sweep of the Cavaliers… Chillicothe won the Freshman game 27-23 and the Junior Varsity game 56-52.

CLICK HERE to hear the game podcast

With such a crucial game coming Friday night, it was difficult to see the Cavs taking a step or two backward.

Chillicothe saw Gahanna Lincoln (11-5) pull away in the second half much like the Cavs did from Logan and Jackson in their games last week. The end result, a 65-44 loss at Hatton Gym Tuesday night.

Gahanna made all eleven of their field goals in the fourth quarter, mostly on layups. Three of those shots were from beyond the arc.

Zach Johnson hit a quick basket to start the final period to cut the Cavs’ deficit to six-points at 40-34, but Manny Powell sank a three-pointer to put the Lions ahead 43-34. Two quick baskets by Austin Rutherford put the game out of reach.

Rutherford had great defensive anticipation which helped force 22 Cavalier turnovers (most coming in the second half) and a Gahanna total 12 steals. All the while, he and teammate Isaiah Israel found an easy path the basket to score 14 points apiece. Troy Mundy provided 12 more points with the two other three-balls in the fourth.

Chillicothe meanwhile seemed out of sync.

At times offensively, the Cavs failed to communicate, which allowed the Lions to turn the game into a bit of a runaway.

Early on, the Cavs fell behind 8-4 before Jalen Jones sank a free throw and Aaron Elliott dropped in a long ball from the corner to tie the game at 8. Johnson’s first basket of the night put Chillicothe ahead 10-8 with 1:56 left in the opening period. Neither team would score again until Grant Patch hit a reverse layup to start the second quarter.

In the second period, the lead switched hands five times. The Cavs gained a run of momentum following a MaLik London dunk, but Gahanna closed out the quarter on an 8-2 run for a 28-22 lead at the half.

The Cavs’ big three scorers, London (14 points), Johnson (12 points) and Elliott (11 points) were held below their averages. London and Johnson combined for 16 of the Cavs 22 points after halftime.

Chillicothe (11-5/6-1) now prepares for the Trojans (14-2/6-1) in an SEOAL showdown this Friday at Portsmouth High School.

CLICK HERE for the game podcast

Chillicothe’s Aaron Elliott may as well been a bank teller Friday night. Late in the game the Cavs guard was open for business under the basket, and the bank was open.

Elliott led all scorers with 26 points (16 in the second half) in Chillicothe’s 73-54 win over Jackson to set up next Friday’s battle at Portsmouth for sole possession of first place
in the SEOAL. The Trojans handed Warren its second loss on the season 69-66 just before the Cavs dusted off Jackson.

Chillicothe used defensive pressure early and got some fast break points to build a 16-8 lead in the first quarter, but 1:20 into the second period, a free throw by Jackson’s Colt Chapman
(20 points) and a three by Luke Eisnaugle (13 points) pulled the Ironmen back to within 18-15.

The difference maker may have been how Chillicothe closed out the first half. Leading 25-21 with 1:48 remaining, MaLik London scored on back-to-back field goal-free throw combos,
Elliott chipped in a basket to spread the lead to nine. A technical foul on the Jackson bench allowed Zach Johnson to tack on a pair of free throws and the Cavs were on their way to a 34-21 lead by intermission.

London and Johnson recorded double-doubles with 17 points and 16 points each with 10 rebounds apiece. Add to it, some assists in the second half, grabbing loose balls and finding banker Elliott for some quick deposits in the second half.

The Cavs shot 56% from the field with the book end quarters being the most efficient (7-of-10 in the first and 9-of-11 in the fourth).

Like Logan last Tuesday, Jackson used the long ball in an attempt to come from behind. While the trailed by double figures throughout the second half, the Ironmen at one point managed to sink three straight baskets from beyond the arc by Tyler Neal, Alec Ray and Eisnaugle but weren’t able to whittle the Cavs’ lead to less than 10 at
62-52.

Jackson slips to 6-8/2-5 while the Cavs improve to 11-4/6-1, keeping pace with the Portsmouth
Trojans.

Chillicothe hosts Gahanna in a non-league makeup game Tuesday. The Freshman and Junior Varsity games will be played at 5:30pm (Frosh in Cox Gym and the JV in Hatton Gym) with the Varsity tipping off about 7:00pm.

CLICK HERE to hear the game podcast

Former Chillicothe High School, University of Cincinnati and Bengals great Greg Cook has died.

