MARYSVILLE, Ohio -- In a game where runs, big shots and lead changes were as common as anything, Marysville junior Garrett Taylor knocked down the biggest shot of his life on Friday night, hitting the go-ahead three with five seconds left to push the Monarchs past Dublin Coffman in overtime, defeating the Shamrocks 80-78.

After Marysville jumped out to a quick 14-11 lead early in the first, Dublin Coffman used a 9-0 run to go ahead 20-14 with 1:13 left in the frame after ​​​​​​​Ajay Sheldon and ​​​​​​​Jesse Hains took advantage of some lazy Marysville passes and converted on some easy looks in transition.

Exploding on another huge run to start the second, Coffman scored the first 10 points of the frame and forced a Marysville timeout as they claimed a 32-16 lead with 3:34 left in the half after a corner three from ​​​​​​​Nash Hostetler.

Coffman senior guard ​​​​​​​Keaton Turner began to heat up in the frame and kept at this pace for the rest of the contest as Marysville had no matchup for him.

Storming back with a run of their own, Marysville scored 13 unanswered points to trim the Coffman lead to just 32-29 before a tough three from Turner at the buzzer gave the Rocks a 35-29 lead at the break.

After Coffman increased their lead to 40-31 following a free throw from Sheldon, Marysville unanswered with an 8-0 run behind a triple from Taylor along with a tough finish and several free throws from junior ​​​​​​​Jack Christian.

While Christian tied it up at 43 after hitting a three-pointer of his own, Hostetler answered with yet another make from deep to push the Dublin Coffman lead to 46-43 with 2:08 left in the third.

Holding steady for the rest of the frame, the Shamrocks headed into the fourth ahead 51-49.

Going on a 7-0 run after a few big plays from Hains, Coffman seemed very comfortable as they led 61-54 with 6:12 left to play. Not so fast.

After Marysville crawled back to tie it at 61, Turner made a tough layup and Coffman called a timeout ahead 63-61 with 3:42 to go.

Christian then tied it up with two free throws and Taylor gave Marysville the lead after a big 5-0 run by himself. After he had a putback to give the Monarchs the lead, he then knocked down a triple and put them ahead 68-63 with 2:13 left.

Doing what he does best, Turner answered with five unanswered points capped off by a tough, tough three off the dribble to tie the game at 68. Making the biggest play of his young career, Coffman big Hammond Russell gave the Rocks a 70-68 lead on the next possession after a huge putback on the offensive glass.

Marysville then answered with a basket from Taylor to tie it at 70 and Dublin Coffman decided to hold the ball for the last shot.

While they didn't get their first attempt to fall, Hostetler was fouled coming down after grabbing an offensive rebound at the buzzer. With two huge shots looming with no time left on the clock, the junior had a chance to send everyone home. 

However, according to many Marysville fans, "ball don't lie," as Hostetler missed both and sent the game to overtime.

While the squad's traded buckets for the first several minutes of the extra period, a filthy combo move leading into a deep two from Turner gave Dublin Coffman a 77-75 lead before Christian hit two free throws to tie it up at 77 21.4 seconds left.

After Turner hit one of two at the line to give Coffman a 78-77 lead on the next possession, Marysville called a timeout with 14.9 seconds left to draw up one more play for a shot to win it.

While we don't know for sure if the play was drawn up this way, Monarchs senior guard ​​​​​​​Joey Duke made an excellent read while driving baseline and kicked it out to Taylor on the wing to end it.

While getting double-teamed, Turner was forced to take a tough shot at the buzzer and his three fell just short.

Giving the fans their money's worth, Christian and Turner each scored 34 points to lead their respective teams.

For Coffman, Hostetler scored 13, Sheldon scored 11, Hains scored 10 and Russell scored six.

They move to 3-2 after the loss and will be back in action against Northland tomorrow.

For Marysville, Taylor had an excellent showing of 23 points in the win. Evan Brown scored six, Gabe Schaeffer scored six and Duke pitched in with four.

They are now 4-2 and will have a long break before taking on Upper Arlington on January 3rd to continue OCC-Central play.

