BERLIN, Ohio—Three days and 20 games after it started the 12th annual Classic in the Country is in the books. Monday saw seven more contests in the Perry Reese Center which has been filled with fans, family, recruiters and evaluators since Saturday’s first tip off. The annual event honoring Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Coach Perry Reese Jr. once again set itself apart in terms of competition, hospitality and as a reminder of those who have left legacies that should never be forgotten. Just like the first two days of competition there was plenty of the Buckeye State’s best talent in action. The mass of college programs represented are a testament to the hotbed that the state of Ohio is for colligate rosters. Every level was represented and the “Spike Lee” / “Jack Nicholson” seating was a who’s who among universities.
Day three got off to a slow start with a couple of less than inspiring performances but things picked up as the day went on. The average margin of victory ballooned to 17.1 per game but it wasn’t an indicator of the talent on the floor as plenty of athletes with very bright futures were competing throughout the day.
As we’ve done with days one and two, below are synopses of games 14 through 20 of the 12th annual Classic in the Country. Check back with Blue Star Media later in the week for additional coverage with detailed evaluations of some of the top players on hand.
Follow the links below for coverage of games and performances from Saturday and Sunday.
Hathaway Brown has a long history of tradition and success but this year’s addition is young and part of the rebuilding cycle for Coach Paul Barlow. Unfortunately for his Blazers, the Chipps from Chippewa sit atop the current D-III rankings plus stand 15th among all programs in the state…and the final score reflected that difference. A three point edge after one became seven at the half. It hit ten after three quarters before the roof caved in on HB and Chippewa claimed a 58 – 32 win at the final buzzer.
It wasn’t that the Chipps played that well. They shot just 31.6 percent from the floor, made just 2 of 21 three’s and were outrebounded by one. However, they did force Hathaway Brown into an unimaginable 31 turnovers, 30.8 percent shooting and for good measure connected on 20 of their own 24 free throw attempts to offset their shortcomings and claim the victory.
Junior Carly Koncz led the way with 20 on 5 of 11 from the floor and 9 for 10 from the line. The 5-11 wing also grabbed nine rebounds including four on the offensive end. Sophomore Taylor Richards had 17 but shot just 33 percent from the field including one of eight behind the arch. In the loss Hathaway Brown got 17 from 5-10 sophomore Christina Passerell and seven each from classmate Dani Lawson and junior Jordan Elhindi.
Unfortunately the day’s second game picked up where the first one had left off with Miami Valley jumping out to a 22 – 7 first period lead over Youngstown Ursuline. While the other quarters were much more competitive the final margin gave the Rams a hefty 53 – 25 cushion for the win. Ursuline shot just 21.7 percent in the first half and was counting on better over the last 16 minutes. Unfortunately the rest of the way they made just 5 of 25 attempts and finished the contest at a very frosty 20.8 percent clip. Miami Valley won the battle on the glass 39 – 27 with Ursuline grabbing just 10 offensive boards despite missing 45 field goals and freethrows.
Sharp shooting sophomore Tia Karras was 6 of 13 from three point range and led the Rams with 20 points. Athletic junior guard Taylor Middleton went 4 for 6 from the floor and added nine points to go along with 11 boards from the backcourt. Another sophomore, Alyssa Clements, added nine points and six more rebounds to the winning totals. The fighting Irish were led in scoring by 2017 point guard Ciel Vidale who finished with eight. Classmate Simone Comer, another guard, struggled at 1 of 11 but showed some moments of promise.
Centerville and Sylvania Northview were up next and provided the kind of battle that Classic fans are used to seeing. When all was said and done Centerville needed four minutes of overtime and a nine to five run to edge the Lady Kats. Northview’s Kendall McCoy connected on a baseline drive with just over two seconds remaining in regulation to tie things up at 40 necessitating the extra period. Junior Weston Minnich posted eight of Centerville’s nine overtime points and closed the door on McCoy and her teammates 49 – 45.
Stanford signee Shannon Coffee led the Elks with 19 which included 9 of 10 from the line. Weston followed with 17 on 6 for 9 shooting including 3 of 4 from downtown. McCoy, who’s headed to Miami of Ohio, led the way for Northview with 20 but it came on just 21 percent shooting from the floor connecting on 6 of 28 attempts. Physical forward and Ohio University signee Kendall Jessing chipped in 10 more.
