Margaretta honors Hall of Fame, beats Clyde

CASTALIA — On a night when the Margaretta athletic department hosted its 2025 Hall of Fame ceremony, the hometown Polar Bears put on a show for a max-capacity crowd. Ed Keller (class of 1992 graduate), coach Dana Woodring (head football coach from 1979 to 1986), and the 1991 girls cross country team were inducted. But it was do-it-all forward Julian Washington and point guard Judah Keller that got the local faithful rising on multiple occasions. Behind a superb effort from the standout seniors who poured in a combined 56 points, Margaretta defeated Clyde 81-53 in Sandusky Bay Conference crossover action. "I know people look tonight and see me and Julian's stats, but this team is not a two-headed monster," Keller said. "Any given night, any guy or multiple guys can have great games." The induction ceremony was not the only major milestone on the night as Keller, the team's point guard, hit a jumper with 57.5 seconds left in the first quarter to reach 1,000 career points. Keller and Washington knew this milestone was important and a testament to the work they put in since their freshman year. "This is all about the community around me," Keller said. "Like Julian always getting on me to get better, and to my dad for always getting on me to improve every night since I can remember." Keller finished the night with 23 points. "Judah has been a brother to me for as long as I can remember," Washington said. "This milestone is about the dedication to his game and this team. I love that guy and the brotherhood we share." The first quarter saw the Polar Bears (7-0) jump ahead 6-0 quickly and extend that lead to 15-4 at the 5:04 mark in the quarter behind Washington having a quick eight points. The onslaught continued as the Polar Bears jumped out to a 30-10 lead after one period. The scoreboard did not tell the story for the effort Clyde (2-3) played with. "My kids played with great effort and responded to Margaretta's big first quarter by just putting their head down and playing hard," Clyde coach Jared Shetzer said. In the second period, the Fliers played right with Margaretta with the score being 13-12. Clyde got a big second period from Michael Scruggs, who had nine of the 12 points for the Polar Bears. Margaretta led 43-22 at halftime. "I think there was good energy in the gym tonight," Margaretta coach Steve Keller said. "I think our guys were ready to play and quite honestly, us and Clyde have a nice little rivalry that goes back to when I was coaching there." The third quarter started with Clyde getting within 15 at 43-28, but then behind Washington scoring 12 points, Margareta blew open the game and entered the fourth up 62-39. Then in the fourth, both teams went back and forth, with it being a 19-14 period to reach the final score. In the loss, Clyde was paced by Scruggs and Chase Castle with 13 points apiece. Karcen Garner added 10 points for the Fliers. Clyde is back in action Monday when it hosts Lakota (5-0). "Hats off to our guys down low in the paint tonight," Shetzer said. "They played with great energy and effort all night and did some nice things for us." Margaretta got 33 points on 13 of 18 shooting from Washington to go along with 10 rebounds and five assists. Keller made 9 of 13 shots and grabbed nine rebounds to go with six assists. "Ever since preschool, we have been coming in the gym after school getting shots up," Washington said. "I can talk all day about this and Judah's performance and milestone tonight, but this is just one goal on a list full of them this season." After emotional back-to-back victories, which include wins over rival Huron on Friday, Margaretta turns its focus to their next matchup, which will be back at home versus Edison in Sandusky Bay Conference Bay Division action Tuesday. "This group knows there are things to improve on," Keller said. "Our guys are good at getting prepared and for a ton of these guys, having a good Christmas break is crucial on how the rest of the season goes." CLYDE (2-3) Karcen Garner 4 1-2 10, Max Swander 0 0-2 0, Jonathan Lantz 1 2-2 4, Oscar Webb 2 0-0 5, Aric Kauble 1 2-2 4, Michael Scruggs 4 1-2 13, Chase Castle 5 3-3 13, Kaidence Cooksey 2 0-0 4. TOTALS 19 9-13 53 MARGARETTA (7-0) Jaxson Bohn 3 1-1 7, Kale Bailey 0 1-2 1, Jake Bouy 1 0-0 2, Ayden Miller 1 0-0 2, Keiygan Morris 2 0-0 4, Julian Washington 13 7-8 33, Judah Keller 9 3-6 23, Rob Cox 1 0-0 3, Tyson Bailey 3 0-0 6. TOTALS 33 10-16 81 Clyde 10 12 17 14 — 53 Margaretta 30 13 19 19 — 81 Three-point goals: Clyde 6 (Scruggs 4, Garner, Webb); Margaretta 4 (Keller 3, Cox)