BERLIN, Ohio— Monday is the official holiday honoring Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in the eyes of the government and those with a true understanding and appreciation of the impact of his life. Sadly, across the country many see it simply as a day off of work or school. Even in the educational and athletic setting, many MLK tournaments are held without mention or acknowledgement of a man many of our students know much too little about. What a true shame.
At the annual Classic in the Country the first and last game of the days are opened with the National Anthem while the other 18 games are preceded by an audio clip of one of Dr. King’s speeches…all with the crowd standing and that voice resonating throughout the gym. That voice set the tone again Monday as the final eight games of the 2020 Classic closed the book on the 17th edition of one of the one of few “true” MLK events in America. Below are results, images and synopsis of those final contests of the 22 on tap Saturday through Monday.
To see Saturday and Sunday Blue Star Media coverage from Berlin and Amish Country, follow the links below.
Saturday
https://bluestarmedia.org/classic-in-the-country-2020-day-one/
Sunday
https://bluestarmedia.org/day-two-17th-annual-classic-in-the-country/
Day three opened with new Philadelphia and Reynoldsburg taking the floor first on Monday morning with temperatures outside in the teens. Things warmed up quick inside with Reynoldsburg grabbing a 12 – 10 lead after one period of play. New Philadelphia evened things up in the second going into halftime tied up at 21 apiece. The third quarter belonged to New Philadelphia as they posted a 17 – 7 run over eight minutes entering the final period with a 38 – 28 advantage. Unfortunately for the Pirates they weren’t able to close the gap falling to the Quakers 49 – 37. It didn’t help that Reynoldsburg was outrebounded by a whopping 16 boards while giving up 16 offensive rebounds in the process. Senior Josie Pry was named Player of the Game leading the way in the win with 13 points, 5 rebounds and 2 assists. Four players put up six or more points for Reynoldsburg but none were able to hit double figures in the loss.
Solon and Princeton are both programs that have known success in the past and both have some young standouts looking to take them back to the promised land. Their 10:30 matchup started fast and competitive with both teams putting up some points and getting out in transition. After one quarter Princeton held a 18 – 16 edge and unfortunately for the Comets, they were just getting warmed up. A 25 – 12 second period left Solon on the short end of a 43 – 28 halftime score. Princeton gave two points back in the third but added 12 to the margin in the fourth to claim an impressive 73 – 48 win. The Vikings led on the boards by 14 and forced Solon into 5 more turnovers in the game. The Comets shot a dismal 16 for 56 from the floor in the loss. Freshman guard and Player of the Game Sole Williams paced the Princeton scoring with 16 points on 8 for 14 shooting. Seniors Ashley Davis and Willow White added 13 and 12 respectively in the win. Junior Hailey Weaver was the only player in double figures for Solon posting 25 points partly the result of a 4 for 5 three point shooting effort.
Homestead was visiting from next door in Indiana and were greeted by a welcoming committee from Pickerington Central. Let’s just say from the start it was a competitive game that went to the wire but the shooting by both was not exactly showcase material. Combined both teams shot 26 of 91 from the floor. Dr. Naismith is rolling over somewhere. That being said, It was 12 – 11 Pick Central after one and by the half we were tied up at…wait for it…20. A 9 – 5 third gave the Tigers an edge entering the final period but high profile sophomore Ayanna Patterson stuck back her only offensive rebound for a one point lead that Pickerington Central could not counter falling 37 – 36. Patterson was named Player of the Game by way of her 17 point and nine rebound effort. Senior Rylie Parker added 14 more in the win. The Tigers had just one in double figures as Aarionna Redman used 4 for 9 three point shooting on her way to a team leading 16 points.
No disrespect to the rosters of both teams but some on the sidelines wouldn’t have minded a one on one match up between Wayne’s Bree Hall and Aurora’s Shyanne Sellers. You could sell plenty of tickets. With full line ups on the floor, Wayne grabbed a one point edge following the first period 14 – 13. They were able to add 6 more to the margin before the half going into the locker room up 24 – 17. Aurora cut 5 off the gap in the third but ultimately fell 41 – 36 in another surprisingly low scoring affair. Ironically Wayne shot just 27.7 percent as a team yet still won the game. They did win the battle on the boards by 9 and forced Aurora into 8 more turnovers to compensate. Hall, a junior, was named Player of the Game after posting 24 points and 15 rebounds. Senior Nyla Hampton added 11 more in the win. Nobody hit double figures for Aurora as Sellers struggled from the floor (1 of 11) but did manage to pull 11 boards.
Centerville took one on the chin Sunday evening and took their frustrations out on Notre Dame Academy (Toledo) Monday afternoon. In what should have been a competitive match-up, Centerville dominated from tip to buzzer. Jumping out 25 to 7 in the first quarter, they still held a 36 – 22 lead at the break. Notre Dame cut 2 points off the deficit in the third before getting blitzed 14 – 2 in the fourth to ultimately fall 61 – 37 in the end. Centerville never gave up the lead in the game and found its largest lead of 24 points in the final score. Sophomore Cotie McMahon was named Player of the Game after her 23 point, 8 rebound and 3 assist performance. Junior guard Amy Velasco chipped in 14 more in the winning cause. Sophomore Grace VanSlooten was alone in double figures for Notre Dame finishing with 19 points and 8 rebounds.
Game number 20 for the Classic in the Country featured Mercy McAuley and Wadsworth. A slow start saw Mercy McAuley take a two point lead after one period of play at 9 – 7. Both teams warmed up in the second with each posting 16 points and the halftime margin showing 25 – 23 in favor of Mercy McAuley. Wadsworth struggled in the third coming up with just 2 points in the period before cutting 4 points off the lead in the fourth yet still falling 42 – 35 at the end. Neither team was able to shoot over 40 percent from the floor as a team in the low scoring contest. Senior Ashley Tudor led the soring in the win with 13 on her way to being named Player of the Game while classmate Lexie Fleming added 10 more. Junior Maggie Long had 12 in the loss while senior Taylor Leatherman contributed 11 more along with 8 rebounds.
Chippewa and West Branch may have been slightly overshadowed by some of the high profile teams, players and match ups Monday but they still offered up a competitive game. While not a high scoring affair, West branch managed to find a way to claim the win despite shooting just 27 percent from the floor. It didn’t hurt that Chippewa shot just 21 percent themselves on a frosty day both outside and apparently in the gym as well. Neither team would produce double figure points in any period until the fourth when West Branch used a 15 – 10 period to claim a 34 – 29 win. Player of the Game Peyton Alazaus led the way in the win with 13 points followed by senior teammate Hannah Ridgway’s 10. In the loss, Chippewa got 10 points and 7 rebounds from senior Celina Koncz.
Berlin Hiland is a gracious and hospitable host for the Classic in every way except on the floor. Shelby came into Monday’s game undefeated but quickly found out the Welcome mat doesn’t reach all the way to the basketball court. The Hawks were up 27 – 7 after one, 56 – 16 at the half and 76 – 23 at the end of three. Even with the bench getting extended minutes, the fourth period went Hiland’s way 23 to 2 leading to a 99 – 25 final margin. The Hawks absolutely owned the glass pull 50 boards including an unimaginable 35 offensive rebounds. Shelby had 20 total rebounds for the game. Hiland also forced Shelby into 38 turnovers while giving it up just 16 times themselves over the course of the game. Junior forward Zoe Miller led five players in double figures with her 22 point effort. Also named Player of the Game, Miller grabbed 15 rebounds in the win. Shelby failed to get anyone into double figures for the game.
