Brothers in arms: River View hoops duo has left big marks on program

WARSAW — Ying and yang.

Ever since fourth grade, Brody Border and Owen Emig have been inseparable at River View. Their journeys began as fourth graders as youth basketball players, a path that eventually led them to the center of the the Black Bear high school varsity.

Wins have sometimes been difficult by which to come, even as the senior backcourt mates have ranked among the Muskingum Valley League's top scorers the past two seasons.

"We just connected instantly," Border said. "We connected a lot through basketball. It has helped us develop that bond. On and off the court, I am always with him."

They entered Tuesday's Division II sectional final against Carrollton as underdogs at 8-14, but their dynamic duo — one of the best in the East District — gives them a fighter's chance, even if their 16th seed suggests otherwise.

Emig, who recently became the school's all-time boys basketball leading scorer, averages 20.9 points per game and Border is on his heels at 19.2. Both rank among the best in the voraciously competitive MVL, which featured four players averaging at least 20 points per game in the regular season.

Their careers will soon come to a close, but their impact on the program has already been felt through the ranks. One look at underclassmen putting up extra shots after practice is all the visual proof one needs.

They're as proud of being strong teammates as they are being productive players and students, coach Ben Belden said.

"They have made my life easy," Belden said after a recent practice. "This class of seniors is special to me. They were freshmen when I got here, and when I got the job I was told that we had a couple of kids who really loved basketball and put basketball first. Little did I know they would be two of the best players that River View has ever had."

Emig, a 6-1 guard, recently became the program's all-time leading scorer. Border, if not for a sprained foot that cost him a month of the season, would have surpassed a 1,000 career points.

In the classroom, Emig has a 3.9 and Border a 3.8 GPA, and Emig is taking college courses through Zane State. He is also a National Honor Society member.

Surprisingly, neither are high volume shooters on the floor. As of Tuesday, Border was shooting 53 percent from the field and Emig was on his heels at 51, despite both playing in the backcourt and regularly facing heavy interference from opposing defenses.

Their ability to play off of one another and not allow their egos to affect their games is one of the their biggest strengths, Belden said.

"I think they are both thankful to have each other more than they are trying to dominate individually," Belden said.

Emig confirmed as much, adding that if one of them is having a rare off night, they find the other to try and get him shots.

"And if we're both hitting, we just look for each other," Emig said.

The relationship goes well beyond the court, although their connection inside the lines is a strong one. Emig called Border "a good teammate, and he is a great friend," while Border said it's a lifetime friendship.

"He's someone when we're guarding each other in practice, we're pushing each other and we're just trying to make each other better," Emig said. "We trash talk and all that, but he's someone you want to be on the floor with. He helps me on and off (the court), so I think he's a pretty good guy."

Both players wish more wins would have come with the numbers. They were 5-4 when Border's foot injury arose during the Jan. 13 home game with Maysville, the seventh-ranked team in Division II by the Associated Press.

Border admitted it was difficult to sit and watch — and rehabilitate — while the team struggled mightily without him. It's still not 100 percent healed, which has affected his practice time, but he's in good enough condition to contribute during games.

His loss had a ripple effect, as it forced others into scoring roles that weren't as prominent before. For starters, freshman Layton Massie, the top player on the reserves to that point, stepped into a varsity role and developed into an impact player.

It was the third scorer desperately needed after big man Carter Fry transferred to Ridgewood and top backup Slater Sampsel left for West Muskingum prior to the season.

That development, and Border's return near the end of the regular season, is what gives the Black Bears hope against Carrollton in the sectional opener.

The underclassmen stepping into varsity roles will help keep the program in good hands after they are gone, Border said.

"With me being out, we've had younger kids step up and handle their roles really well," Border said. "With me coming back into the mix, we're getting used to playing together, and being able to have each other's backs on and off the court, as well. So I think the best basketball is yet to come for us."

"If teams focus on us, Layton is tall and he is one of the ones who has gotten better, just going from turning and shooting to getting a body on somebody and going through," Emig said. "He's a great rebounder, too. I think it's good for him."

Belden said their biggest impact on the program has come by the work ethic on display for younger players to see.

He recalled a time when Border put up 1,500 shots in a few hours while Belden left to watch a baseball game, which started before he left, and still shooting after he came back.

"That's next level-type stuff," Belden said. "The biggest thing it shows is that they didn't get this good by just showing up."

Border still got his basketball work in during the offseason, even as he balanced AAU time with the Ohio Laces, the same team as Emig, in the summer, and then his role on the soccer team in the fall.

"After soccer practice I'd go and try to get in the gym, or try and get a basketball workout in," Border said. "I was still doing stuff outside of soccer, like getting some touches and run up some hills and stuff like that."

In Emig's case, he also shoots on his own at home. It is the routine with which he has embraced, and one that has helped his career develop. He ranks among the area's best 3-point shooters, in addition to total field goal percentage.

"It's anything to get better," Emig said.

Border, like Emig, yearned to cut down a net in their final season. It didn't happen in the MVL, but the sectional offers another opportunity.

Both have collegiate playing careers in their futures, potentially in Division II. Emig visited Findlay last week.

"Coming in, I thought we were going to have a breakout season," Border said. "With the teammates we had, we definitely thought we were going to make a run. We definitely got off to a slow start and we tried to turn it around, but we never got over that hump that we wanted to get over.

"Toward the end we started to fall apart, but I feel like this tournament run we're going to find that spark," Border said.

sblackbu@gannett.com; Twitter: @SamBlackburnTR

This article originally appeared on Coshocton Tribune: Brothers in arms: River View hoops duo has left big marks on program