BERLIN, Ohio—The 11th annual Classic in the Country celebrated Martin Luther King Day with seven more games and a reminder that the battles fought on the court pale in comparison to the mountains climbed in the civil rights movement. Three days, 31 teams and a schedule of 20 games made this small corner of northeast Ohio the center of Buckeye State basketball with a small dose of Rocky Mountain roundball for a weekend.
Attendance records were broken both Saturday and Sunday with over 20, 000 fans embracing the three days of action in the Reese Center of Berlin Hiland High School which bears the name former Hawk coach Perry Reese Jr., who along with Dr. King is honored each year by the event. Add to that 156 different college recruiters who found their way courtside and it’s easy to understand the enormous appeal for high school coaches, players and their families.
Today we take a look at Monday’s final slate of games and the individual and team standout performences that began at 10 a.m. and wrapped up with the grand finale between host Berlin Hiland and Wooster in the 8:30 p.m. time slot.
Blue Star Media coverage from the events first two days can be found at the following links
Day One
http://www.bluestarmedia.org/index.php/component/k2/item/672-classic-int-the-country-day-one
Day Two
http://www.bluestarmedia.org/index.php/component/k2/item/673-classic-in-the-country-day-two
Check back later this week with Blue Star media for evaluations and photos of some of the individual prospects competing in this year’s Classic in the Country.
Monday’s first game started well for the Lady Red of Bellevue as they jumped out quickly on Newark Catholic and held a nine point edge after the first period. Undaunted, the Green Wave responded with a 19 -5 run in the second and took a 25 -20 lead at the half. The onslaught continued in the third as Newark Catholic padded their lead by six more entering the final period leading 38 – 27. Bellevue was only able to chop one point off the deficit in the fourth and ended up on the losing end of a 54 – 44 score.
The Green Wave rode the coattails of forwards Jill Blacksten and Ashleigh Parkinson. Blacksten, a 6-2 junior forward, finished with a double-double of 20 points and 12 boards. She shot 5 of 9 from the floor, 2 for 2 from three point range and connected on 8 of 10 free throws. Parkinson, also a 6-2 2015 prospect, utilized her versatile skills to add a double-double of her own notching 16 points and 11 rebounds. Yet another junior, 5-10 Jenna Bourne, added 12 more on 5 of 8 shooting. As a team Newark Catholic was 40 percent from the floor and won the battle on the boards 32 – 28 but had to endure 18 turnovers.
Dayton junior verbal commit Carly Santoro struggled from the floor but still posted 12 points in the loss for Bellevue. Fellow 2015, Shelby Stamm, added 11 more for the Lady Red.
Lots of interest surrounded the day’s second game as nationally regarded 2015 post Bre Berryman led her Indian Creek teammates against the Lady Tigers of Chagrin Falls. The first period was a wash with both teams posting eight points in eight minutes of play. The scoring pace remained slow in the second but Chagrin Falls was able to take a three point advantage into the break leading 15 – 12. Berryman and the Redskins took control in the third and led 23 – 19 with one period to go. Chagrin Falls cut it to one and had their opportunities but still fell in the end of the low scoring affair, 34 – 33.
The 6-5 Berryman was productive finishing with a double-double of 16 points and 13 rebounds. She shot 6 for 10 from the floor and also added 2 blocks and a steal. Senior 6-3 forward Kiarra Kamarec finished with 11 points and pulled 11 boards of her own. The Redskins led the way in rebounding by 6 but were lucky to survive a turnover total of 22.
Amy Dishong, a 5-8 senior, was the only Lady Tiger to post double figures finishing with 10 points while grabbing 9 rebounds. Despite shooting just 1 of 16 from the field, 6-1 junior Hannah Thome still managed to contribute 10 boards and 2 steals while playing the entire game. Thome’s 6-5 sister Hallie may have been able to match up with Berryman but is sidelined with a torn ACL.
Regis Jesuit and North Canton Hoover both posted wins in their first games and were ready for the challenge of a tough match up. The Raiders from Colorado were dominant over the first two periods leading by six after one quarter and holding a 24 -10 lead at the half after allowing Hoover just 3 points in the second. Hoover was outscored 5 -0 to start the second half before going on a 17 – 9 run to enter the fourth trailing 38 – 27. The Vikings cut the lead to single digits twice but couldn’t close the gap enough to challenge eventually falling 52 – 38.
Junior point guard Jessica Lewis led all scorers in the game pacing Regis with 14 points on 4 of 5 shooting that included 2 for 3 from deep and a 4 for 4 effort at the line. Purdue signee Justine Hall added 13 more while Drexel bound wing Kelsi Lidge contributed seven points and five rebounds.
