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St. C.’s McCort named second team All-Ohio

ST. CLAIRSVILLE — Ryan McCort was extremely honored and excited Tuesday morning when he saw his name listed on the Division II All-Ohio team.

But, his excitement was to share it with his parents and the honor was all about the team.

That’s just the way the St. Clairsville junior is wired.

“It’s very nice to be recognized, but none of it could have been done without the help of my teammates,” McCort said. “My first text message after seeing (the list) was to my parents. I just wanted to let them know and share it with them.”

McCort put forth an impressive season for Coach Ryan Clifford’s squad. He actually made a meteoric rise when considering he went from role player off the bench in 2019-20 to All-Ohioan amid a pandemic when so much of the summer, pre and regular seasons were disjointed.

“My teammates and coaches really pushed me this year,” McCort said. “It was really come to be able to compete in 24 games with these guys at a high level. I can’t wait to get back in the gym and start working to be even better next year.”

McCort developed into the Red Devils’ go-to-guy on the offensive end of the floor. He led St. C. in scoring with a 17.6 points per game average. All told, he scored 423 points and hit 42, 3-point goals. He didn’t score just from the field. He cashed in on 93 of 112 free throw tries, too.

“The season as a whole was a very good experience for me,” McCort admitted. “It was nice being able to play against some bigger teams and I was able to learn what I need to improve on.”

The post-season accolades have been arriving at a brisk pace for McCort. He’s been named First Team All-Eastern District, All-District 12 and All-Buckeye 8.

While those have been nice, the fact that the Red Devils were eliminated in the sectional co-final by eventual regional runner-up Meadowbrook is what drives him for next season.

“(The season) didn’t end the way we wanted, but it was fun to be able to compete with (my teammates) at a high level,” McCort said.

Though the season didn’t end the way he wanted, McCort did admit winning the Buckeye 8 title in an exciting game against East Liverpool was the ultimate highlight of the season.

“It was one of the best experiences of my life,” McCort said. “I wouldn’t have wanted to win it with any other group of guys.”

The complete listing of Division I and II All-Ohio teams can be found on The Times Leader website (timesleaderonline.com).

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