Taylor Mikesell, Kierstan Bell scoring at Ohio State, FGCU

 Who said, “you can’t go home again?” 

Taylor Mikesell played two seasons at the University of Maryland and one at the University of Oregon. She’s playing her senior year with the Ohio State women’s basketball team. 

Mikesell, a Jackson High graduate, is second on the Buckeyes in scoring with an 18.8 average. The 5-foot-11 guard has scored in double figures in all 15 games and has been over 20 points five times. She has connected on 61 of 125 shots from 3-point range (48.8%) and has had three or more in 14 games with a high of five in four games. 

 Ohio State, ranked 25th in the nation, lifted its record to 12-3 overall and 4-2 in the Big Ten Conference after an 88-83 league victory over Michigan State on Wednesday in Columbus. Mikesell played all 40 minutes and had 25 points, aided by five 3-pointers, five rebounds and two assists.  

Just how well has Mikesell adapted to the Buckeyes after playing at Maryland and Oregon?  

Junior guard Jacy Sheldon, the team’s leading scorer, tells what it is like to play with her. 

“It’s easy,” Sheldon said. “She can do it all — a great teammate and she keeps her defender with her so it creates so much for so many people on the floor. She is a great player.” 

Kierstan Bell (McKinley)  The junior guard showed off her versatility to lead the Florida Gulf Coast women’s basketball team to an easy 100-65 victory at Kennesaw State on Wednesday. Bell had a game-high 30 points, five rebounds, five assists, two blocked shots and two steals. And she played just 24 minutes. On the season, Bell is having an All-American type of performance. She leads the 14-1 Eagles in scoring (24.5), rebounding (8.0), steals (27) and blocked shots (21). She is third in assists with 43. Her points per game ranks third in Division I. Bell was named the Atlantic Sun Conference Player of the Week on Jan. 10, her fourth award this season. 

Garett Lautzenheiser (Louisville) The West Virginia wrestling team is 5-3 and Lautzenheiser is starting at 133 pounds as a true freshman. He has a 5-8 overall mark and is 1-5 in dual matches. He captured his first victory in the final meet of the first semester as the Mountaineers topped Cleveland State 24-16 in Morgantown. He posted a 4-2 victory. He had a 134-11 record in his four years with the Leopards and was a 2019 Ohio High School Athletic Association champion.