Twinsburg Juniors Prove to Be Most Valuable

Winning a state championship is no easy task. Claiming a title as a junior is even more impressive.

Twinsburg is fortunate to have two of the state's best junior athletes – Malina Howard and Michael Baker. Howard, the multi-talented 6-4 post player for the Lady Tigers' basketball team, led her teammates to the school's first state championship in a team sport as well as an unbeaten season. Baker came of age at the Division I state wrestling tournament, stunning the experts with a gutsy overtime victory in the finals to take the 171-pound state title.

The best part is that both athletes will be back next season, ready to close out high school careers that will raise the bar for those who follow them at the school.

Howard was an easy pick for Division I All-Ohio First Team honors and many thought she should have been named Miss Ohio Basketball as well. She averaged more than 21 points and nine rebounds per game this season and had 20 points and 11 rebounds in the Lady Tigers' 55-42 victory over Kettering Fairmount in the state championship game. Howard was even more impressive in the state semifinals in Columbus, scoring 19 points, pulling down 13 rebounds and blocking five shots in a win over Pickerington North.

Howard is one of the most sought-after recruits in the nation and will have her pick from a host of top Division I college programs. She will also be expected to lead her team back to the state Final Four next March.

"Malina's work ethic is pretty incredible," said Twinsburg head coach Julie Solis. "She grew tremendously last summer playing for the national team. That experience really helped her mentally and prepared her as a more physical player."

Howard is a true scholar-athlete, as her grade point average is as impressive as her points scored average. "She's as great in the classroom as she is on the court," said Solis. "Malina is a really humble kid  for all the attention she gets."

Howard's presence on the floor in the second half of the state title game was a key factor in the Tigers' victory. Even in games where she got into early foul trouble last season, she kept her composure, a trait which will not go unnoticed by NCAA scouts.

The state trophy has only been in town for about a month, but the talk has already begun about next season. Can Twinsburg do it again?

"We're going to do it again next year," Howard told the team's fans when the Tigers returned home after their success in Columbus. "Honestly, I think she'll embrace that (expectation) next season," said Solis.

While Howard was singled out for much attention, Baker flew somewhat under the radar at the start of the wrestling season. But Twinsburg head coach Dave Mariola knew he had a special competitor on his hands before the season began.

"I watched Michael last year when he and (Waquiem) Comar were going at it in practice," said Mariola, a member of the Ohio Wrestling Hall of Fame. Comar won a state title in 2010 for the Tigers and had some of his toughest battles in the team's wrestling room with Baker.

"Michael really developed this year when he wrestled on his feet more," said Mariola. "I thought that made him a dynamo. Michael is the whole package. I've watched him wrestle since he was a little guy and now he is well-built. Next year he is going to be even better."

Baker lost his first-round match at state in 2010 but survived a close encounter in the prelims this year as well as a one-point win in the semifinals. He was a big underdog in the state title match against Cincinnati Elder's unbeaten Ian Korb, but scored a takedown with just two seconds left in sudden victory overtime for a dramatic 3-1 victory.

"We push our kids to really go hard for eight minutes," said Mariola. "I was confident Michael would win."

That stirring performance resulted in Baker being named the Outstanding Wrestler in the entire Division I tournament. He finished the season with an impressive 40-2 overall record, including sectional and district titles.

Much like Howard, Baker will now have to come up with an encore to his memorable season. Second acts can often be tougher to pull off on the stage of sport.

"I told Michael at our banquet that we haven't had a two-time state champ," said Mariola. "If he comes back at 171 he'll be hard to beat. He's definitely going to make somebody happy in college."

Howard and Baker have already made a lot of people happy in Twinsburg. And you can't blame Tiger fans for thinking the best is yet to come.