Maysville won the region for a third consecutive season and Nichols was dominant once again at the Convo, dominating conference rival John Glenn in the regional semifinals. Nichols offensive ability is tremendous as he knocks down shots from behind the college line and has a quick pull-up to hit contested shots. It’ll be interesting to see where Nichols ends up at the college level, he should have plenty of interest from regional Division II and NAIA programs. This 2026 class at Maysville will go down as one of the greatest in East district history, with three regional titles and a state championship and they were led by Nichols.

A dominant performance by Nichols who looked completely unguardable from start to finish, Nichols shined brightest in the Convo once again. Getting wherever he wanted to off the dribble, nobody on John Glenn could prevent Nichols from either getting to the paint or getting to his patented step-back jumper. When Nichols isolates, he does such a great job of going into the defender and creating contact, before making the space needed to rise up and hit. The great players usually dictate the tempo and play off contact from the defense. When Nichols was subbed out, he was outscoring John Glenn himself 34 to 33.

Nobody rocks UD Arena quite like Maysville and the Gator chomp has taken over the gym back-to-back seasons for the Panthers. After winning the state title last season, Maysville is hoping the encore performance is even better this year. Nichols puts up insane scoring numbers in the MVL and will look to make a third consecutive trip to Dayton to end his high school career.

One of the most exciting players in the state to watch, Nichols is a thrill to watch operate an offense and has helped lead his team to back-to-back state title games. Nichols is score first point guard who can create offensive in pick and roll or isolation situations. One of the best shooters in the state, Nichols makes some crazy shots from long distance and plays the game with extreme confidence and swagger. I think Nichols will be coveted by scholarship programs once more schools get their eyes on him in the summer.

One of the most exciting players to watch in the state, Nichols has taken a huge leap this season as he became the go to guy for the Panthers. One of the elite shooters in Ohio, Nichols can fire away from way downtown and makes shots both off the dribble or spot-up at a high percentage. Nichols has also grown as a ball handler and does an excellent job of playing through contact and earning trips to the foul line. I was impressed by the efficiency that Nichols had on Friday, shooting 11/21 from the floor and 10/12 from the foul line. Considering all the ball handling Nichols does and how he’s tasked with breaking pressure consistently, it’s remarkable Nichols only had two turnovers and Maysville as a team only had five.

You won’t find many greener lights for any guard in Ohio than Nichols, he takes and makes some of the craziest shots you’ll see all season on a nightly basis. Nichols came out firing on Thursday as he was getting to the rim early and often, using his improved frame to handle contact and finish at the rim. He also knocked down some deep 3-pointers and his highlight of the game came when he dropped a defender and launched a half-court pass for a layup. The Panthers are playing with a ton of confidence as they want to make it back to UD Arena.

I’m sure we’ve all heard of one golfer named after an SEC mascot who dominated greens across the country (Tiger Woods) but did you know there’s another golfer in southeast Ohio who helped make school history. Gator Nichols Gator Nichols 6'0" | PG Maysville | 2026 State OH helped Maysville qualify for states in golf for the first time this century last season and followed that up with a trip to the Division II state championship game in March on the hardwood.