Contributed

McDonald’s of Greater Ohio and Purcell Marian High School hosted a special jersey presentation ceremony honoring Darianna “Dee” Alexander, who was recently named a 2025 McDonald’s All American.    Before she embarks on her college career as a Cincinnati Bearcat, Alexander was celebrated alongside her teammates and coaches during the jersey presentation on March 4 at Purcell Marian High School, at 2935 Hackberry Street, Cincinnati. The ceremony was during a school-wide assembly in the gymnasium.

Alexander, the No. 8 ranked girls’ basketball player in the nation according to ESPN and the first Purcell Marian Cavalier to earn this honor, will compete alongside the country’s top high school basketball players in the 2025 McDonald’s All American Games on April 1 at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn.

Being named a McDonald’s All American adds to a growing list of accolades for Alexander. Her high school career includes back-to-back Ohio Ms. Basketball awards as a sophomore and junior, along with being named the 2024 Ohio Gatorade Player of the Year. She has led Purcell Marian to three OHSAA State Championships and was named to the 2025 Naismith Girls High School Player of the Year Midseason Team. Alexander will also represent the U.S. in the USA Basketball Nike Hoop Summit in April in Portland, Oregon.

The ceremony also featured remarks from McDonald’s Owner/Operator Brian Kilroy, who owns several restaurants in the greater Cincinnati area.

For nearly five decades, the McDonald’s All American Games have been a premier platform for some of basketball’s most elite players. The final group of 24 girls and 24 boys are selected by top analysts, prep scouts, media, and coaches from hundreds of high school athletes. Get in the Game,

The Main Event: Tickets to the 2025 McDonald’s All American Games at Barclays Center on Tuesday, April 1, are now available through ticketmaster.com or by visiting mcdaag.com.

Tune In: Fans can tune in on ESPN and ESPN2. The Sprite Jam Fest will air Monday, March 31 at 7:15 p.m. ET on ESPN2. The 2025 McDonald’s All American Games will start with the Girls Game on Tuesday, April 1 at 6:30 p.m. 

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This is the latest episode of the Chocolate News Podcast. We bring you news that discusses issues affecting the Black community.

On today’s show, we will be discussing Dee Alexander playing for UC, the WNBA draft, the passing of OJ Simpson, discriminatory housing in the West End, and more.

This week’s special guest is Noah O’Brien, VP of the West End Community Council.

This week’s episode is hosted by John Alexander Reese (Digital Editor, The Cincinnati Herald) and Andria Carter (Digital Correspondent).

The views expressed on this podcast do not necessarily express the opinions of The Cincinnati Herald.

Originally recorded on Wednesday, April 17, 2024.

HUD Complaint v Cincinnati and Statement of Evidence Redacted

The post Chocolate News: Discriminatory housing in the West End appeared first on The Cincinnati Herald .

By: Mike Dyer

CINCINNATI — Purcell Marian High School 2025 wing Dee Alexander is staying home! The five-star player, ranked No. 6 nationally in the 2025 class by ESPN, picked the University of Cincinnati over Ohio State and Illinois on Wednesday.

Alexander, the two-time Ohio Ms. Basketball recipient, led Purcell Marian (29-1) to a third consecutive state title in March. Purcell Marian is No. 15 nationally in the season’s final MaxPreps Top 25 rankings.

She had one of the most accomplished seasons in Ohio high school girls basketball history this past winter.

Alexander was named Tuesday afternoon to the MaxPreps Junior All-America Team. Last week, she was named to the MaxPreps All-America Second Team. She was also the Gatorade Ohio high school player of the year and the Ohio MaxPreps player of the year.

Scoring 1,896 points in her high school career, Alexander had been considering 15 programs publicly since announcing the finalists on Instagram in November 2023.

Those scholarship offers include the University of Connecticut, South Carolina, Iowa, Louisiana State (LSU), Ohio State, University of Southern California, Texas, Notre Dame, Illinois, Georgia, Virginia Tech and others.

Alexander became the Ohio High School Athletic Association’s all-time girls basketball state tournament scoring leader during the first half of this year’s state final. She scored 134 career points in the state tournament from 2022 to 2024 — with all those games at UD Arena.

Purcell Marian has an 83-4 record for the past three seasons.