In the loss Hoover had three in double figures. Marquia Turner, an athletic 5-8 guard and Xavier signee, had 13 as did Ashland bound 6-0 forward Julie Worley. Fellow senior Kelsey Lensman added 12 more for the Vikings in the loss. Freshman point guard Maddie Blyer did not produce any stats worth noting but provided a glimpse of a promising floor game that has her among the top Ohio point guards in the 2017 class.
Westerville North and Eaton took the floor next, both for their only game of the 2014 Classic. As in other games, both teams were slow out of the gate with Westerville North leading 8 – 6 after the first period. The scoring picked up in the second with Eaton cutting the two point lead in half but still trailing 21-20 at the intermission. An 8 – 8 third quarter kept things tight entering the fourth where Westerville North opened things up scoring 19 and holding the Eagles to just 11 for a 48 – 39 win.
Junior Symone Simmons was the only Warrior hitting double figures. Her fifteen points came on a 6 for 12 effort from the floor and a 3 of 4 production at the line. The athletic guard also added 12 rebounds in the win, including 4 on the offensive end of the floor. For good measure Simmons also blocked 4 shots and came up with 4 steals.
Eaton struggled from the field as a team shooting a combined 27.3 percent as a result of a 15 for 55 nightmare. Juniors Danielle Karns and Autumn Whirley both finished in double figures ending the game with 14 each.
Lakota West and Toledo Rogers were both looking to get back on the winning track after dropping their opening games of the event. Again, both were short on first period scoring ending the quarter tied up at 8. Rogers grabbed a massive one point lead at the half heading to the locker room up 20 – 19. The Firebirds took control in the third outscoring Rogers 15 – 8 and holding a 34 – 28 lead entering the final stanza. Lakota West added 3 more to the margin in the fourth and claimed a 51 – 42 win.
Sophomore guard Nia Staples continued to impress in the win leading the way with 16 points which included an 8 of 9 showing at the free throw line. Junior guard and Dayton verbal commit Lauren Cannatelli finished with 12 despite a frosty 3 of 11 shooting effort. The Firebirds held a 36 – 29 edge in the rebound department and allowed Rogers just seven offensive boards over the course of the game. They also enjoyed the benefits of forcing the Rams into 19 turnovers.
Sophomore Michigan verbal commit Akienreh Johnson found the range with 4 of 7 shooting from three point distence and leading the way for the Rams with 14 points. Explosive senior guard and Eastern Michigan signee Sasha Dailey added 11 on 50 percent field goal clip.
Easily one of the most competitively played games of the 2014 Classic was the matchup between Division I Reynoldsburg and Division II West Holmes. Looking at the first three quarters it would be hard to imagine a tight finish. West Holmes was in control from the tip outscoring the Raiders in each period over the first 24 minutes. It was 12 – 5 after one, 23 – 15 at the half and 35 – 22 entering the final quarter. The last round of this heavyweight fight went to Reynoldsburg 18 – 9 but still left them on the short end of a 44 – 40 finish.
Brittleigh Macaulay was the lone Knight to hit double figures finishing with 14, the result of 5 for 9 shooting. Findlay bound Emily Molnar contributed 9 points, 3 boards, 2 assists and 2 steals. Normally productive Ashland signee Laina Snyder struggled going just 1 for 11 from the floor but still added 7 rebounds, 4 assists and 2 steals. West Holmes was outscored from the floor 36 -31 while shooting just 31 percent as a team but made up for it at the line outscoring Reynoldsburg 13 – 4.
McDonald’s nominee Alyssa Rice, bound for Kentucky, finished with a double-double producing 14 points and 10 rebounds in the Raider loss. Nicole Orr, headed to Butler next year, added 11 more and also pulled 11 boards.
The final game of the 11th annual Classic in the Country featured host Berlin Hiland and the Generals from Wooster. A large and enthusiastic crowd saw Hiland jump out early with a 13 – 6 first period lead and a 26 – 16 edge at the half. Wooster got one back in the third but Hiland picked that back up in the fourth keeping the margin at 10 for a Hawk win. Surprisingly, Wooster stayed within reach despite committing 24 turnovers and shooting 29.1 percent from the floor. Of course Hiland helped by shooting just 30.9 percent themselves and getting schooled on the boards by 11 to keep things closer than the score indicates.
Regina Hochstetler, destined for Cedarville next season, led the way for the Hawks again with 12. Emily Yoder added 10 more while Jenica Schrock and Brittany Miller chipped in 9 apiece. Hiland shot 36.7 percent over the first half but cooled to 24 percent down the stretch. Making things even more challenging was giving up 22 offensive rebounds to Wooster who, fortunately, converted at a dismal rate.
Senior Sarah Cairnie led the Generals with 11 points in spite of an ice cold 5 for 19 effort from the floor. Tirzah Talampas produced 10 more in the loss shooting only 33 percent on 4 of 12 shooting.
