When Cincinnati High School Basketball Took Over Cintas Center

Some games you just know are going to be different before you even walk through the door.

When Lakota West and Princeton — the #1 and #2 teams in Ohio — were scheduled to face off in the Greater Miami Conference, tickets sold out in under two minutes. Two minutes. The demand was so overwhelming that the game got moved entirely — from a high school gym to Xavier University's Cintas Center, home of the Musketeers.

And then 7,275 people showed up.

The Stage Was Set

I spent my high school years at Princeton shooting games with the yearbook camera — standing on the sidelines of that same program, trying to capture moments I didn't fully know how to yet. Walking into Cintas Center for a high school basketball game and seeing that sea of people — it hits different when you know where you started.

This wasn't just a GMC matchup. This was Cincinnati high school basketball on a full college arena stage, and the city showed up for it.

The energy from warm-ups alone was electric. Both sides brought their fans, their noise, and their expectations. For one night, this was the biggest game in Ohio.

The Players Everyone Came to Watch

This game had two of the most talked-about players in Ohio on opposite sidelines — a sophomore the whole country is watching and a junior who just won GMC Player of the Year. That alone was worth the price of admission.

Kam Mercer — Princeton's #4

If you follow Ohio prep basketball, you already know the name. If you don't — let me catch you up.

Kam Mercer is a sophomore. That alone should tell you something.

ESPN has him ranked #5 nationally in the Class of 2028 and the #1 shooting guard in the country in his class. He's 6'5", and his game matches the hype. Earlier this season he was playing at Overtime Elite — a full professional development program for elite teenage players. He transferred back to Princeton mid-season.

Back home. Back in red and gray. Back in the GMC.

He also carries a 513 tattoo — the Cincinnati area code — on his arm. Once a Viking, always a Viking.

Josh Tyson — Lakota West's #2

On the other side of the court was Josh Tyson, and he was everything Lakota West's #1 ranking promised.

The 6'3" junior is a top-50 recruit in the Class of 2027, a Second Team All-Ohio selection, and was named GMC Player of the Year this season — leading the Firebirds through an undefeated conference schedule. He averaged over 16 points and nearly 4 assists a game while shooting an absurd 63.5% from the field. He's the kind of player who makes everything look under control even when it isn't.

Two elite players. Same city. Opposite jerseys. That's the stuff Cincinnati sports memories are made of.

The Game

Lakota West came in as the #1 team in Ohio, and they played like it — jumping out to an 18-0 lead in the first quarter before Princeton could get their footing. In front of 7,275 fans in a college arena, that kind of start could break a team.

Princeton didn't break.

The Vikings — riding a 13-game win streak coming in — clawed all the way back, coming within one point twice in the third quarter. Then in the fourth, Kam Mercer threw down a dunk to give Princeton the lead, 47-45. A sophomore. On this stage. Against the #1 team in Ohio. The crowd lost it.

But Lakota West is #1 for a reason. They answered with a 13-6 run to close the game — Bryce Curry hit a three-pointer with 1:30 left to retake the lead, and Andre Richardson sealed it with two free throws.

Final score: Lakota West 58, Princeton 53.

Mercer finished with 16 points. Tyson led all scorers with 19 points, steady and composed throughout — the engine that kept the Firebirds in control when Princeton made it a real game. The margin was close. It was a comeback. It was exactly the kind of game you move to Cintas Center for.

Shooting It as a Princeton Alum

I have to be transparent about something: I'm not a neutral party here.

I'm Princeton Class of 2012. I grew up watching Vikings basketball. My freshman year, I watched that boys team go to state — it's still one of my favorite memories from high school. So walking onto that court with my camera, shooting these kids playing on this stage, wearing those same red and gray colors I grew up around?

It meant something.

That's part of what I love about sports photography. You're not just documenting a game — you're documenting a moment in someone's story. For these players, this was a night they'll tell people about for the rest of their lives. The 7,000 fans. The college arena. The national spotlight.

I got to be there with a camera.

The Moments Between the Plays

Some of my favorite shots from this game weren't the dunks or the defensive stops. They were the in-between moments.

The assistant coach in the huddle during a timeout, crouched low with a clipboard, face full of intensity — framed through the players' legs. The pregame portrait of a Lakota West player standing with a teammate, locked in before tip-off. The coach pulling a player aside on the sideline, leaning in close.

This is what sports photography is really about. The human side. The emotion. Real moments over perfect moments.

A Night for Cincinnati Basketball

Lakota West won. Princeton battled. Kam Mercer reminded everyone why the recruiting world is already paying attention. And 7,275 people in Cincinnati packed a college arena on a weeknight to watch high school kids play basketball.

That's the beauty of this city and this sport.

I'm so grateful I got to be on that floor with my camera.

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I'm a Cincinnati-based sports photographer covering high school athletics, AAU, and tournaments across the country.

📸 Emma Lou Photo | emmalouphoto.com