UPPER ARLINGTON, Ohio -- Coming into Friday night's matchup, Marysville and Upper Arlington set atop of the OCC-Central division tied at 3-0 in conference play. The game didn’t disappoint as the Monarchs took full control of the top spot behind Jack Christian and Garrett Taylor combining for 38 points to edge out the Golden Bears 57-55.

Marysville jumped out to a 10-2 lead early. Upper Arlington would offer a response by going on a 6-0 run to trail by just two. The game got really choppy with a lot of fouls being called on both teams shortly after. Marysville held a 16-10 lead after one quarter.

The end of the first  quarter carried over into the second, as neither team established any kind of flow due to a ton of fouls being called. The first half featured 19 foul calls. Upper Arlington won the second quarter 16-10 and the game headed into halftime all tied up at 26.

The third quarter featured back and forth action with Taylor scoring six points for the Monarchs and Magnus Entenmann scoring seven for the Golden Bears. Both teams would score 12 points as we headed into the fourth quarter tied up at 38. 

Christian saved his best for last, scoring nine fourth quarter points including going a perfect 5-5 from the line in the quarter, helping the Monarchs hold off Upper Arlington. Free throws played huge as the Monarchs shot a scorching 91% compared to Upper Arlington who shot 57% and missed twelve free throws.

For Marysville, Taylor led all scorers with 20 points Christian had 18 points and Joey Duke chipped in six points.

For Upper Arlington, sophomore Quinn Corna led the way with 19 points and Entenmann added 14 points.

Jack Christian (5’11 G / Marysville / 2021): Although he didn’t have his best shooting night, Christian still made his presence felt in the game. On both ends of the floor he consistently communicated, essentially being a coach on the floor. Defensively he played hard, grabbed some rebounds and took a big charge. Even though he wasn’t making shots he stayed aggressive, showing up when his team needed him most and got to the line where he was a perfect 11-11. The junior 1-2 punch combo of him and Taylor is something to really keep an eye on.

Quinn Corna (6’2 G / Upper Arlington / 2021 ): Corna provided the only consistent offense tonight, scoring in a variety of ways. He was a threat on and off the ball as he showed the ability to knock down catch and shoot jumpers, mid range pull ups, and a quick first step as he continuously beat defenders to the rim and finished or drew fouls. We would like to see him settle down and focus at the line where we know he’s a more than capable shooter as tonight he missed six costly free throws. Nevertheless, Corna is a name to remember in a talent rich ‘22 guard class.

Garrett Taylor (6’6 F / Marysville / 2021 ): Taylor has shown his ability to stretch the floor in past viewings, but tonight he did his damage in the post, aggressively posting up, demanding the ball and showing off a soft touch on his hook shot that he had going. He was impressive with how patient he was on his touches. He did a great job of controlling the glass as well. getting some put backs and finishing off defensive possessions.

Magnus Entenmann (6’7 F / Upper Arlington / 2021 ): Although he was dealing with foul trouble, Entenmann still managed to play well. He scored some tough inside finishes and looked good putting the ball on the floor after pump fakes and attacking  the rim. He was active on the boards finishing off a lot of defensive possessions. The six-foot-seven forward is a really intriguing prospect who’s oozing with potential and just waiting on it to come full circle.