Northview attempted 19 more shots but could only manage 23 percent shooting over the course of the game. Centerville came home at just 38 percent but it was enough in the end. The Lady Kats ruled the boards by five and had just eight turnovers to the Elks 13 but it wasn’t enough to overcome their cold night from the floor.
A marquee match-up between Lakota West and Solon lost its luster in the first period as the Firebirds raced out to a 16 to 7 lead. They followed that up by doubling up the Comets in the second and heading to the locker room with a surprising 38 – 18 lead. Solon gained back five in the third but the fourth belonged to Lakota West as they coasted home to an impressive 58 – 36 win.
Dayton signee Lauren Cannatelli again shined for Coach Andy Fishman getting 17 of her game high 23 in the decisive first half. The 5-8 guard finished the game with 23 points including 4 for 10 from three point range. Freshman Abby Prohaska continues to elevate her already highly regarded game finishing with eight points, six rebounds and three assists. Athletic junior guard Danielle Wells added eight of her own and some staunch on ball defense. For Solon, sophomore Dee Bekelja had 13 hard earned points on 5 of 10 shooting. The 5-7 guard also grabbed seven rebounds and collected two steals. Eye catching freshman post Valencia Myers has all the physical tools but managed just 2 for 7 shooting but did, however, grab 12 rebounds.
Solon actually shot a better percentage from the floor than the Firebirds but were outrebounded by six and committed a massive 33 turnovers to eliminate any chance of claiming the win.
North Canton Hoover has always had competitive success at the Classic but 2015 may be a year they want to forget. An 18 point loss to Toledo Rogers on Sunday was followed Monday by an even tougher 27 point defeat at the hands of Notre Dame Academy. The Eagles were up 15 to 8 after one and then shut out the Vikings 19 – 0 in the second for the 34 – 8 halftime lead. Hoover got back on the board in the third with 16 but unfortunately gave up 21 more to Notre Dame in the process. The fourth saw lots of subs and the merciful end coming at 59 – 32.
Kaayla McIntyre, likely the event’s most impressive performer, delivered once again in the win with 25 points and 12 rebounds. She connected on 11 of 15 from the floor, three of three from the line while adding four assists and three blocked shots as icing on the cake. Sharpshooting sophomore guard Mariah Copeland got 13 on 5 for 9 shooting including 3 of 5 from deep. Senior guard CJ Jefferson chipped in 11 more as well as five rebounds and four assists. Hoover was again led by junior point guard Lexi Manos with 12 that came at the expense of 5 for 17 (29%) shooting from the floor.
Every event has that one game that’s competitive and goes to the wire but in reality was some less than stellar basketball. It’s doubtful that either Pickerington Central or West Holmes will get many clips for the highlight video from Monday’s performance but the Tiger most likely enjoyed it more by virtue of their 36 – 31 win. West Holmes struggled out of the gate but managed to hold a slim, low scoring 19 – 15 lead at the half. Little did they know that they would make just one more field goal the entire second half and still half a chance to win in the end.
Pickerington Central has to be surprised that they claimed a win shooting just 28.2 percent from the floor and being outrebounded by 12. Senior guard Taylor Johnson led the Tigers with 16 going 5 of 13 from the floor, 2 for 4 from three point range and 4 of 4 at the line. Junior post Kennedi Jones added 10 more on her efficient 4 of 5 shooting. Senior guard Alex Starr had nine in the loss for West Homes.
Host Berlin Hiland was looking to go two for two against Division I foes and while Tecumseh didn’t make it easy, the Hawks got their wish. Following their win over Reynoldsburg Saturday Dave Schlabach’s crew put in a hard 32 minutes and narrowly got by the Arrows 52 – 44. Hiland had to overcome poor overall shooting on their home floor and rely on some effective long range action (9 for 21) and strong defensive pressure to finish off Tecumseh. The first two periods were identical 13 – 9 Hiland efforts for a 26 – 18 lead at half. After three it was 39 – 30 and though the Arrows would get it to a two possession game they could never take the lead and Hiland opened things back up to the final margin of eight.
Senior Megan Beachy had 21 points in the win on 6 for 17 shooting including 3 of 6 from long range. Impressive junior forward Lindsey Nartker had 20 points, nine rebounds and five blocks for Tecumseh. Hiland was outrebounded by nine but forced the Arrows into 22 turnovers while committing just 13 of their own. Surprisingly neither team connected well from the line with Tecumseh going 14 for 29 as a team while the Hawks managed just 11 for 21.
