BERLIN, Ohio—The elements outside have settled down in Northern Ohio and so has the temperature. Despite projected single digit mercury in local thermometers things were still hot in the Perry Reese Jr. Community Center as day two of Classic in the Country XV unfolded. The revamped schedule featured seven more games Sunday and will be followed up Monday with seven more still making for 20 games total across the MLK weekend. The Classic, honoring Dr. King and Coach Perry Reese Jr., has been a staple for recruiters, evaluators and media alike from its inception 15 years ago. The unique setting in Amish country, the unequaled hospitality and the steady stream of Buckeye State talent keep those courtside coming back again and again.
To see our statistical recaps and images from day one, follow the link below.
http://www.bluestarmedia.org/classic-country-xv-day-one/
Today we take a quick look back at the results from Sunday’s action and some of the key game stats. Be sure to check back with Blue Star Media later in the week for additional evaluations and images from Berlin and the Classic in the Country.
Tipping off day two were the squads from Minster and Elyria Catholic. If this game was an indication of how competitive the day would be, Sunday was going to be a good one. Elyria Catholic jumped out to a 13 – 9 lead after one period and the Panthers added two more to their lead before the break entering the locker room with a 24 – 18 edge. The Wildcats from Minster were ice cold in the first half (25 percent from the floor) and the cold streak followed them into the third as they still trailed entering the final period 34 – 24. The lid came off for them in the fourth as they went on a 17 to 10 run to finish the game but still came up short falling 44 – 41.
Elyria Catholic shot 16 for 44 from the field (36.4 percent) while Minster mustered just 12 of 45 for 26.7 percent. The Panthers owned the boards 39 – 28 but committed 12 turnovers in the win to just 10 for Minster. Sophomore post Ally Winnen paced the soring for Elyria finishing with 17 while going 8 for 12 from the floor. Winnen also chalked up the double – double by pulling 10 boards. Junior guard Faith Williams added 11 more points to the Panther cause. Senior Taylor Kogge and junior Demaris Wolf each had 10 for Minster while Xavier bound senior Courtney Prenger added 7 points, 6 rebounds and 2 blocks in the loss.
The nail biting continued in game two Sunday as Newark and Huber Heights Wayne went both head to head and down to the wire in a battle of deep and talented teams. Wayne held a 10 – 8 edge after the first period and the two point margin still held at the half, 18 – 16. Newark claimed a one point lead following the third taking a 30 – 29 advantage over the Warriors into the final eight minutes. Wayne got the point back in the fourth and since they were having so much fun, both teams decided overtime was in order. The overtime period wasn’t exactly an offensive explosion for either team but in the end the Wildcats claimed the 41 – 39 on a 4 – 2 extra stanza.
Newark was 15 of 41 from the floor while Wayne came home with a 18 for 47 effort. Despite losing, the Warriors held a slight edge on the boards (33 – 27) and both teams finished the game with 17 in the turnover column. Sophomore guard Gabby Stare pace Newark’s scoring in the win with 18 points. She also led the way on the glass with 7 and for good measure added 4 assists to her day’s work. Junior backcourt mate Katie Shumate added 11 more points to the win while chipping in 6 rebounds and 3 blocks. Wayne had just one player in double figures. Junior guard Olivia Trice finished with 11 on 5 of 10 shooting for the Warriors.
Following a tough day one defeat at the hands of Toledo Notre Dame, Kettering Fairmont was anxious to get right back at it on Sunday taking on the Wildcats from Westerville South. Unfortunately, they fell behind out of the gate trailing 12 – 8 following the first period. The Firebirds found their footing and unleashed a 14 – 6 quarter leading them to a 22 – 18 halftime lead. Westerville South chipped three off the gap in the third and entered the fourth period trailing just 32 – 31. The Wildcats got their single point back by way of a 16 – 15 final quarter and we were off to overtime for the second time in three games. In fact, it was so much fun we did it twice with Kettering Fairmont coming out on top 60 – 57 following a second overtime period. Making it even more impressive was that the Firebirds were without the services of standout sophomore Madeline Westbeld from mid-fourth quarter on as she collected her fifth personal foul very early.
Fairmont shot 22 of 54 from the floor for 40.7 percent while Westerville South came home 22 of 64 and 34.4 percent. The Firebirds also won the battle on the boards by nine but did commit one more turnover than the Wildcats. Fairmont sophomore Madison Bartley led the way with 16 points on 7 for 11 shooting. Also posting 16 more in the win was junior Mali Morgan-Elliott who was 5 of 7 from the floor. Westbeld, despite her shortened day, posted 13 more. In the loss, the Wildcats were led by sophomore guard Anyssa Jones and her 17 points. Junior point guard Sommer Pitzer added 15 more while fellow 2019 Peyton Guice chipped in 13 of her own.