The NCAA’s early signing period for basketball starts Nov. 13, 2024.

Reposted with permission from WCPO 9 Cincinnati.

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By: Mike Dyer | WCPO 9

DAYTON, Ohio — Purcell Marian High School has its three-peat.

The Cavaliers defeated Shaker Heights Laurel School 79-52 Saturday night in the Division II girls basketball state final at University of Dayton Arena. It is the third consecutive state championship for Purcell Marian (29-1).

“I just got done telling people I got to let this one sink in,” Purcell Marian coach Jamar Mosley said. “Well, I got to let all three of them sink in. I look ahead too much. What can we do better next year? That was my mindset in the past. I got to let these three sink in.”

Purcell Marian, winners of 27 consecutive games, is the sixth girls basketball team in state history to win three consecutive state titles.

Purcell Marian won the 2023 Division II state title, 2022 Division III state title and was a 2021 Division III state semifinalist.

Only three Ohio high school girls basketball programs have won four consecutive state titles or more including Mount Notre Dame (2006-09).

Purcell Marian junior wing Dee Alexander, a two-time Ohio Ms. Basketball recipient, is already thinking about next year.

“Our job is not completed yet,” said Alexander. “Once we get a state title next year my job will be completed in high school.”

Alexander scored 18 points and had six rebounds. She became the Ohio High School Athletic Association’s all-time girls basketball state tournament scoring leader Saturday night. She has scored 134 career points in the state tournament from 2022-2024.

“It means a lot because I’m just now finding this out so it’s something very special to me,” Alexander said.

Junior Ky’Aira Miller scored 18 points and had five rebounds and three assists. Freshman center Samaya Wilkins scored 17 points and had 13 rebounds.

It’s been a significant week for Purcell Marian, which is a reigning two-time state champion and ranked No. 15 nationally by MaxPreps. Alexander was named Ohio Ms. Basketball for a second straight season Wednesday. Alexander won the Gatorade Ohio player of the year award on Thursday morning.

Purcell Marian joined some very elite company in girls basketball state history this weekend.

Purcell Marian is the 16th team in state history with four consecutive trips to a state Final Four. Entering this year’s state tournament, 20 schools had won at least three girls basketball state titles overall.

Purcell Marian dominated Copley Friday in a state semifinal. It never trailed on Saturday. After two early ties, the Cavaliers led 20-10 at the end of the first quarter and 38-20 at halftime.

The outcome was never in doubt.

Purcell Marian went ahead 60-35 at the end of the third quarter. The Cavaliers won 23 consecutive games by double digits. The most recent game Purcell Marian won by single digits was a 56-51 win at Cooper Dec. 12.

Laurel School was led by sophomore Saniyah Hall who scored 21 points and had 14 rebounds. Laurel School completed its season with a 19-11 record.

Reposted with permission from WCPO 9 Cincinnati.

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This is the latest episode of the Chocolate News Podcast. We bring you news that discusses issues affecting the Black community.

On today’s show we will be discussing the recent shootings in Cincinnati, more presidential candidates join the 2024 Republican primary, a Black woman is shot by her White neighbor over an iPad, and more.

This week’s episode is hosted by John Alexander Reese (Digital Editor, The Cincinnati Herald) and Andria Carter (Digital Correspondent, The Cincinnati Herald).

Originally recorded on Wednesday, June 7, 2023.

The post Chocolate News: June 10, 2023 – June 16, 2023 appeared first on The Cincinnati Herald .

2023 Ohio Ms. Basketball recipient to compete with U.S. team in Mexico this month

By: Mike Dyer

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. — Purcell Marian High School 2025 wing Dee Alexander was selected Sunday morning to USA Basketball’s U16 Women’s National Team.

Alexander, named the 2023 Ohio Ms. Basketball recipient this past season, participated in the team trials starting last week in Colorado Springs.

“It’s a great achievement and a testament to her hard work and talent,” Purcell Marian girls basketball coach Jamar Mosley said. “It’s also a proud moment for our program to have one of our players represent the country at such a high level. We’re excited to follow her progress and see her compete in Mexico. Great news for her!”

Alexander, the MaxPreps Ohio player of the player, was named one of 14 finalists for the team earlier this week.

