Mount Gilead's Harris is district player of the year
MARION – Mount Gilead boys basketball coach Tom Cooper has known for several years that Xavier Harris is a multi-talented player.
This year, Cooper saw yet another side of his 6-foot-3 standout.
"In game seven of the season, we lost our point guard to a season-ending injury and Xavier, who was averaging 20 points a game, had to pick up more of the ball-handling duties and play a lot of point guard," Cooper said.
The Indians were 6-0 prior to the injury to Zack Hosack. While adjusting to his new role, Harris, a senior, helped Mount Gilead keep on winning.
The Indians are 20-3 heading into Saturday's Division III tournament game with Linden McKinley. This season, they won the Mid Ohio Athletic Conference Blue Division title, only their third league title in 50 years.
"He had a decrease in scoring and rebounding because of his new role, but he doesn't care about scoring," Cooper said. "He only cares about winning."
Based on his new style of play and his 16.3-point scoring average, Harris was named as the Associated Press Division III Central District boys player of the year.
Natalie Herring of North Union, whose Lady Cats were 23-1 prior to Tuesday night's tourney game, was chosen as the district Div. III girls coach of the year.
Harris, a 1,000-point scorer for his career, will be the third-highest point producer in Mount Gilead history when his prep playing days are over.
He also averaged 9.4 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 2.5 steals per game this season and shot 54 percent from the field.
"He is the most unselfish and best all-around player that I have ever coached," Cooper said. "He is not a volume scorer. He does not take that many shots."
Harris was joined on the Div. III boys first team by North Union senior Brandon Allen (19.6 ppg) and Elgin senior Cantyn Belmer (17.9), an Elgin senior.
Herring guided North Union to its fifth MOAC Red Division title in the past six years this winter.
The Lady Cats took a 17-game winning streak into Tuesday's game.
During her six-year career at North Union, Herring has piloted the Lady Cats to a sparkling 127-20 record.
One of Herring's players, senior Emily Clark, was selected as a girls first team choice in Div. III. Clark averaged 14.5 points a game.
Seven area players were honored as second teamers on the squads which were chosen by a panel of media representatives from the Central District.
Junior Danyon Hempy of River Valley led the second team with his 24.2-points-a-game scoring average. He was honored in Div. II boys, as was Highland senior Jett Swetland (21.5 ppg.).
Senior Chris Godfrey (16.1 ppg.) of Mount Gilead, who helped his school win league titles during his freshman and senior seasons, and Pleasant senior Ryan Maniaci (16.7 ppg.) were second unit choices in boys Div. III.
Ridgedale junior Mo Britton (14.3) was named to the Div. IV boys third team.
Second-team honors on the girls lists included River Valley junior Kendall Stuckman (14.8 ppg.) in Div. II, and North Union senior Taylor Hoffman (11.8 ppg.), and senior Kaitlyn Kavanaugh (11.5) from Cardington-Lincoln in Div. III.
Marion Harding senior Olivia Davis (15.5 ppg.) was tabbed third team in girls Div. I. River Valley sophomore Morgan Lott (13.3 ppg.) was third team in Div. II while North Union sophomore Autumn Hudson (10 ppg.) and Elgin junior Alanna Wiseman (12 ppg.) were honored as third-teamers in Div. III.
Jamie Pearson, a graduate of the former Marion Catholic High School and the boys coach at Dublin Jerome, was picked as coach of the year in Div. I.
dmcphers@nncogannett.com
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Twitter: @starsportsdenny