MOUNT VERNON, Ohio -- Our staff had the opportunity to check out four intriguing games on Wednesday as Mount Vernon Nazarene hosted the MVNUnited Invitational.

Getting our eyes on four local boys teams and one dominant girls team, we had the chance to see some really impressive performances on both ends of the floor throughout the day.

The results of the games that we covered went as follows:

• Johnstown 60, Patriot Prep 17
• ​​​​​​​Buckeye Valley 63, Ashland 61
• Worthington Christian 81, Western Brown 47 (girls)
• ​​​​​​​Newark 55, Chaminade Julienne 48

Let's take a look at some of the top performers from the day below, spotlighting a handful of players both on the boys and girls side of things.

Owen Osborne (5'9 PG / Buckeye Valley / 2022): Osborne was the key force in Buckeye Valley's comeback win over Ashland, turning in one of the best two-way performances that we saw all day. Giving Ashland's Luke Denbow a lot of problems with his defensive ability, the senior used his quick feet and good hands to come up with a handful of steals and make Denbow uncomfortable in the second half of the game. Osborne also came up huge from the Barons on the offensive end, nailing three triples, getting inside for some tough scores and making some huge shots down the stretch. While Osborne is not the biggest guard, he still make his impact felt on both ends of the floor as he was fantastic on Wednesday. With a solid backcourt of Osborne and Dylan Thompson, Buckeye Valley has a real shot to win a district title in Division II this season.

Blessing King (5'11 F / Worthington Christian / 2022): The impact of King on both ends in Worthington Christian's win over Western Brown was big time. Blocking shots, forcing turnovers and controlling the glass, King locked down the defensive interior and also got things done on the offensive end where she had a handful of offensive rebounds and a few tough scores through contact. At 5-foot-11 with good length, King is a Swiss army knife who can do a little bit of everything for a team. She has a great knowledge of the game as well as she also got her teammates involved on Wednesday when the defense focused heavily on her. King is a big time player on the girls side who should have the attention of Division I programs in the region as she offers two-way versatility that you won't find from many players in the area.

Grant Burkholder (5'9 PG / Newark / 2023): Taking home MVP honors of Newark's win over Chaminade Julienne to end the night, Burkholder was once again excellent on Wednesday. The junior guard does not care who he is going up against as despite not matching up with the length and athleticism of Chaminade Julienne, he was the most impactful player on the floor all night. The junior guard epitomizes what Newark basketball ball is as it seems like he does every little thing right. He does a great job of taking care of the ball, knocks down open shots, finishes over much larger defenders and gets his teammates involved. Along with the rest of his team, Burkholder also does a great job of operating within Newark's offense as he assisted on several backdoor scores and finished a few as well on Wednesday. We absolutely love watching Burkholder play as he may not be the biggest, but always makes a major impact.

Megan Weakley (5'10 WG / Worthington Christian / 2023): We watched some great shooters on Wednesday, but I am not sure that we saw any better than Weakley. Going for 18 points by way of six three's in Worthington Christian's win, the junior caught fire early and never let up. Weakley has a quick trigger and shoots a really pretty ball as she hit shots from beyond the arc both off the dribble and off the catch on Wednesday. The junior comes from a family of great shooters and she is clearly next in line as she was letting it fly early and often as the Warriors took down Western Brown in convincing fashion.

Grayson Steury (6'1 WG / Ashland / 2023): Steury was really impressive for Ashland on Wednesday, hitting a handful of shots from all over the floor against Buckeye Valley. Steury is a knockdown shooter who isn't afraid to let it fly as he nailed a three from several steps behind the arc to go along with two pull-up three's off the dribble. Steury also hit a pair of shots in the mid-range and showed a soft touch on a driving floater in the first half. We really like what the junior has to offer as he showed in the first half that he can really fill it up when he gets hot. Steury is a really intriguing prospect in the 2023 class as he is an elite shooter who can rattle off 10 points in what seems like the blink of an eye.

