ASHLAND — It’s a phrase that has increasingly found its way into the sports lexicon and it couldn’t describe Ashland’s Luke Denbow any better.
The newly-crowned Richland Source Player of the Year, Denbow is a force multiplier.
A 6-foot-1 senior guard, Denbow makes everyone around him better. He will graduate as the program’s career leader in both scoring and assists, having scored 1,719 points and handed out 470 assists in an illustrious four-year high school career.
Ashland averaged 67.9 points a game. Denbow accounted for about 58 percent of the offensive production.
“We ask a lot of him and he has responded,” Ashland coach Jason Hess said after Denbow scored 38 points, grabbed 12 rebounds and handed out six assists in a 79-74 overtime win over Mansfield Senior to clinch an outright Ohio Cardinal Conference crown for the Arrows (13-9). “He does a little bit of everything for us.”
Denbow, will join older brother Garrett at West Liberty (West Virginia) University next year, is the two-time defending OCC Player of the Year. He was selected the District 6 Player of the Year in Division I and was a Northwest District first team selection.
Denbow is the centerpiece of a talented nine-man All-Richland Source team.
Mason Studer, Colonel Crawford: A 5-foot-11 senior, Studer piloted the Eagles to a district title and a berth in the Division III Bowling Green regional championship game. The point guard averaged 18 points a game while leading the Northern 10 Athletic Conference with 5.7 assists a night. Colonel Crawford’s career assists leader, Studer shared the Northwest District Division III Player of the Year award with Ottawa-Glandorf’s Colin White and Pemberville Eastwood’s Jacob Meyer. He was the District 6 Player or the Year in Division III.
Carter Valentine, Colonel Crawford: An Ashland University recruit, Valentine averaged 17.7 points and 7.0 rebounds a game for the Eagles. The 6-foot-6 swingman teamed with Studer to lead Colonel Crawford to its second consecutive unbeaten regular season. He was a District 6 first team pick in Division III and a Northwest District second-teamer.
Alex Bruskotter, Shelby: The sky is the limit for the 6-foot-6 sophomore swingman. Bruskotter led the Mid-Ohio Athletic Conference in scoring, averaging 19.6 points a game during the regular season. He also averaged 7.2 rebounds a game, leading the Whippets to their third straight MOAC title. Bruskotter was a Northwest District first team pick in Division II and a District 6 first-teamer.
Jayden Jeffries, Madison: The Rams (11-11) reached double figures in the win column for the first time since 2018 thanks in no small part to Jeffries. The 6-foot-4 swingman averaged a team-high 17.8 points a game while earning a spot on the Ohio Cardinal Conference first team. Jeffries was a District 6 first team pick in Division I and a Northwest District second-teamer.
Maurice Ware, Mansfield Senior: It was a rough season for the Tygers (7-16), but Ware was among the most dynamic players in north central Ohio. The 6-foot-2 senior averaged a team-best 17.6 points and 7.9 rebounds a game while shooting 55 percent from the field. Ware was an Ohio Cardinal Conference first team pick and a District 6 first-teamer in Division II. He earned a spot on the Northwest District third team.
Baden Forup, Lexington: The Minutemen were in the hunt for an Ohio Cardinal Conference crown up until the final week of the season after going winless in the OCC last year and Forup was a big reason why. The 6-foot-7 junior averaged a team-high 15 points and a team-best 8.0 rebounds a game. He was a District 6 first team pick in Division II and a Northwest District second team selection.
Logan Toms, Lucas: The Cubs won their fourth straight Mid-Buckeye Conference crown with a roster full of underclassmen, led by Toms. The 6-foot-1 sophomore swingman averaged 15.1 points and 5.6 rebounds a game, sharing the MBC Player of the Year award with Mansfield Christian’s Amarr Davis and Kidron Central Christian’s Tyler Bonner. Toms was a Northwest District first team pick in Division IV and a District 6 first-teamer.
Amarr Davis, Mansfield Christian: A standout football player at Mansfield Senior in the fall, Davis has also made his mark on the basketball court for the Flames. The 5-foot-10 sophomore averaged 22 points, 6.5 rebounds and 3.3 assists a game as Mansfield Christian (11-12) reached double-digit wins for the first time since 2018. Davis shared the Mid-Buckeye Conference Player of the Year award with Lucas’ Logan Toms and Kidron Central Christian’s Tyler Bonner. He was a District 6 first team pick in Division IV and a Northwest District second-teamer.