The U.S. women’s U16 team is scheduled to participate in the 2023 FIBA U16 Americas Championships June 13-19 in Merida, Mexico against Puerto Rico, Mexico and Colombia.

“We are incredibly happy for, proud of, and excited for Dee as she competes at the highest level this month with USA Basketball,” said She-Hoops Ohio’s Bryce McKey. “We know Dee will play a vital role in USA bringing back the gold!”

The U16 team, which has a 34-1 competition record, is seeking its fourth consecutive gold medal, according to USA Basketball. The team has won gold in six of the past seven times in the event.

Alexander led Purcell Marian to its second straight state title this past March. The Cavaliers defeated Canal Fulton Northwest 57-48 to win the Division II state final at University of Dayton Arena.

Ranked the nation’s No. 5 player in the 2025 class by ESPN, Alexander averaged 25.9 points, 9.6 rebounds, 2.9 assists and 2.6 steals this past season. She has scored 1,361 points in her high school basketball career and is just the second sophomore in Ohio girls basketball history to capture Ohio Ms. Basketball honors.

Alexander, who has at least 40 college scholarship offers, was named May 28 as one of 22 finalists for the U16 national team following three days of trials in Colorado. There were 52 trials invitees overall vying for 12 spots on the team.

The roster was selected by the USA Basketball Women’s Developmental National Team Committee and represent the graduating classes of 2025, 2026, 2027 and 2028. Athletes eligible for this team must be U.S. citizens, born on or after January 1, 2007.

Reposted with permission from WCPO 9 Cincinnati.

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By Michael Mitchell

The Cincinnati Herald

Hamilton Commissioners honored two of Ohio’s best on March 16 at the Todd Portune Building in downtown Cincinnati. The Purcell Marian Girls Basketball Team and the Princeton Vikings Girls Basketball Team both brought home state titles.

The Princeton Vikings won OHSAA Division 1 game against Olmsted Falls 69-51 and the Purcell Marian Cavaliers won their OHSAA Division II game against Badin Rams, 64-54, led by Ms. Ohio Basketball, Sophomore Darriana (Dee) Alexander with 20 points and 10 rebounds.

Purcell Marian’s coach Jamar Mosley and Dee Davis and honored with their own day in Hamilton County, March 16th for Mosley, and March 19th for Davis.

The post Girls State basketball champs honored by county officials appeared first on The Cincinnati Herald .

By: Mike Dyer

DAYTON, Ohio — The Purcell Marian High School girls basketball team had March 11 in mind this entire winter as the day it could repeat as state champions.

The Cavaliers fulfilled that mission early Saturday afternoon with a 57-48 win over Canal Fulton Northwest in the Division II state final.

Just like the state semifinal, there were times when it wasn’t easy. But, the Cavaliers persevered to prove it had the top D-II team with the state’s top player overall.

Sophomore Dee Alexander — Ohio’s Ms. Basketball — scored 20 points and had 10 rebounds and three steals as Purcell Marian (27-2) captured its second straight state title in front of 2,941 fans at University of Dayton Arena.

“Our expectation was the same,” Alexander said. “Everything was the same as last year. We just had to do what we know how to do and just block out everybody who is an outsider.”

Alexander scored 10 of her game-high 20 points in the fourth quarter. That included two steals at half-court for layups in the first 2:20 of the quarter that helped give the Cavaliers a 6-2 run and an 11-point lead.

Purcell Marian led 21-15 at halftime but the Cavaliers weren’t satisfied with the first 16 minutes.

“At halftime there I was just talking to Dee Alexander, telling her, ‘We need you to step up’,” Mosley said. “What she did in that second half, she did an amazing job not only on the offensive but the defensive end as well.”

Sophomore Ky’Aira Miller added 17 points — including 13 of 14 free throws — to help Purcell Marian to its 17 consecutive win. Junior Jayda Mosley added eight points including two 3-pointers. Sophomore Trinity Small had two 3-pointers and freshman McKenzie Jones had six points and had eight rebounds.

Jayda Mosley’s second 3-pointer of the third quarter gave Purcell Marian a nine-point advantage (29-20). Small’s two 3-pointers gave the Cavaliers a seven-point lead each time in the quarter.