Dylan Thompson (6'1 G / Buckeye Valley / 2022): Alongside Osbourne, Thompson turned in a big performance for Buckeye Valley in their win over Ashland. Hitting five three's throughout the course of the game, Thompson caught fire in the contest. The senior guard shoots a really pretty ball from beyond the arc, has a quick trigger and can also get inside and finish, which we saw on Wednesday as well. Thompson is also solid on the defensive end as he is a well-rounded prospect and is a four-year contributor for the Barons at the varsity level. The 6-foot-1 guard will make for a great college player and should be on the radar of small schools in the region.

Meghan Mayotte (5'9 G/F / Worthington Christian / 2023): Going for 21 points on Wednesday, Mayotte led Worthington Christian in scoring as she converted on a handful of buckets inside and was also very efficient at the free throw line, going 9-for-10 at the stripe. Mayotte is a bit of a hybrid guard/forward at this point as she has good size that she used to block a shot on Wednesday but also handles the ball well and has the ability to finish consistently on the interior. Getting inside for a ton of scores against Western Brown, Mayotte showed off her ability to finish with both hands and showed off her skill on a really impressive fake pass leading into an easy score. The junior is yet another really skilled player on a Worthington Christian team that is loaded with talent.

Ethan Schell (6'5 WF / Newark / 2022): Leading Newark in scoring with 16 points on Wednesday, Schell enjoyed a solid performance against Chaminade Julienne. Hitting two three's off the catch, nailing a shot from the mid-range and finishing a bunch of easy layups inside, Schell was extremely efficient and made the most of the open looks that he received in the contest. As Newark's biggest player at 6-foot-5, Schell also did a good job of controlling the glass against a Chaminade Julienne team with good size. We like the way that the senior takes what the defense gives him and always makes the most of his scoring opportunities.

Luke Denbow (6'1 PG / Ashland / 2022): Despite struggling a bit in the second half of Ashland's matchup with Buckeye Valley, Denbow still turned in a good showing as he came out of the gates firing in the first half. The West Liberty commit plays with a good pace and does a good job of getting to his spots as he nailed a handful of tough mid-range jumpers against Buckeye Valley, several of which were heavily contested. Denbow also hit a three off the catch, got inside for two scores and came up with a handful of assists. While Ashland is not a local team, Denbow is a player who we wanted to spotlight as he caught our eye on Wednesday. Soon to be the leading scorer in Ashland program history, we expect the senior to enjoy a solid career at the next level.

Jamie Custer (2024 G / Worthington Christian): Custer was very impactful in Worthington Christian's win on Wednesday, getting things done on both ends of the floor. Outside of grabbing a few steals and finishing some tough buckets, she also dropped a handful of impressive dimes in the contest. Also a standout track runner, Custer is an impressive young player who offers all of the tools that you want out of a guard. While Worthington Christian has solid senior play from Blessing King, young players like Custer, Mayotte and Weakley make it evident that this program will continue to be dominant moving forward.

Cody Siegfried (6'4 F / Johnstown / 2023): We were interested to see what Johnstown had to offer after returning just one varsity player from last season's regional runner-up team and Siegfried will certainly be a major piece moving forward for the Johnnies. Using his size to his advantage, the junior forward scored in the post repeatedly for Johnstown and showed off a soft touch near the rim to go along with great patience on the interior. Along with also hitting a shot from the mid-range off the catch, Siegfried proved to be a good passer out of the post as well. The 6-foot-4 junior was a key piece to Johnstown's great ball movement on Wednesday as he made quick decisions with the ball in his hands and picked up a couple of assists in the half court as well as advancing the ball for easy looks in transition. We are interested to see how Siegfried does in the LCL this season as he was very efficient of the Johnnies on Wednesday.

Brady Barb (6'0 PG / Johnstown / 2024): We liked what we saw from Barb running the point for Johnstown on Wednesday. The sophomore provided constant pressure to the Patriot Prep ball handlers all day and also did a good job of taking care of the ball and getting the Johnnies into their sets. Barb has a pretty stroke from deep as he knocked down three triples in the contest at an efficient rate and also made a couple of passes that led to easy scores for Johnstown. Barb plays with a good pace on the offensive end and has good hands to go along with quick feet on the other end of the floor. Only a sophomore, Barb could develop into one of the LCL's better guards over the next few years.