Lakota West got their first taste of Classic action Sunday taking on the Golden Eagles of GlenOak. The Firebirds were quick on the scoreboard racing out to a 12 – 5 lead following one period of play. The second quarter was completely uncharacteristic of an Andy Fishman coached team as Lakota West was outscored 14 – 2 and trailed by five going into the half. Whatever was said or what adjustments were made did the trick as the third quarter belonged to Lakota as they posted 19 points and held GlenOak scoreless for a 33 – 19 lead with eight minutes remaining. A 16 – 7 final period for the Firebirds ultimately made the score 49 – 26 when the buzzer sounded.
After shooting just 26.9 percent in the first half, Lakota West warmed things up to finish 21 of 56 for 37.5 percent. The Golden Eagles were 7 for 23 and 30.4 percent on the day. The Firebirds won the rebound war as well 34 – 19 and forced GlenOak into 29 turnovers while committing 19 of their own for the game. Notre Dame bound senior Abby Prohaska was the only Lakota West player to hit double figures finishing with 10 points while adding 4 rebounds and 4 assists. Sarah Jones, Ally Haar and Nevaeh Dean contributed eight points each to the winning effort as well. The Golden Eagles had two players finish with six points in the loss. Sophomore Erica Warren showed some promise and had a few moments for GlenOak.
Solon and Mason both had quality three point wins on day one of the Classic. Sunday afternoon Mason jumped out on Solon from the start of their day two match-up running up a 10 – 2 lead across the first period. They still owned the lead at the half 21 – 10 as they shut out every Solon player across two periods except for senior Valencia Myers. A 10 – 7 third made it 31 – 17 going into the final quarter and while both teams lit it up in the last period (23 – 21 Solon) the win ultimately belonged to Mason 52 – 40 in the end.
From the floor, Mason was 17 for 39 (43.6 percent) while Solon struggled at 15 of 52 (28.8 percent). Mason held a nine rebound edge on the boards while both teams finished the game with 15 turnovers. Junior Sammie Puisis again led Mason with 13 while Anna Brinkman added a double – double of 10 points and 10 boards. The Comets also got some strong play from sophomore guard Megan Wagner. Myers finished with 23 on 9 of 22 shooting to go with her 10 rebounds in the loss. Fellow senior Gabby Mitchell added 11 more points, all coming in the second half.
Mt. Notre Dame dropped their opener by three on day one and were looking to get back into the win column against Reynoldsburg Sunday evening. The game was a physical battle from the start with Mt. Notre Dame holding a slim two point edge, 15 – 13, after one period of play. The Cougars added 15 more in the second but the Raiders weren’t going away as they trailed 30 – 25 at the break. Mt. Notre Dame shook things lose a bit in the third extending their lead to 48 – 34 with one quarter to go. Unfortunately for Reynoldsburg an 11 – 8 run in the fourth was too little, too late as MND took the win 56 – 45.
The Cougars were 19 of 41 from the floor in the win while Reynoldsburg finished 17 for 43 for the game. The Raiders had a one rebound edge on the glass and both teams took care of the ball posting 10 turnovers apiece. Sophomore point guard Makira Cook continued her strong play in the win leading the way with 20 points and four assists for MND. Freshman standout Laila Phelia added 10 points of her own along with 7 rebounds for the Cougars. Reynoldsburg got 13 points from junior forward Obianuju Ezeudu while sophomore guard Kyria Walker added 12 of her for the Raiders.
It might not be a “best for last” scenario but it was a competitive battle between Wadsworth and North Canton Hoover to finish day two. Wadsworth led by just one after the first period and extended their lead to 31 – 24 by the time the teams were headed to the locker rooms. A 10 – 4 Hoover third quarter cut the lead to one and set up a back and forth final period with Wadsworth grabbing the win in the end, 50 – 47.
The Grizzlies shot 20 of 44 for 45.5 percent while Hoover went 17 for 49 and 34.7 percent. Hoover won the glass 34 – 31 but Wadsworth forced them into one more turnover than they committed themselves (14 – 13). In the win the Grizzlies had just one player reach double figures. Junior Kacie Evans finished with 10 points on 4 for 5 shooting from the floor. Senior point guard Sophia Fortner had 6 points and 3 assists as well as some strong moments in transition as well. Hoover got 22 from junior forward Annie Roshak, an early Ashland verbal. In addition, she added 8 rebounds and 4 assists for the Vikings. Senior Alexis Green chipped in 10 points in the loss while impressive sophomore guard Peyton Davis added 8 more.
