Central Ohio High School Sports Awards: ThisWeek reveals Super 12 boys basketball honorees
ThisWeek’s Super 12 boys basketball honorees are united in their ability to do two things: put the ball in the basket and elevate their teams.
All the honorees are finalists to be named Captain – our boys basketball Athlete of the Year. The award is presented by Liberty National Bank.
Our top athletes in all 30 sports will be among the honors revealed during the Central Ohio High School Sports Awards, presented by Encova Insurance and in partnership with Nationwide Children’s Hospital Sports Medicine and Raising Cane’s. The event will be held June 15 at the Ohio Theatre. Honorees should register at tinyurl.com/2zfmn58e.
To read bios of previously announced honorees, go to dispatch.com/sports/central-ohio-high-school-sports-awards.
Here is the Super 12 for boys basketball:
Drey Carter
School: Westerville South
Year: Senior
A 6-foot-7 wing player, Carter led the Wildcats to a Division I regional semifinal, which they lost to Gahanna Lincoln 64-48 to finish 25-1 overall. He posted team-best averages in scoring (18.4) and rebounding (6.0) and was named first-team all-state and all-district.
Carter also was named OCC-Capital Division Player of the Year as South won the league championship at 14-0.
Quinn Corna
School: Upper Arlington
Year: Senior
This 6-3 guard averaged 18.2 points and finished with 1,051 for his career while leading the Golden Bears to their first Division I district championship since 2017.
Corna, who was named OCC-Central co-Player of the Year with Dublin Coffman’s Ajay Sheldon and first-team all-district, led UA to records of 21-5 overall and 7-3 in the league. The Bears won the OCC-Central title after going 9-12 overall and 1-9 in the league last year.
Cooper Davis
School: Olentangy Liberty
Year: Senior
Davis found his form after a slow start in which he made just one of his first 18 3-point attempts. The 6-4 guard averaged 19.0 points and 4.0 rebounds and shot 40.4% from the field, 38% from 3-point range and 80.8% at the free-throw line.
Davis, who surpassed 1,000 career points during the season, was named third-team all-state and first-team all-district and all-league after helping the Patriots reach their second consecutive Division I district final.
Evan Dozer
School: Bloom-Carroll
Year: Senior
This 6-2 guard helped the Bulldogs go 23-3 and earn a Division II district runner-up finish while receiving MSL-Buckeye Player of the Year, first-team all-district and second-team all-state honors.
Dozer, who surpassed the 1,000-point mark late in the regular season, averaged 22.5 points, 8.0 rebounds and 2.5 assists. He shot 53% from the field and 82% from the free-throw line.
Sean Jones
School: Gahanna Lincoln
Year: Senior
The district’s Player of the Year and the co-Player of the Year in the state in Division I along with Centerville’s Gabe Cupps, Jones is a 5-10 guard who closed his prep career as the Lions’ all-time leading scorer with 1,680 points.
He averaged 21 points, 4.5 rebounds and 4.5 assists while leading Gahanna to a 25-3 record and a regional runner-up finish. He was OCC-Ohio Player of the Year for the third year in a row and a Super 12 honoree for the third consecutive year.
Amani Lyles
School: Beechcroft
Year: Senior
Lyles was the Division II district Player of the Year and a first-team all-City League-North honoree who helped the Cougars earn runner-up finishes in both the league and district while going 19-4. He also was first-team all-state.
A 6-7 forward, Lyles averaged 20.5 points, 12.0 rebounds and 3.0 blocks while shooting 66% from the field. He finished with 1,143 career points.
Brandon McLaughlin
School: Heath
Year: Senior
A 6-8 forward, McLaughlin helped the Bulldogs go a combined 67-9 over the last three seasons, including 23-4 with a Division II regional runner-up finish this winter.
McLaughlin averaged 15.8 points, 8.9 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 2.0 blocks as he earned first-team all-district, second-team all-state and LCL-Cardinal Player of the Year honors. He closed his prep career with 1,456 points and 958 rebounds, both program records.
Devin Royal
School: Pickerington Central
Year: Junior
The 6-7 forward led the Tigers to their second Division I state title and first since 2012, averaging 19.8 points, 8.2 rebounds and 1.6 assists.
Royal earned OCC-Buckeye Player of the Year and first-team all-state and all-district honors. He scored 16 of his game-high 20 points in the second half of the state final as Central beat undefeated and defending champion Centerville 55-48.
Ajay Sheldon
School: Dublin Coffman
Year: Senior
A two-time Super 12 honoree, Sheldon was first-team all-district for the second consecutive season and second-team all-state in Division I.
A 6-1 guard who also was OCC-Central co-Player of the Year, Sheldon averaged 22.5 points, 3.0 assists and 2.0 steals. He closed his prep career with 1,164 points, ranking him third in program history.
Dailyn Swain
School: Africentric
Year: Junior
The Division III district and state Player of the Year, this 6-8 forward helped the Nubians win the City League championship, reach at least a state semifinal for the fifth time and finish 23-6.
Swain averaged 21 points, 8.0 rebounds, 5.0 assists and 3.0 blocks while leading Africentric to its second consecutive City-South title. The Nubians beat Beechcroft 65-58 in the City final.
Chase Walker
School: St. Charles
Year: Junior
This 6-8, 335-pound center was a dominant presence in the paint while leading the Cardinals to a Division I district final.
Walker averaged 17.8 points and 9.5 rebounds, earning special mention all-state, second-team all-district and CCL Player of the Year honors. He shot 63.2% from the field.
L.A. Walker
School: Linden-McKinley
Year: Senior
A first-team all-district and second-team all-state honoree, Walker helped the Panthers win a Division II district championship.
The 6-5 forward averaged 23 points and 11 rebounds as Linden went 18-8 and reached the regional tournament for the first time since it was a state semifinalist in 2005.
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This article originally appeared on ThisWeek: ThisWeek reveals Super 12 boys basketball honorees for 2021-22
