Boys basketball notebook: Transfer rule ends Booker's first season at Oak Harbor

Oak Harbor sophomore Blake Booker's promising season is finished 11 games in. Not because of an injury or an off-court misstep, but because of the OHSAA transfer rule.Booker transferred last summer to Oak Harbor from Put-in-Bay's high school, which has a basketball team and is a member of the Ohio State High School Athletic Association — but doesn't participate in the state tournament.Booker's family lives on Put-in-Bay and he's staying with his grandparents in Danbury, Oak Harbor coach Eric Sweet said. That means Booker is an open-enrollment student. Changes to OHSAA rules last May mean that transfers now have to sit out the second half of the regular season, plus the tournament."He's a great player, a great kid. I feel terrible for him," Sweet said. "His whole intention coming to Oak Harbor was to play varsity athletics and he wouldn't have that opportunity at Put-in-Bay. They don't play a varsity schedule. All the things he's getting at Oak Harbor (athletically) he couldn't get at Put-in-Bay."I feel worse for him than me and our program."Oak Harbor pleaded its case to the OHSAA last fall in Columbus, but was denied."It's black-and-white to them; he's an open-enrollment kid," Sweet said."Blake Booker was subject to the transfer consequence unless he met the requirements of one of the 11 exceptions to the Transfer Bylaw (bylaw 4-7-2)," OHSAA director of compliance Kristin Ronai wrote in an email. "Since the OHSAA was unable to find any exception which applied, Blake had to fulfill the consequence requiring him to sit out the second half of the season and the OHSAA tournament in any sport in which he participated during the 12 months immediately preceding his transfer."Our office is not permitted to 'make' our own exceptions — we can only determine if the requirements of an exception can be 'met.' In this case, no exception could be met and the Appeals Panel upheld that ruling."Booker averaged 10.5 points per game in his first season in the program and led the Rockets with 25 made 3-pointers in 11 games. He made six 3s in two separate games.The 5-foot-10 guard scored nine points last Saturday against St. Mary Central Catholic, his last game of the season."He's a Rocket and we went into this season like we weren't going to treat him differently after we lose him after 11 games," Sweet said.Booker, who will be eligible to play the entire 2019-20 season, could switch over to point guard after junior Jac Alexander graduates."He handles the ball very well and he has a beautiful shooting stroke," Sweet said. "He has great skills." Clyde also a basketball schoolClyde travels to Norwalk on Friday for a showdown of first-place teams in the Sandusky Bay Conference Lake Division. The Fliers beat the Truckers 61-60 in mid-December. Norwalk led by nine points midway through the fourth quarter.One key to the rematch will be whether Norwalk can control Clyde's 3-point shooting. The Fliers lead the Lake Division by connecting on 38 percent of their attempts (94 for 245) from beyond the arc."If they hit their 3s and beat us up on the boards, I think we have no chance," Norwalk coach Steve Gray told the Reflector.Clyde's Cam Farrar, a 6-foot-2 senior guard, is the leading 3-point shooter in the Lake, connecting on 47 percent of his 3s (37 for 79), many of them from well beyond the high school arc."We always joke around. Me and (senior guard) James Dry always have a shooting competition, see how far we can go back," Farrar said after last Friday's win over Tiffin Columbian. "Ever since I was on JV I like to shoot deep. I can go back. He beat me this week. I don't know what's going on; he's lucky."Clyde and Norwalk are both 5-1 in the Lake Division, which means Friday's game will go a long way in determining the conference champion. Truckers star Brandon Haraway is averaging 26.4 ppg in Norwalk's last five outings. The Fliers have four seniors on their roster and all four are major contributors, including Derick Harrah, who leads Clyde with 17.7 ppg.Farrar is quick to credit the work of third-year coach Ryan Fretz."Ever since Coach Fretz has been here, he's done a great job getting us together," Farrar said. "Four years ago this wasn't a basketball school, this was a football school. I credit Coach Fretz in bringing this back to a basketball school." Sandusky connects from '3'Sandusky took the court Tuesday night in Bellevue shooting a miserable 26 percent from 3-point range this season, but the Blue Streaks heated up in the second half and finished the game 9 for 20 from behind the arc. Junior guard Dylon Jones was 5 for 7 and hit three straight in the Streaks' 34-point third quarter."He's getting his legs under him. He's a very good shooter and he's settling down a lot," Sandusky coach Colin Irish said. "Tahj (Staveskie) has been shooting good, Jayden (Greene) has been shooting real well. I'll put those three up shooting against anybody."Sandusky thumped Bellevue 70-46 to improve to 6-4, 4-1 in the SBC Lake. Now the Streaks have a chance to string together some more wins. Their next four opponents (Toledo Rogers, Toledo Bowsher, Columbian, Ross) have a combined record of 13-33.The Streaks' next game against a team with a winning record: Jan. 31 at home against Clyde. Coach Ruhlman pitches inBellevue senior guard Trey Ruhlman is getting closer to returning to the court while rehabbing a hip injury. He spent Tuesday's game coaching up his fellow guards."He does do a good job. He's out but he coaches up all our guards," Bellevue coach Ed Rich said. "I don't have to say a word because he's telling them exactly what he needs to tell them. If and when we get him back, it's going to be nice."The Redmen are at Perkins on Friday, then get a week off before traveling to Edison on Jan. 25. Margaretta stays close in BayMargaretta hosts Huron on Friday night looking to stay within striking distance of Vermilion in the SBC Bay Division. The Polar Bears won at Edison on Tuesday to improve to 6-1 in the Bay (10-2 overall).The Sailors blasted Port Clinton 80-39 on Tuesday, forcing 29 turnovers in their first game since Jan. 5. Vermilion hosts Edison on Friday night. Young TornadoesColumbian is struggling (1-10, 0-6 SBC Lake), but the Tornadoes have a bright future. They have only one senior on their roster and their top two scorers — 6-1 sophomore LJ Reaves and 6-1 freshman Bryce Burns — have two more seasons together in the backcourt. Reaves averages 14.6 points per game while Burns is at 9.0. Oak Harbor sophomore Blake Booker dribbles upcourt during a game at Margaretta in early January. At right is his teammate Tyler May.Brock Newsome is one of four senior starters for Clyde, which plays at Norwalk tonight.