Ohio Valley Christian senior Marshall Hood (24) releases a shot attempt between a trio of Wellston defenders during a February 8 non-conference boys basketball contest in Gallipolis, Ohio.
Bryan Walters/OVP Sports
GALLIPOLIS, Ohio —Ohio Valley Christian School — buoyed by its Ohio Christian School Athletic Association state championship — swept the top honors on the 2016 Ohio Valley Publishing “12” Boys Basketball Team, which has been announced.
The Defenders captured the OCSAA state championship on Feb. 27, and enjoyed a final 22-6 record, which included their tournament triumphs.
OVCS swept the Player of the Year and Coach of the Year honors, with six-foot five-inch senior Marshall Hood winning the POY and head coach Steve Rice recording the COY.
Both Hood and Rice were unanimous POY and COY respective choices.
The “OVP 12” boys — and girls — basketball teams consist of five first-team selections and seven second-team selections.
The 12-player lists are chosen by members of the Ohio Valley Publishing sports staff.
Hood headlined the Defenders’ state title team, and averaged 18.1 points per game — along with 11 rebounds and four blocks.
Four other seniors — Gallia Academy’s Wes Jarrell, South Gallia’s Joseph Ehman, and the Meigs duo of Kaileb Sheets and Colton Lilly — joined Hood on the first team.
Jarrell — standing six-foot four-inches tall — averaged 16.3 points and seven rebounds per game, while Ehman — at 5-10 — averaged a hefty 20.1 points per game and six-and-a-half rebounds.
The Marauder teammates — the 6-1 Sheets and 6-2 Lilly — averaged 15 and 14 points per game respectively.
Lilly landed seven-and-a-half rebounds per game, while Sheets snared five.
Seven separate schools were represented by the seven second-team slots, including Elijah McDonald of Ohio Valley Christian.
McDonald, a 5-8 junior, averaged 12.4 points per game.
Landon Hutchinson, South Gallia’s second selection, was a 6-2 senior averaging 13.9 points and 9.4 rebounds.
The remaining five players — Philip Hoffman of Wahama, Jett Facemyer of Eastern, Tyler Twyman of River Valley, Bradley Gibbs of Point Pleasant and Tylar Blevins of Southern — were those schools’ only honoree.
Hoffman — a 6-3 junior — averaged 15.3 points and 6.2 rebounds per game, while Gibbs — a 6-5 senior — paced Point Pleasant with 13.4 points while also grabbing four rebounds.
The 6-3 junior Facemyer finished with 23.7 points per game — the highest ppg average of any player in the Ohio Valley area — and 6.2 rebounds.
Twyman and Blevins missed the first 11 games due to injury and Ohio transfer rules respectively, but both averaged 14.5 points.
Twyman was a 5-11 senior and Blevins a 6-1 junior, as Twyman managed 5.4 rebounds and Blevins 4.5.
Paul Boggs can be reached at 740-446-2342, ext. 2106
