A three-way tie for the championship in the Ohio Capital Conference Central Division has resulted in honors for members of the Marysville High School boys basketball team.
Junior guard Jack Christian and junior post Garrett Taylor were both named to the first team.
Senior guard Joey Duke was named to the second team, while senior wing Gabe Schaeffer earned honorable mention status.
Senior guard Noah Brown was named as a scholar athlete.
Head coach Ryan Grose was named the division’s coach of the year after guiding the Monarchs to a 14-8 regular season record.
GROSE
Marysville tied for championship honors with Dublin Coffman and Upper Arlington.
All three teams finished the divisional portion of their schedules with 8-2 records.
The Monarchs split their season series with the Shamrocks and Golden Bears.
Christian is averaging 18.5 points per game and is shooting nearly 38 percent from beyond the three-point arc. He is also averaging nearly five rebounds per contest.
“Jack has led us in scoring while consistently seeing every team’s best defender,” said Grose. “He has faced double teams and a box-and-one (much of the time).”
Taylor is scoring at a 16.5 per-game clip, while shooting 63 percent from the floor. He is hitting 76 percent at the free throw line.
Taylor, who has blocked 20 shots this season, is also averaging 4.8 rebounds per outing.
“Garrett has been a consistent force inside for us, after missing most of the pre-season with an injury,” said Grose.
Taylor had a run of eight consecutive games from late December through early January in which he scored 20 or more points.
Duke is averaging 6.2 assists per game and ranks in the top five in that category in the Central District.
“Joey will finish in the top five in assists in school history,” said Grose.
The Monarch coach also praised Schaeffer and Brown.
“Gabe and Noah do a lot of the ‘dirty’ work (rebounding and playing defense) for our team that doesn’t show up in the box score,” he said.
Grose deflected credit for his being named coach of the year.
His reaction was “Congratulations to @Monarchs_bball for being named OCC Central Division Coach of the Year!”
Marysville’s Jack Christian (left photo) and Garrett Taylor (right photo) put up points in these file photos. Christian and Taylor have been named to the Ohio Capital Conference’s Central Division first team for the 2019-20 season.
(Journal-Tribune photos by Tim Miller)