BERLIN, Ohio—Day one of the tenth annual Classic in the Country is in the books and as is tradition…only the losing teams walked away disappointed. Seven games were on tap Saturday in the holiday weekend event celebrating and honoring the legacies of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Coach Perry Reese Jr. Blue Star Media was on hand from tip to final buzzer and will be back in the gym for all six games Sunday as well the concluding seven contests on Monday.
Check back later in the week for some in depth evaluations and insights on the top performers from this year’s Classic. For now, here are some insights and quick statistical looks at today’s games.
In game one Akron signee Hannah Plybon posted 31 points in an impressive performance leading her Orrville teammates to an easy 81 – 48 win over Reedsville Eastern. Orrville outscored Eastern in all four periods while connecting on 32 of 73 shots from the floor including a 9 for 24 performance from behind the arch. The Red Riders also commanded a 12 rebound margin on the boards while collecting 18 of their 52 total on the offensive end of the floor. Eastern committed just 13 turnovers but 29 percent shooting for the contest proved to be too much to overcome. Senior point guard Maggie Devault added 18 for Orrville while Eastern was paced by junior forward Erin Swatzel’s 20 points and 8 of 14 shooting. Eagle junior guard and early Dayton verbal commitment Jenna Burdette struggled with 6 of 23 shooting but did produce 6 assists with no turnovers.
Perennial Division II power Hathaway Brown battled a young Sylvania Northview squad for two quarters before using an 18 – 4 third period to open the game up and cruise to a 52 – 35 win. The Blazers utilized a box and one to contain Northview sophomore standout Kendall McCoy and shut down the Ladykats offense in the second half. Princeton bound Vanessa Smith led the way in the win with 17 while fellow senior Stephanie Solano added 15. Cornell commit Nia Marshall chipped in a double double for good measure totaling 10 points and 13 boards on the night. McCoy was the sole player in double figures for Northview who as a team could muster just 29.8 percent from the floor including a miserable 20.7 percent over the final two quarters.
Columbus Africentric opened up game three forcing 16 turnovers out of West Holmes and posting a 32 – 21 lead at the break. The Knights, however, exploded for 23 points in the third while holding Africentric to just 9 and doubled them up in the fourth to post the final 62 to 50 margin. West Holmes held their turnovers to just four in the second half and decimated the Lady Nubians in the rebounding column by a 44 to 19 margin. Senior guard Rachel Morrison was impressive in the win finishing with 24 points going 8 of 16 from the floor and 3 of 6 from three point land. High profile junior Laina Snyder had just seven in the win but hauled in a staggering 24 rebounds in 30 minutes of play. Cincinnati signee Marley Hill led the way for Africentric with 19 points but could manage just two rebounds in the loss.
While one of the day’s marquee match ups lost a little of its flair with Princeton junior guard Kelsey Mitchell on the sideline nursing a foot injury, Memphis Central still decided they were here to do business. Central jumped out to a 13 to 10 edge after one but Princeton stormed back with a 17 – 11 margin in the second to hold a three point advantage at the half. The Warriors took the lead and sealed the win with five point margins in both the third and fourth leading to a 63 – 56 victory for the visitors from Tennessee. Baylor signee Nina Davis connected on 13 of 21 shots and finished the game with 29 points and added 14 boards to mix for good measure. Junior forward Tia Wooton was also in double figures for Central adding 17 points and aiding the cause with 6 of 11 shooting. Mitchell’s sister and fellow junior Chelsea struggled to find the range for the Vikings finishing just 4 of 19 for the game including 0 for 8 on the long ball. Junior forward Carlie Pogue led Princeton with 13 points and 10 boards in the contest while freshman point guard Markayla Sherman added 11 and garnered some notice.
Gahannah Lincoln entered their game with Canton McKinley with an enormous edge in experience. The Golden Lions roster features eight seniors while the Lady Pups (literally!) has just thee in uniform. Lincoln jumped out to a two point edge after one and converted that advantage into a 25 – 16 lead at the break. McKinley rallied in the third cutting the lead to just five entering the final eight minutes. All that Gahanna Lincoln experience happens to include five D-I signees which in turn led to a 20 – 9 fourth period and the 52 – 36 final margin. Both teams turned the ball over in excess of 20 times and Lincoln held a slight four rebound edge on the boards. Ohio University signee Quiera Lampkins led the winners with 18 and future Illinois State post Zenobia Bess added 13 points and 10 boards. Junior Xavier verbal commit Marquia Turner led the Pups with just 12 but had some impressive moments that should keep her future coaches in Cincinnati happy. Underclassman Sydney Stokes for Gahanna and Charday Pitts of McKinley both had moments and as sophomores demonstrate plenty of promise.
Game six was the high profile match up everyone in the gym had been waiting for and one glance at the rosters would tell enquiring minds just why. Both teams have received national recognition in various polls and the stage was set for a battle royal. Neither team could loosen up and the first half of play saw both teams shoot less than 30 percent from the floor with Fairmont heading to the locker room with a 17 – 16 edge in the low scoring contest. Fairmont extended their lead with a 15 – 8 third period and the Red Raiders could only breakeven in the fourth giving the Firebirds a 43 – 35 win. Junior forward Kathryn Westbeld had a double – double in the win with 21 points and 15 rebounds while fellow 2014 forward Makayla Waterman found the lid on with an 0 for 11 performance from the floor but still chipping in 11 boards. Nobody hit double digits for the Regis Jesuit as the very talented roster could muster just 28 percent shooting as a team for the game. Fairmont was ice cold as well in the first half hitting just 5 of 25 shots but warmed just enough in the second (31%) to get the win.
Nobody can ever accuse host team Berlin Hiland of ducking tough battles in the Classic and they didn’t on the opening day again this year. Taking on a Damascus team who entered the game with just one loss, the Hawks reminded the visitors from Maryland that their hospitality was available only off the floor. A low scoring first half had Hiland taking an 18 – 10 halftime lead. The Swarmin’ Hornets cut that margin by two in the third but Hiland ran away with a 19 to 8 fourth quarter to finish with a 47 – 30 win. Ultra impressive shooter Regina Hochstetler went 8 for 12 from the floor which included 4 of 8 from three point range. Her 24 led the way for the Hawks who also won the battle on the boards over a much, much bigger Damascus team 30 to 22. Junior post Kelli had 15 points in the loss for the Hornets. Damascus recently lost leading scorer senior Sam Day to an ACL tear.
