Marysville’s Joey Duke eyes the basket during Friday’s game at Chillicothe. The Monarchs fell in the Division I tournament contest. (Journal-Tribune photo by Mac Cordell)
MHS finishes with 15 wins, part of OCC divisional title
Despite a clear and solid defensive plan by head coach Ryan Grose, the Marysville High School boys basketball team fell 62-48 Friday night to Chillicothe in the second round of the Division I state tournament.
“We certainly keyed on Noel (6-8 Brandon Noel),” Grose said.
He said the Monarch cagers, “for the most part executed our game plan the way we wanted.”
The problem, as Gross explained it, is that when you take the inside away, it leaves a team vulnerable on the outside.
“They were just able to make some tough shots,” Grose said.
He added, “We knew that if their guards were going to be able to shoot the ball three and four feet behind the line, they are going to be tough to beat.
“We just knew we did not want Noel to beat us inside.”
The Monarchs (who were the 21st seed) actually held a 5-3 lead early in the opening quarter as solid ball movement led to an open three-pointer by Jack Christian and a baseline drive basket for Taylor Garrett.
The visitors from Union County, however, went cold and did not score in the final five minutes of the period. Chillicothe, which is seeded 16th, had no such problem.
Noel tallied a pair of inside baskets, sandwiched around a long-three-point basket from the top of the key.
As a result, the Cavaliers held a 13-5 lead at the end of the opening quarter.
The host team got hot shooting and went on a 12-2 run early in the second quarter to stretch their lead to 25-9.
Marysville cut the Cavalier lead to 10 (29-19) in the final seconds of the half.
However, a tip-in by Chillicothe’s Eli Taylor gave the Cavs a 31-19 advantage going into the lockerroom.
The Monarchs (who finished the season at 15-9) continued their scrappy play in the second half.
The Cavalier shooters, though, also continued their hot streak.
During the third quarter, five different Monarchs scored a total of 11 points.
The problem was one Cavalier guard Jayvon Maughmer, scored 10 points in the period by himself.
Joey Duke tallied 10 of his 12 points during the fourth quarter. Early in the stanza, Marysville was able to slice the Cavs’ lead to 10, but could never get it to single digits.
With 1:01 to play, Marysville’s Gabe Schaeffer scored the final Monarch points of the season. He finished the night with 7 points.
Taylor and Duke led the team with 12 points each. Jack Christian and Ryan Barlow each added six.
Grose said there was no way to mimic Chillicothe’s team height in practice. He said that when you are used to practicing against smaller teammates and the Cavalier starters average 6-5, “it’s a big difference.”
He said the size difference changed the way his team played and forced his inside players to alter their shots.
“That made it difficult for us,” Grose said.
Even so, the coach said it was a big year for his team
Grose said it is “a big deal” for the program to have 15 wins and a conference championship.
“I am extremely proud of our group,” he said.
“Our seniors have continued to do things the right way and lead our team.”
The coach said this season will set the program on good footing for the next campaign.
“This year was a great stepping stone for our program,” Grose said. “We will continue to be back in this position for a handful of years to come.”
Chillicothe
Beard 5-6-19, Maughmer 8-0-18, Noel 5-1-12, Taylor 3-0-7, Roper 2-0-4, Smith 1-0-2. Totals 24-7-62.
Three-point goals: Beard 3, Maughmer 2, Noel 1, Taylor 1.
Marysville
Duke 4-2-12, Taylor 6-0-12, Schaeffer 3-1-7, Barlow 2-0-6, Christian 2-1-6, E. Brown 2-1-5, Mills 0-0-0, N. Brown 0-0-0. Totals 19-5-48.
Three-point goals: Duke 2, Barlow 2, Christian 1.