Scioto seniors are sure to be missed c= ome next season

By BRIAN INGLIS

Published: Wednesday, March 12, 2008 10:36 AM EDT

By all insider accounts and in light of its considerable achievements, the most re= cent edition of the Dublin Scioto boys basketball tea= m was the best in program history.

Having just concluded the arduous campaign in the regional tournament for t= he first time, the Irish (22-2, 10-0 Ohio Capital Conference Capital Division) produced a memorable run that longtime coach Tony Bisu= tti is not soon going to forget.

"This was a great example of a true team, regardless of what happened tonight," Bisutti said after the semifinal= loss to Westerville South. "I'm very proud of all of my players."

In addition to finally breaking through for the first Central District championship since the doors opened at Hard Road in 1995, Scioto repeated as league champs. For the second consecutive year, the Irish went unbeaten thr= ough the league slate.

All of the aforementioned accomplishments came to be in large = part because of the seniors on the roster. The trio of upperclassmen was led by point guard Ben Ashwill, a second-team all-district selection who scored 11= .0 points per game and was among the Columbus statistical leaders in assists a= nd free throw percentage.

Moreover, starting forwards Kyle Duncan and Blair Gorn= iak were also vital cogs in the Irish engine. The latter was third team all-district and averaged 11.7 points-per-game.

"They were the heart and soul of everything we did," Bisutti said of the fourth-years. "The younger k= ids took their cue and the key was that there was no class division in this group."

Another pivotal role was played by junior guard Bradley McDougald, an honorable mention all-district pick who led the club in scoring at 14.1 = ppg. Another regular in the backcourt who rose to the occasion in the postseason was junior David McKinley.

Meanwhile, important contributions also came via junior center Marco St. Jo= hn, junior forward Deji Olatoy= e and junior guard Rainer Duzan.

Reserves who saw scattered minutes throughout the season were junior guards Destin Thomas and Dylan Coscia, junior forward = Eric Stamets and freshman center Jama= re Mills.

Expect Scioto to be among the Central Ohio elite again next winter. No matt= er what the future holds, the legacy of the current crop of Irish is secure.
"We had good talent but the most important thing was how they all bonded," Bisutti said. "They all play= ed their rear ends off every night and they were a fun ground to be around.&qu= ot;