“Everybody in the country knows who Dee Alexander is,” coach Jamar Mosley said. “But, young ladies like Trinity Small, Ky’Aira Miller, Jayda Mosley — they make Dee’s job a lot easier.”

Saturday’s state final completed a back-to-back state championship journey after the Cavaliers won the 2022 Division III state title, its first title in program history.

“It’s a surreal feeling,” Jamar Mosley said. “I’m still trying to process it. The girls deserve it all.”

Purcell Marian didn’t talk about winning a championship on a daily basis. The Cavaliers simply knew they wanted to improve to reach March 11.

“I think throughout the entire year each one of them got better in different ways on and off the floor,” Jamar Mosley said. “That’s why I say I’m honored to be able to coach a great group of student-athletes with a GPA of 3.6 throughout the entire year.”

Purcell Marian plans to have a school celebration for the state championship this upcoming week with details to be announced later.

Purcell Marian is one of two Greater Cincinnati girls basketball teams in the state final Saturday at UD Arena. Princeton (27-2) plays Olmsted Falls (24-3) in the Division I state final at 8:30 p.m.

Reposted with permission from WCPO 9 Cincinnati

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Dee Alexander scores a game-high 34 points to lead the Cavaliers

By: Mike Dyer

DAYTON, Ohio — Purcell Marian High School girls basketball coach Jamar Mosley jokingly admitted he forgot to wash the game jerseys before Thursday’s Division II state semifinal.

“It was a rookie mistake on my end,” Mosley said with a smile.

All kidding aside, one thing was clear early Thursday afternoon: This is not a Purcell Marian rookie team.

Sophomore Dee Alexander, named Ohio Ms. Basketball Wednesday afternoon, scored a game-high 34 points to lead Purcell Marian past Bryan 61-47 to advance to its second straight state final. Alexander added eight rebounds, three steals, two assists and two blocks. Freshman McKenzie Jones added seven points.

“I knew I had to step up,” Alexander said. “I know this is a big game for us. Just overall the whole season was big for us. So it was just me stepping up and giving my team the ball as much as I possibly could and getting to the basket.”

The Cavaliers, winners of 16 consecutive games, persevered through a double-digit deficit at University of Dayton Arena. Purcell Marian (26-2) advances to play Canal Fulton Northwest (27-2) in the Division II state final at 10:45 a.m. Saturday. Northwest defeated Proctorville Fairland 56-34 in the second state semifinal Thursday afternoon.

Purcell Marian is playing for its second straight state championship after winning the Division III title in 2022.

It wasn’t easy at times Thursday for Purcell Marian during the 11 a.m. tipoff. The Cavaliers trailed by 11 with 5:06 left in the second quarter. Purcell Marian went on a 12-0 run to end the first half.

“I’m just proud of our girls as they persevered,” Mosley said. “We got down by (12 points) in the second quarter and the girls just fought back and took the lead going into halftime.”

Purcell Marian, which is appearing in its third consecutive state Final Four, opened a 10-2 run in the third quarter and never looked back.

Purcell Marian coach Jamar Mosley admitted he forgot to wash the jerseys before today’s state semifinal. I asked Dee Alexander if she felt tired at the end of the game. Alexander had 34 points, 8 rebounds, 3 steals, 2 assists and 2 blocks. Alexander played nearly 32 minutes. pic.twitter.com/8i6VmJ6sa8

— Mike Dyer (@MikeDyer) March 9, 2023

Reposted with permission from WCPO 9 Cincinnati

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Third consecutive season Greater Cincinnati has won statewide individual award

By: Mike Dyer

CINCINNATI — Dee Alexander clipped the final two pieces of the regional championship net and playfully tossed it several rows into the Purcell Marian High School student section where chants of ‘MVP’ accompanied her.

The Purcell Marian 6-foot-1 sophomore wing walked down a few steps from the ladder and smiled. Alexander scored 24 of her game-high 28 points on that same hoop in the second half during a victory over Hamilton Badin in a Division II girls basketball regional final.

It was a challenge from Purcell Marian coach Jamar Mosley during a timeout with 3:42 left in the third quarter that helped to ignite Alexander. The Cavaliers held a two-point lead after Alexander had early foul trouble.

