A standout in basketball and soccer at Marysville, earning all-state honors in both, senior JoJo Eberhart has decided to pass on playing either sport in college so she can focus on academics at Ohio State.

That doesn’t mean she’s lost sight of a more immediate goal of leading the girls basketball team on another long postseason run.

Coming off their first appearance in a regional final, the Monarchs (9-1, 3-1 OCC-Cardinal) are having another strong season, with a 59-49 loss at Olentangy (11-0, 4-0) on Dec. 1 being their only blemish. The teams meet again Jan. 19 at Marysville.

Eberhart’s contributions as a 5-foot-10 point guard – she’s averaging 12.3 points, 5.0 rebounds, 4.6 assists and 3.6 steals – are among the reasons Marysville is competing for a third consecutive league title. The Monarchs were ranked second in Division I in the first state poll released Monday.

Eberhart, who has a 3.95 GPA and plans to major in exercise science, said she might consider competing in club basketball and soccer at Ohio State. She hasn’t lost her competitive edge this winter, often crashing the boards for rebounds and diving on the court for loose balls.

“There were times I would always go back and forth between (playing or not playing) basketball in college, but never really soccer as much,” Eberhart said. “I’ve been playing my whole life. I want to start a new chapter and be able to focus on school.”

When a program reaches out, “I will inform them that I am not playing college basketball if they don’t already know,” she said.

After taking over the Monarchs before the 2020-21 season, coach Klarke Ransome sensed almost immediately that Eberhart, then a freshman, would eventually play a major role in the program’s success.

“JoJo is special,” Ransome said. “The first day in the gym you could tell how special she was going to be. (She’s) not only a special player, but a special person. She does it the right way. There’s not enough positive things to say about Jo.”

Last season, Eberhart helped the Monarchs win their first district title. They lost the regional final 54-39 to Pickerington Central to finish 25-3.

On course for similar success this year, Marysville faces a tough OCC-Cardinal test Tuesday at Olentangy Berlin (9-1, 3-1).

“We definitely have the talent and we’re starting to come together as a team and play the best basketball that we can,” Eberhart said.

Eberhart was named first-team all-state and all-district, OCC-Cardinal Player of the Year and first-team Dispatch All-Metro in 2022-23, averaging 10.5 points, 5.0 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 3.5 steals.

With the graduation of point guard Leah Brown, Eberhart moved to the position full time.

“I’ve played point guard my entire life,” Eberhart said. “I like that role. ... We all love to share the ball. We don’t really care who scores as long as we’re scoring.”

Ransome supports Eberhart’s decision to focus on academics in college and said it hasn’t hurt her play.

“If you’re going to do something, you better love it,” Ransome said. “Jo has poured a lot of time and energy and effort into not only basketball, but soccer as well. ... One thing that I’m proud of the most is whatever is happening after this year hasn’t changed what she’s about and what she’s doing this year.

“She’s locked in. She’s all in. She’s a captain. She’s a leader and she’s doing great things. I know she wants to go out on a high note. There’s no one I’d rather have as a point guard or leader of the program.”

Eberhart finished her soccer career with 34 goals and 28 assists. She was named first-team all-district and all-league and second-team all-state this fall.

“Every team wishes they had someone like her,” said former Marysville coach Courtney Weikart, who stepped down after three seasons. “Her athleticism is at a level that doesn’t come around often, and her game-changing performances will be hard to match.”

fdirenna@dispatch.com

@DispatchFrank

This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Eberhart leading strong season for Marysville girls basketball