Cook died Thursday at a Cincinnati hospital at the age of 65 after being admitted to the hospital Thursday with symptoms of pneumonia. He died from complications.

While at CHS, Cook (1964 season) received All-Ohio Honorable Mention
recognition in football, but was also recognized for his basketball talents. He was selected Cavalier MVP and was the leading rebounder on the while receiving
2^nd Team honors for the Southeast District and All-Central Ohio League.

As a senior at the University of Cincinnati, Cook passed for 554 yards against Ohio University, at the time an NCAA single game record. Cook completed 35 of 56 passes which were also UC records. His 3.272 passing yards were the most in the nation in 1968. Those numbers helped him lead the country in total offense and Honorable Mention recognition by the Associated Press and United Press International.

Cook was inducted into both the Chillicothe High School Athletic Hall of Fame and the University of Cincinnati Football Hall of Fame, labeled as UC’s All-Time Great Quarterback.

Cook was a First Round selection by the Cincinnati Bengals in the 1969 NFL Draft and was awarded AFL Rookie of the Year later that year.

His pro football career was cut short due to injuries.

In his post playing days, Cook became a working member of the media through radio in the Cincinnati area. He was also an accomplished painter.

From Bengals.com

Greg Cook NFL career stats

The Cavaliers are tied for first place in the SEOAL with Portsmouth, but with 16 minutes remaining, Logan appeared they wanted to make a statement.

Falling behind 14-5 to close out the first quarter, the Chieftains whittled Chillicothe’s lead to 22-20.

The Cavs helped open the door for the Logan come back.

Zach Johnson gave Chillicothe an early 3-0 lead but the Chieftains Luke Miller and Tristan Myers hit back-to-back baskets to put the Chiefs up 5-3. The Cavs closed with an 11-0
run and appeared to be on cruise control.

That’s where things came unglued.

Shawn Vermillion ended a 6:42 Logan drought, cutting the Chillicothe lead to 16-7. That ignited a 15-6 run for the Chieftains, pulling them to 22-20 at the half. It was a second period that found the Cavs going 0-for-5 from the line with seven turnovers.

Chillicothe Coach Gary Kellough gave his team an attitude adjustment during the intermission.

“We just weren’t a crisp as we needed to be…” Coach K said in his postgame interview on WBEX, referring to his team being off 8 days thanks to the weekend’s two postponements (Logan
Friday and Gahanna Saturday).

“I kinda felt like when we played Warren and Dublin Coffman, we were in a rhythm… but when we went to Kettering (64-44 loss to Chaminade Julienne on 1/16) and then having to wait, we got out of that rhythm.

Following the break, the focus was clear… Get the ball inside to MaLik London. The Cavs pivot man drew a Logan foul 11 seconds into the 3^rd quarter, made the two free throws and Chillicothe made 8-of-8 field goals and slowly began to pull
away.

he Cavs tightened up their defensive pressure and forced the Chieftains into eight turnovers in the period. Logan used the three-point shot to try to silence the Chillicothe attack, but managed just 1-of-7 shots from behind the arc over the 8 minutes (they also finished 5-of-21 from three-point range).

Logan’s Gavin Jourdan sank a three-pointer with just over three minutes left in the third, but that would be the Chieftain’s final points until Jourdan hit a pair of free throws in the final 30 seconds.

Prior to the free throws, London and Johnson took over with a two-man 9-0 run for a 41-30 lead.

Chillicothe used a barrage of lay ups and inside shots to outscore Logan 19-9 for the 62-41 victory.

Johnson scored 21 points to lead the Cavs and Aaron Elliott added 10 to London’s 18 points.

Chillicothe (10-4/5-1) will host Jackson (6-7/2-4) Friday night at Hatton Memorial
Gymnasium.

The Chillicothe-Gahanna Lincoln games have been rescheduled for Tuesday January 31st.

This will be a triple-header night with the Freshman and Junior Varsity both playing at 5:30pm (Freshman in the Larry Cox Memorial Gymnasium and JV in Hatton Gymnasium) and the Varsity contest will tip-off approximately 7:00pm.

Due to the impending wintry mix of weather, Friday night's Logan-Chillicothe games have been postponed to January 24th.

There's been a change to the Chillicothe Boys Basketball schedule.

Due to an error in scheduling, the Cavs have replaced their originally scheduled game with Dayton Jefferson (2/11) with a game at Ironton (2/14).

The Cavs played at Ironton in December for the Tigers' Holiday Invitational.