“‘Dee, it’s your time now,'” Mosley said to Alexander. “‘We’ve been riding you this whole year. We’re going to ride you. No matter what happens on both ends of the floor — we need you to step up.'”

Alexander, 16, did just that. Alexander’s clutch performance was emblematic of her entire memorable season. That’s why Alexander was named Ohio Ms. Basketball by a statewide media panel on Wednesday afternoon.

Alexander is just the second sophomore to win Ohio Ms. Basketball after Canton McKinley’s Kierstan Bell won the first of three consecutive awards in 2017.

The spotlight has accompanied Alexander for quite some time. Alexander has been lauded as a generational talent and one of the nation’s top five players in the 2025 class by ESPN. She earned 18 college scholarship offers weeks before she started high school classes in August 2021.

“I can’t say enough this kid,” Purcell Marian athletic director DJ Dowdy said. “She is a phenom. The way she goes about things. It’s just phenomenal.”

Although Alexander’s credentials are clear for this prestigious award, she wasn’t sure how the voting results would turn out.

“I was shocked but it was one of the things I wanted to check off my checklist,” said Alexander. “I take a lot of pride in it.”

Now in its 36th year, the prestigious Ohio Ms. Basketball award was first given by the Associated Press in 1988. It has been voted by the Ohio Prep Sportswriters Association since 2017.

This season’s runner-up was New Madison Tri-Village senior Rylee Sagester. Loudonville junior Corri Vermilya and Pickerington Central senior Madison Greene earned third and fourth places, respectively. Other finalists included Toledo Start junior Sinai Douglas, Shaker Heights Laurel freshman Saniyah Hall and Belmon Union Local senior Reagan Vinskovich.

Alexander is Purcell Marian’s first Ms. Basketball recipient.

“For a girl out of Purcell Marian, a kid of Dee’s caliber – just means so much to our program,” Mosley said. “I’m happy and honored to be able to coach a kid like her and her hard work is paying off. Every day in practice she’s pushing herself. She’s pushing the girls around her.”

This is the third consecutive year that Greater Cincinnati has won the award after Mount Notre Dame’s KK Bransford (2022 and 2021), who is now a freshman guard at the University of Notre Dame.

Other Greater Cincinnati winners have included Princeton’s Kelsey Mitchell (2014), Lakota West’s Amber Gray (2008), Reading’s Carol Madsen (1989) and Seton’s Janet Haneberg (1988).

Alexander’s name is etched into Ohio high school girls basketball history with two years remaining at Purcell Marian. She enters the state Final Four with 35 college scholarship offers to go along with 1,307 points for her career. Alexander averages 25.8 points, 9.6 rebounds, 2.9 assists and 2.5 steals this season.

“Dee is an extremely talented player and one of the best I’ve coached against,” Summit Country Day coach Beth Simmons said. “Her competitive nature on the court demonstrates that she has the ability to take over a game, but she is also a selfless player who uses her talent to get her teammates involved. Speaking as someone who prepares my team to play against Dee, I will tell you that she is always a focal point in our scouting reports. She can score at will and rebounds exceptionally well.”

Although the accolades are obvious, Alexander’s main focus is to help Purcell Marian repeat as state champions, a year after the program won its first state championship (Division III).

Purcell Marian (25-2) plays Bryan (25-2) in a Division II state semifinal at 11 a.m Thursday at University of Dayton Arena. Alexander will
be presented the award during halftime of the second Division II state semifinal Thursday afternoon.

Alexander is looking forward to all of the support from the school’s student section and fans as they travel to Dayton.

“Just the community all around Purcell Marian even though it’s a small high school – the community is very great,” Alexander said. “So just us winning two in a row, it would mean a lot to me.”

Dowdy said Alexander is a model student-athlete with all ‘A’ grades and a ‘B’ in the latest academic quarter. Those who know Alexander say she enjoys being with her classmates and friends. She also likes to give back with a summer basketball camp, called ‘Camp Dee’.

On the basketball court, Alexander is unselfish, yet ultra-competitive. She is adept at analyzing scouting reports and an opponent’s tendencies as almost like another coach. Alexander’s teammates respect her game and her leadership during the season.

“For her, I’m glad she is getting her flowers in real time,” Dowdy said. “She is special.”

Reposted with permission from WCPO 9 Cincinnati.

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