Gagai leads All-Ohio picks

Published 12:00 am Monday, April 3, 2006

And the honors just keep coming for Dennis Gagai.

Already the Southeast District Player of the Year for the Associated Press and Coaches District 13, Ironton senior guard Dennis Gagai was named Tuesday to the AP Division III All-Ohio first team.

The 6-foot-3 Gagai averaged 21 points a game during the regular season. The only returning starter and letterman from last season’s state runner-up team, Gagai helped Ironton come within four points of a return trip to the state tournament.

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Seven other area players were honored by the AP including Gagai’s teammate Brandon Walker and Chesapeake senior guard P.J. Rase who were named to the second team in Division III.

Rase, a 6-2 senior, scored 17 points a game and had 1,000 for his career. He was the runner-up to Gagai in the district Player of the Year voting.

Rase averaged 5.0 assists and shot 93 percent from the foul line and 53 percent from the field.

Walker, a first team All-Ohio selection in football as a linebacker, was named All-Ohio honorable mention. Walker averaged 10.6 points and led the team with 5.8 rebounds a game for Ironton. He was second team all-district.

Chesapeake’s 6-3 senior Justin Porter averaged 14.0 points and 6.0 rebounds and was named honorable mention. An outstanding defensive player, Porter was a second team all-district pick.

South Point’s 6-5 senior center Jeremiah Taylor was named honorable mention after his second team all-district selection.

Taylor averaged 16.6 points, 10.4 rebounds and 3.3 blocked shots a game. He also shot 68 percent from the field.

In Division IV, Green’s 5-9 senior point guard Derek Lewis was honorable mention All-Ohio. He was second team

all-district.

Lewis averaged 16.0 points, 4.0 rebounds, 7.5 assists and shot 75 percent from the foul line.

Also in Division III, the Wheelersburg Pirates’ 6-7 junior Camden Miller was a third team All-Ohio pick and 6-4 sophomore Drew Spradlin was honorable mention.

Miller averaged 17.6 points and Spradlin 14.4 points a game to help the Pirates reach the state semifinals.