BERLIN, Ohio—The Classic in the Country and the movie Groundhog Day don’t have a whole lot in common but the one characteristic that they do share is that every new day offers up the same thing as the day before. From a basketball standpoint and that of the 2013 Classic a redundancy of great basketball day after day could be nothing less than a great thing. The second day of this year’s event tipped off at noon and the noise in the gym didn’t die down till the final buzzer in game six. Reminders were offered before the start of each contest of the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in the form of sound bites from some of his most memorable and influential speeches. Thought provoking insight and great basketball, it’s a tradition in Berlin!
As with day one, we’re providing a statistical look at the results from the Sunday’s games. Check back later this week as Blue Star Media will also post some in depth evaluations of many of the talented athletes competing in the tenth annual Classic in the Country.
Game one featured a competitive matchup between Withrow out of Cincinnati and Midpark from Middleburg Heights. Both teams were able to score early and often and a 31 – 27 Midpark halftime edge was the result of both teams connecting on over 50 percent of their field goal attempts in the first and second quarters. A 15 to 6 third period extended the lead to 16 for the Meteors and while Withrow closed the gap in the fourth, they ultimately fell by a final score of 54 – 46. Midpark finished 21 of 41 from the floor (51.2%) which included a 7 for 16 team effort from downtown. Junior post Stasha Carey led the way with a double-double of 18 points and 12 boards. More impressive was her 8 for 9 shooting from the floor which offset a 2 of 7 struggle from the line. Senior guard Korie Maryo added 16 in the win, 12 of which came from her 4 for 6 three point shooting. Withrow led the way on the boards and forced Midpark into seven more turnovers but couldn’t overcome their second half cold shooting. Adriana Williams, an athletic junior guard, led the Tigers with 16 points while forward Montrail Roberts, also a 2014, added 10 boards in the loss.
In one of the day’s most dramatic finishes, Clyde capitalized on missed free-throws on the part of Winton Woods and converted two of their own with less than 10 seconds left for a 30 – 29 win. Junior Amanda Cahill took the ball the length of the floor and drew the contact sending her to the line for the winning margin. The 6-1 forward finished with 18 of the Fliers 30 points and connected on 3 of 7 from three point distance. Juniors Imani Partlow and Tyra James paced Winton Woods with 14 and 11 respectively while Partlow chipped in 12 rebounds as well. Neither team could muster double figures in any one quarter and both finished with dismal field goal percentages under 30 percent over the course of the game. The Warriors dominated the boards by 14 in the loss and their total of 39 featured 14 from the offensive end of the floor.
Game three saw the event’s first overtime period as Archbishop Hoban turned a 13 point lead into a disappointing 45 – 40 extra period loss to Bellbrook. Hoben took advantage of Bellbrook’s 17 percent first half shooting to take a 19 to 10 lead at intermission. Bellbrook rose to the challenge in the third knotting things up at 25 entering the final period. A 12 – 12 standoff led to OT and the five point final margin for Bellbrook. Junior Chea Taylor led the Golden Eagles in the win with 17 while senior Gabrielle Etter and sophomore Hannah Songer each added 10 of their own. Senior Emma Horning paced Hoban with 16 while Siena Commit Meghan Donohue added a double-double of 12 points and 10 reboundsprior to fouling out before the end of regulation. Bellbrook’s shooting warmed up in the second half but it was the 29 turnovers they forced the Knights into that created the opportunity to get the win in the end.
It’s not often that you can shoot virtually even with your opponent, out rebound them by 9, see them shoot just 3 of 12 from the line…and still lose 72 to 47. Unfortunately for Memphis Central they caught Reynoldsburg on one of those days where everything and everyone is clicking. The Raiders utilized a blistering 7 of 15 first half three point performance to take a commanding 41 to 26 halftime lead. Things went further downhill for the Warriors in the third as Reynoldsburg held them to just seven points while posting 21 of their own. A 14 – 10 fourth period was moot for Central as the writing was on the wall with a 25 point final deficit. Senior guard Yamonie Jenkins, an Ohio University signee, led the way with 15, all coming from her 5 for 9 deep shooting. Ever improving junior guard Nicole Orr added 14 going 6 of 12 from the floor while another OU signee, Destini Cooper contributed 13. Morehead commit Shiloh Murphy was the last in double figures for Reynoldsburg with 10. Baylor bound senior Nina Davis led Central once again this time posting 25 points on 11 of 21 shooting and adding 10 boards as well in the loss. Junior forward Tia Wooten was the only other Warrior in double digits finishing with 14 while going 6 for 9 from the floor.
Somebody forgot to tell Princeton that they could still compete effectively without injured standout guard Kelsey Mitchell. Twinsburg dominated virtually every facet of their game Sunday night coming away with a physical but somewhat easy 55 – 37 win. Princeton’s two point first quarter might have been an indication of things to come as they entered the locker room at the half trailing 25 – 14 and having shot just 7 of 31 from the floor. Twinsburg stretched the lead by seven in the third and both teams were even in the fourth leading to the 18 point Tiger win. A 23 rebound difference included 16 offensive boards for Twinsburg. They had a decided advantage at the line as well going 19 of 22 while the Vikings could only muster 4 of their 14 attempts. Princeton did win the turnover battle finishing with just 15 while the Tigers gave it up 20 times. Purdue signee Ashley Morrissette finished with 20 in the win including a perfect 10 for 10 from the line. Cleveland State bound guard Brooke Smith had 10 of her own as did impressive junior Baleigh Reid. George Mason bound senior post Char-dell Dunnigan looks impressively strong and fit while seeming to be playing with a college ready confidence. Jasmyn Hardin had 10 points and eight rebounds in the loss for Princeton.
The final score may have said Kettering Fairmont took down Wadsworth by 20 but this game was as competitive as a margin like that can ever be. Wadsworth was assertive and attacking from the tip while racing to a 17 – 13 edge after one period. The Firebirds came right back taking the lead in the second and extending it to 32 -26 at the half. Fairmont used an explosive transition game in the third to add 10 more to the margin and their 15 – 11 edge in the fourth made the final 67 – 47. Wadsworth turned the ball over just eight times in the loss but took it on the chin in the rebounding column 45 – 29. Worse yet, Fairmont had 20 offensive boards contributing to their 22 additional field goal attempts on the evening. Kathryn Westbeld led the folks from Kettering with a double-double of 16 points and 14 boards. Senior Alona Skipper had 11 as did junior Danie Shafer. Duquesne bound point guard Chelsea Welch added 10 to go along with her eight assists. Impressive senior Raachel Goddard had 12 in the loss for the Grizzlies as did fellow 2013 McKenzie O’Brian. Goddard’s intensity and tempo setting approach were a thorn in Fairmont’s side throughout the night.
