The 2020-21 high school basketball regular season is winding down. Girls tournament action is under way and the boys will follow in the near future. Despite battling COVID-19 shutdowns, local teams have had their fair share of success. The most successful squad to date has been sort of a surprise to me. The Jonathan Alder boys hoopsters posted a 23-2 record and earned a Division II district runner-up spot last season. The reason for the surprise is that JA lost Jackie Santa-Emma and Henry Walker to graduation last spring. Both were key performers during last season’s success and I was…
Author: Tim Miller
Garrett Taylor of Marysville fires a shot against Bishop Watterson Monday afternoon. Taylor led MHS with 13 points during a 55-39 loss. (Journal-Tribune photo by Sam Dillon) The third game in four days proved to be problematic for Marysville High School’s boys varsity basketball squad on Monday. The Monarchs hosted Olentangy Berlin and North Union respectively on Friday and Saturday. As such, they had very little turnaround time to rest or prepare for the Eagles of Columbus Bishop Watterson. “Our third game in four days was a grind,” said MHS head coach Ryan Grose after the Monarchs’ 55-39 setback to…
Marysville’s Jack Christian (4) goes up for a shot over North Union’s Hudson Davis on Saturday. Christian scored eight points to become MHS’ all-time boys basketball scoring leader. (Journal-Tribune photo by Tim Miller) There are a great many numbers associated with any game of basketball. The most important ones consist of the final score. On that end, the Marysville Monarchs came out on the top side of the ledger with Saturday evening’s 55-44 victory over neighboring North Union. There were, however, several other numbers that played a huge role during the game. Take for instance, the eight points scored by…
Jason Moore of Marysville, left, goes up for a shot against North Union’s Zach Vernon on Saturday. Moore led all scorers during MHS’ victory. (Journal-Tribune phot by Tim Miller) “We missed a lot of shots in the early going of the first half…those came back to bite us.” Those were the words of North Union boys hoop boss Brian Terrill after Saturday evening’s 55-44 setback at Marysville. “Marysville plays very good defense and can make you hurry a lot of things.” The Monarch D put the kibosh to a Wildcat offense that went into the contest averaging nearly 64 points…
Cali Leng of Marysville attempts to turn an opponent during a match from earlier this season. Leng won a district title on Sunday and is one of several local athletes who have advanced to the OHSSWCA state tournament next weekend at Hilliard Davidson. (Journal-Tribune photo by Tim Miller) Marysville’s girls wrestling squad placed second on Sunday during the Northwest District tournament. The event was sponsored by the Ohio High School State Wrestling Coaches Association and was held at Marysville High School. The Lady Monarchs held the team lead for much of the day. They couldn’t, however maintain it during the…
Marysville’s Jack Christian drills a three-pointer against Olentangy Berlin on Friday. Christian helped lead MHS to an overtime victory. Christian is also seven points away from the school’s all-time boys scoring record. (Journal-Tribune photo by Tim Miller) It is shaping up to be a pretty big basketball weekend for Marysville High School senior Jack Christian. Not only did he hit the winning basket during Friday evening’s 69-67 overtime victory over Olentangy Berlin, but he stands on the threshold of a new school record. Christian needs only seven points to become Marysville High School’s all-time boys basketball scoring leader. The current…
In the photos from the left, Wyatt Miller of Fairbanks, Ava Krutowskis of Marysville and Preston Crabtree of North Union go up for baskets. The Panther boys, Lady Monarchs and NU Wildcats each secured conference divisional titles on Friday. (Journal-Tribune photos by Sam Dillon and Tim Miller) It was a night to crown conference champions as a trio of local high school basketball teams earned titles during games on Friday. The Lady Monarchs of Marysville won the Ohio Capital Conference Cardinal Division title. Fairbanks’ boys clinched the North Division crown of the Ohio Heritage Conference. North Union’s Wildcats claimed the…
Leah Brown (right) of Marysville pressures a shot attempt by Fairbanks’ Gracie Pyers. The Lady Monarchs won, 46-18, on Thursday. (Journal-Tribune photo by Tim Miller) The Fairbanks Lady Panther hoop squad got off to a solid start against its Marysville counterpart Thursday evening. It was not, however, something the FHS girls could sustain during a 46-18 loss to their northern neighbor. “We came out and played well at the start,” said Fairbanks coach Landon Fraker. “Once Marysville ramped up its intensity, we couldn’t match it.” Panther sophomore Carly Lehman knocked down a pair of trifectas and converted a steal into…
