Who are the Top 5 high school basketball duos in the Cincinnati area?

With the snowstorm hitting Cincinnati over the weekend it allowed me to sit down and finish this article about the best local basketball high school duos in the area. The 2025-26 season has fielded some very good teams and with good teams comes good players. A lot of young men in the area are getting college love and that’s making for real good hoops in the area.

I’m going to give out the Top 5 duos in the area without particularly ranking where the five go.

Amire Gill and Kam Mercer, Princeton

Gill is a junior guard that is leading the GMC in scoring at 18.8 points per game as well as averaging 4.5 rebounds and 1.5 steals while shooting 58.1% from the field and 37.5% from 3. Mercer, the sophomore guard just made his return to Cincinnati in December hasn’t played a ton of games due to an injury, but is averaging 14.0 points, 3.7 rebounds, 1.7 blocks, 3.3 steals and 2.0 assists. 

Gill is getting a lot of love from MAC and AAC schools, while Mercer is a Top 10 member of the sophomore class.

Bryce Curry and Josh Tyson, Lakota West

Curry is averaging 13.3 points, 4.1 rebonds, 1.3 steals and 2.0 steals while shooting 58.2% from the field and 39.5% from 3. Tyson is averaging 16.9 points, 2.7 rebounds, 2.0 steals and 4.0 assists while shooting 60.3 from the field. 

Lakota West made it to the Final Four last year and are looking to win state. Curry is a Top 120 player, while Tyson is a Top 70 player in the 2027 class both are getting legit D1 interest. 

Isiah Mack-Russell and Nate Dawson, Winton Woods

Mack Russell is leading his conference in scoring at 23.3 points, he also is averaging 6.9 rebounds, 1.3 assists and 1.1 steals on 58.5% from the field. Senior guard Nate Dawson is averaging 11.1 points, 3.7 rebounds, 3.8 assists and 4.5 steals a game on 56.3% from the field. This combo is causing trouble in the area for opposing teams. 

Mark-Russell is one of the top players in the 2027 class and Dawson is going D1 on the football side of things.

Grant Waters and Tarik Fadel, McNicholas

Waters is averaging 14.3 points, 2.4 rebounds and 1.8 assists while shooting 36.4% from 3. Fadel is averaging 13.1 points, 3.3 rebounds and 3.5 assists while shooting 51.3% from the floor and 40.0% from 3.

Fadel has taken the area by storm and teamed with Waters they are making McNick a team other teams have to take serious when they see then on the schedule.

Tim Martin and Max Joiner, Summit

Martin just returned to action last week, but the Rhode Island commit is an inside-outside threat and paired with super sophomore wing Max Joiner, Summit will pick up stream heading towards the playoffs. Joiner is averaging 20.3 points, 8.9 rebounds, 1.5 steals and 2.3 blocks while shooting 54.3% from the field, 42.1% from 3 and 90.9% from the line. 

Joiner is a lot of top tier teams interested in him, I expect offers to rain in by the summer of 2026.

Honorable Mention

Le’Shawn Hill and Jaionte Jones, Hughes

Jones is averaging 15.4 points, 4.4 rebounds, 1.9 assists and 3.1 steals while shooting 52.6 from the field. Hill is averaging 20.2 points, 5.4 rebounds, 3.4 steals and 5.0 assists while shooting 54.3% from the field and 41.1% from 3. 

Jones and Hill have Hughes in the mix in the CMAC.

A.J. Dean and Cordell Ball, Oak Hills

Dean is a senior guard is third scoring in the GMC averaging 17.2 points, while shooting 55.8% from the field and 54.7% from 3. Ball is the leading rebounder in the GMC at 8.6 per game, also averaging 12.0 points, while shooting 57.9% from the field. This combo is keeping Oak Hills afloat after losing two huge pieces to graduation.

Antwan Hinton and Keion Griffin, Taft

Hinton is averaging 22.9 points, 10.2 rebounds, 3.9 steals and 3.3 assists while shooting 53.4% from the floor. Griffin is averaging 20.6 points, 8.5 rebounds, 1.9 steals, 1.5 assists and 2.8 blocks while shooting 50.0% from the field and 47.1% from 3.

Hinton and Griffin are getting to it which is why they are in the mix for the CMAC.

Chris Washington, Jr. and De’Andre Carr-Short, Aiken

Carr-Short is averaging 14.5 points and 8.8 rebounds while shooting 54.7% from the field. Washington Jr is averaging 20.2 points, 6.2 rebounds, 2.4 steals and 7.6 assists while shooting 48.7% from the field and 36.1% from 3.

This combo has Aiken in the hunt with Hughes and Taft for the kings of the CMAC.