NORTH ROBINSON — Mason Studer and Carter Valentine get a lot of attention as leaders of the unbeaten Colonel Crawford basketball team, the No. 1 ranked squad in Division III.
And it’s well deserved as both backcourt players are near the top in most statistical categories in the Northern 10 Athletic Conference.
Valentine, who last November signed a national letter of intent to attend Ashland University, averages 18 points and 7.1 rebounds a game for the Eagles.
Studer contributes 17.3 points, along with 5.5 assists and nearly 3 steals for head coach David Sheldon.
“We got punched right in the mouth coming out, but we responded,” Studer said after falling behind last Friday, trailing Mohawk 17-8 early in the second period.
In that contest, their teammates bailed them out of that early jam.
“We had guys step up, making shots in the second quarter and that’s what makes us so dangerous,” he said.
The end result was a 73-42 victory even though Studer and Valentine combined for just 20 points, roughly half of their normal output.
“We got great teammates,” Valentine said. “It was a great team win.”
The Eagles’ success has come as no surprise to those who follow basketball in north central Ohio. Last season CC finished 23-1 overall (22-0 regular season) and 16-0 in the N10 on the way to the school’s first league championship since 2014-2015.
Valentine led the Northern 10 in scoring a year ago, averaging 18.1 points per game. He was voted N10 player of the year, was a second-team All-Ohio, first-team All-District 6 and first-team All-Northwest District selection. Studer was chosen Division III District 6 Player of the Year and Braxton Baker garnered second team honors.
Record setters
Both players have set personal records this winter.
Studer became the all-time assists leader in school history with his 347th last month. It broke a 23-year record held by David Hudson.
Valentine hit the 1,000-point plateau a few days later in a rout of Carey.
Both players were quick to credit their teammates.
“Individual honors are because of the team,” Studer said. “I don’t get an assist unless someone makes a shot. You don’t get a thousand points unless people get you the ball and the other team is guarding someone else.”
He added that setting records serves to inspire younger players in the program.
“Kids who watch say, ‘I want to do that someday.’ That motivates them to work and set goals for what they want to do in high school. That’s why Crawford has had so much success over the years.”
Last year Valentine was all-Ohio in three sports, garnering first-team honors in basketball after averaging 18.1 points per game. He then placed third at the state track and field meet in the high jump with a height of 6 feet, 4 inches.
Studer earned special mention all-Ohio in hoops and both were first team all-conference selections.
Signing early with AU has helped Valentine focus this winter.
“I wanted to get it done and over with during football season, so I didn’t have to worry about stuff happening,” he said.
Preparation
The hard work has paid dividends, according to the duo.
“The big thing is the off-season. We had a lot of guys come in and work their butts off,” Valentine said. “Braxton Baker has been working hard and Mason is the biggest gym rat I’ve ever met in my life; the hardest worker I’ve ever met in my life.”
Playing three games in four days recently was a challenge for the team.
“It definitely will probably take a little bit of a toll on the body, but we’ll recover fine. We’re young,” Studer said. “This is fun. You’re not even practicing really; you’re just playing games.”
Twenty-four hours after the win over Mohawk, the Eagles topped Division II Ontario 49-39 on the road. Valentine scored 19 points and Studer added 15.
On Monday night the Eagles remained perfect (21-0, 13-0) disposing of Seneca East 79-52 with only Friday’s regular season finale at home against Upper Sandusky remaining.
Tournament run
The post-season begins next Friday with a Division III sectional game against either Edison or Lakota. Tipoff is 5:30 p.m. at Monroeville.
“Unfinished business, for sure,” Valentine said. “Getting back to that district, but it’s one game at a time obviously.”
Studer knows he and his teammates want to advance further than they did a year ago when the Eagles fell in the district semi-finals.
“We’re excited for the post-season, but we still gotta improve. We’re not where we need to be yet.”
Coach’s influence
Last season Sheldon was voted co-coach of year in Division III after leading Colonel Crawford to a 23-1 season.
“Energy. He brings a lot of energy … he rips us every once in a while,” Valentine said.
Studer was lavish in his praise of Sheldon and his staff.
“He’s a basketball genius. The amount of stuff that he knows is unreal. His experience and he has so many mentors he talks to and bounces ideas off,” he said.
“Our coaching staff, our scouting reports are so in-depth. When you know what the other team is doing it’s an automatic advantage.”
While individual accolades are appreciated, Sheldon said his team just wants to win.
“That’s the great thing about this team and why we’ve been successful,” he said. “It’s not just our two all-Ohioans. You’ve got several options. They don’t care who scores or who passes.”
Baker, a junior, paced Crawford in the win over Mohawk with 24 points, double his season average.
Nolan McKibben has contributed significantly in recent outings and Jacob Maddy, a 6-foot-5 junior, leads the league hitting on 63.6 percent of his field goal attempts.