Marysville’s Zach McMinn, right, prepares to take down an opponent in this file photo. The Monarchs beat Olentangy on Thursday to win their first OCC championship since 2014. (Journal-Tribune photo by Sam Dillon) MHS closes out regular season; will take break until sectional tournament Marysville High School’s boys wrestling team accomplished something on Thursday it hadn’t done in seven years. Now in the Cardinal Division, the Monarchs’ 64-15 triumph over Olentangy gave them their first Ohio Capital Conference championship since 2014. “Olentangy’s program is in a bit of a valley and due to injury, COVID-19 and other circumstances, could only cover…
Katie Palmer of Marysville, top, controls the head of Mason’s Emma Schatzel during a recent match. The Lady Monarchs will host the district wrestling tournament on Sunday. (Journal-Tribune photo by Tim Miller) Teams with rosters that number anywhere from 16 to one will take to the mats at Marysville High School on Sunday. MHS will host the Ohio Wrestling Coaches Association girls district wrestling tournament with action set to begin at 11 a.m. Marysville and Miami East (the defending state champion) have the most girls – 16 – to fill the 14 weight classes. MHS, however, will not have any…
Emma Ferguson of Triad goes up for a basket in this file photo. Ferguson tallied six points during the Lady Cardinals’ win over Northeastern on Wednesday. (Journal-Tribune photo by Tim Miller) Triad’s girls hoop squad got back on the winning side of the ledger Wednesday. The Lady Cardinals rolled past Springfield Northeastern, 67-18. Cardinal senior Frani LeVan outscored the entire Northeastern team by notching 27 points. She added seven assists, six steals and five rebounds. Cati LeVan came through with 14 points, six rebounds and five steals. Emma Ferguson tallied six points. Cami Allison scored five points, followed by Abby…
These Marysville High School bowling seniors were honored during Tuesday’s match against Olentangy Orange. They are from left, Xavier Mead, Gunner Smith, Josh Geer and Grace Evans. (Photo submitted) A Marysville High School senior bowler rolled a perfect 300 game this week. Josh Geer came through with the milestone during the second game against Olentangy Orange on Tuesday. The Monarchs won the match, 2239-1974. Geer, who tallied a 182 during the opening game, was one of several seniors honored during the match. Other seniors include Gunner Smith (boys varsity), Grace Evans (girls varsity) and Xavier Mead (boys JV). Smith bowled…
MHS’ Evan Brown brings the ball upcourt and begins to start a play during Tuesday’s game against Dublin Jerome. The Monarchs won, 51-47. (Journal-Tribune photo by Tim Miller) Dublin Jerome’s boys basketball team used a defense that tried to keep the Marysville Monarchs off-balance Tuesday evening. “This was the first time we’ve faced a zone for an entire game this season,” said MHS head coach Ryan Grose. The Monarchs are more accustomed to encountering straight-up man-to-man defenses, with a smattering of zone mixed in for good measure. While MHS had trouble at times attacking the Celtics’ zone, they came out…
Jonathan Alder’s Jackson Izzard (5), top photo, is fouled going to the basket. In the bottom photo, North Union’s Aaron Krebehenne puts in a layup. JA is seeded first in Division II, while NU is No. 4 in D-III for the upcoming boys Central District basketball tournaments. (Journal-Tribune photos by Tim Miller and Sam Dillon) The Union County area is the home of a top-seeded high school boys basketball team. The state-ranked (No. 5) Pioneers of Jonathan Alder (16-0) have been named the No. 1 seeded squad for the upcoming Division II Central District tournament. Jonathan Alder will host No.…
Ava Wilkerson, right, of MHS prepares to drive toward the basket in this file photo. Wilkerson scored 19 during the Lady Monarchs’ overtime win over Olentangy on Monday. (Journal-Tribune photo by Tim Miller) MHS clinches at least share of division title Ava Wilkerson led three Lady Monarchs in double-figure scoring during Monday’s 53-45 overtime victory over Olentangy. Wilkerson tallied 19 points, while Ava Krutowskis and Leah Brown each scored 10. The win gives MHS at least a share of the OCC Cardinal Division title with a 7-2 mark. Hilliard Darby also has two division losses, while Olentangy now has three.…