Keaton Turner (6'0 PG / Dublin Coffman / 2020): Alright guys, listen up. If you didn't know, then now you do. While Turner played a big role off the bench for last year's loaded Coffman squad, he is now the guy and is taking full pride in that role. Continuing his blazing hot start to the season on Friday, he sliced up the Marysville defense to the tune of 34 points and hit some extremely tough shots. You will be hard-pressed to find a better shot maker off the dribble in Central Ohio than Keaton as he is as efficient as they come from deep and in the mid-range. He has an elite, elite feel for the game as he plays with an excellent pace, knows how to use his exceptional dribble moves and keeps defenders off balance literally every single time down the floor. He knocked down five three's on Friday, several of which were contested and off the dribble, hit shots off the bounce in the mid-range, was extremely efficient from the line and got to the rim for some tough finishes. If you're a low-major Division I program looking for an elite offensive guard than you need to stop what you're doing and take a look at Turner. He will only improve as he has both and elite work ethic and mindset that will allow him to see success early at the collegiate level.

Jack Christian (5'10 G / Marysville / 2021): It's very rare to see two sport athletes who are elite in both sports nowadays, but Christian embodies exactly that statement. While he is a high-level pitcher and infielder on the baseball diamond, the junior is no slouch on the hardwood either and he proved that tonight by exploding for 34 points of his own against a Dublin Coffman defense with some tough guards. Christian knocked down a handful of three's in motion, hit a nasty fadeaway off the bounce in the mid-range and got to the rim for multiple tough finishes. With a strong build, a shifty handle and a knack for how to attack defenders, he constantly got in the lane against the Coffman defense and got to the free throw line where he was excellent and scored 14 of his points from. The 5-foot-10 guard is hard-nosed defender as well as he can be relied upon to defend the point of attack and also showed value by coming up with a few steals and deflections while playing the passing lanes tonight. We love the all-around game of Christian as he brings great value on both ends and is a good decision maker who knows how to lead a team.

Garrett Taylor (6'7 PF / Marysville / 2021): Taylor played the game of his life tonight. Outside of making the game-winning three, he made some huge plays for Marysville all night and saw his stock continue to rise in our eyes. At a long 6-foot-7, the junior is very tough to keep off the glass and that was the case tonight as he finished a few tough buckets after offensive rebounds. He showed good patience and touch near the rim, getting off some clean looks and converting extremely efficiently inside the paint. He also used his lanky frame to come up with a big block on the defensive end and to control the glass on that end and prevent Dublin Coffman from getting extra opportunities all night. What impressed us most from Taylor was his ability to stretch the floor, however, as he made a couple of three's off the catch outside of the game-winner. If you're a Division II program reading this, I would get your eyes on Taylor now as he has the chance to become one of the best true bigs in the area over the next two seasons.

Ajay Sheldon (5'11 PG / Dublin Coffman / 2022): Sheldon put together an impressive two-way showing for Coffman tonight, showing great hustle, defensive effort and decision making all night. With a quick first step and a slippery handle, he got by Marysville defenders all night long and along with finishing some tough baskets near the rim, he made some great drive and kick reads to open shooters, showing off good vision and anticipation. Defensively, Sheldon played stellar on the ball and off of it, coming up with several steals both defending in the perimeter and jumping the passing lanes. With above average lateral quickness and a great motor on that end, he has the chance to become an elite point of attack defender over the next couple of seasons. We are really excited to track the development of Ajay as he's one of the best 2022 guards around and has the chance to take some notes from Keaton Turner throughout the season.

Jesse Hains (6'0 G / Dublin Coffman / 2020): We were really happy to see Jesse playing a valuable role for Coffman in the starting lineup tonight as he has waited his turn over the last several seasons at Dublin Coffman besides being talented enough to play an important role for many other teams in the area. The 6-foot guard had a stellar showing on Friday as he knocked down two three's, made some really impressive passes in transition and came up with a few steals while playing the passing lanes. He showed an ability to get to the rim off the bounce, make good decisions and finish with both hands. Hains could be a really good look for Division III programs in need of guard play. we expect him to continue to improve as the season goes on and he gains more and more experience on the varsity level.