Sports
Meigs Season Recap
By: Clark Wooley
Posted on:
Boys
- MVP- Kaileb Sheets
While Kaileb Sheets was hands down the most valuable player on this Marauder team, one could argue that he was the most valuable player in all of the TVC. Sheets is a coaches dream. He can essentially play all five positions on the court; he can do everything from bringing up the ball and running a set to posting up in the paint and taking much larger defenders one-on-one with ease. The senior leader carried the Marauders all season long and even made a layup with 2.8 seconds left to continue the Marauders playoff hopes against Logan Elm. Sheets has left a precedent for his younger teammates to play by and while this team will have several great players for the years to come we may never a player like Kaileb Sheets again.
- Most Improved Player- Dillon Mahr
A season ago Dillon Mahr had the role of second or third man off of coach Fry’s bench. This season Mahr embraced the role of sixth man and excelled at it. Receiving more minutes than some of the starters, Mahr improved all facets of his game in the offseason. He became a reliable outside shooter that owned the corner three and took some of the pressure of inside scorers like Sheets and Colton Lilly. On the defensive end Mahr would often find himself guarding the opponent’s best scorer due to his phenomenal on ball pressure. Next year, Mahr will return for his final season as a Marauder and look for him to be one of the most balanced options Meigs has.
- Best Game- Meigs vs. Warren
In easily of one of the most entertaining games of the season, the Marauders defeated the Warren Warriors, the eventual No. 2 seed in DII and perennial basketball powerhouse. Only two games into the season, skepticism still arose about how this revamped Marauder team would fare in their first true test on the road. After both teams traded 3-pointers in the final quarter, the aforementioned Mahr would prove to be the hero for the Marauders as he sank three clutch free throws to propel Meigs to the 74-72 victory. The win said a lot about this Marauder team, skewing the opinions of everyone in attendance. No longer were they a team that would settle for mediocrity. The Marauders would go on to win its next nine games, eclipsing the 70-point mark in five of them. The streak would skyrocket them to the top of the TVC Ohio, a spot they would become comfortable in all season long.
Girls
- MVP- Kassidy Betzing
Rarely do we see a freshman assume the roles of playmaker and leader. Freshman Kassidy Betzing is the exception. The floor general for the Lady Marauders had the tall task of running a new offense with girls only a year or two older than she is. Not to mention that she had to go up against guards like Rachel Richardson, Jessie Addis and Alexis McCollum twice in a season. Early in the season, Betzing tried to force the issue and do everything by herself, never more evident than in a 57-28 loss to River Valley in December. However, she quickly learned to rely on her teammates and became an elite distributor to compliment her natural scoring ability. Betzing burst onto the TVC scene this season. Look for her to be a household name as her years at Meigs High School go on.
- Most Improved Player- Devin Humphreys
Although she missed several games early in the season because of mono, Devin Humphreys played her best basketball when the Lady Marauders needed her most. The 5-foot-8-inch forward steadily became the Lady Marauders’ second scoring option as the season progressed. In their sole playoff game, Humphreys knocked down three 3-pointers and recorded eight blocks on the night. She more than held her own against two of the best post players in the conference in Michaela Puckett and Jalen Hale. With Humphreys’ ability to stretch the floor, look for coach Cleland to draw up plays that get the ball in Humphreys’ hands next season.
- Best Game- Meigs vs. Athens
After a less than ideal start to the 2015-16 season, the Lady Marauders, (1-6) at the time, hosted the Athens Lady Bulldogs. The intensity that Meigs showed in their prior 56-51 loss to Vinton County translated into its 42-33 win over Athens. The Lady Marauders suffocating defense held the previous TVC Ohio champions to only 33 points on the night and a measly four first quarter points. This win would spark Meigs to win six of its next seven games and start what would be the maturation of such a young team. The Lady Marauders, who only lose one starter for next season, won double digit games after winning only one conference game a season ago. 2015-16 was an impressive campaign for Meigs and the sky is the limit for this team going forward.