BERLIN, Ohio— Two days and 14 games are in the books for the 17th annual Classic in the Country. Monday’s lineup features eight remaining games of the highly regarded event honoring the legacies of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Coach Perry Reese Jr. Sunday’s games showcased more of the talented teams and individual prospects that bring recruiters, evaluators, media and fans to Berlin and Amish country annually. Below are Sunday’s results along with a brief synopsis of each game and stat highlights as appropriate. Included is the highly anticipated matchup between Mt. Notre Dame and Winston Salem Christian with national rankings implications.
To see Classic opening day coverage from Blue Star Media, follows the link below for results, images and more.
https://bluestarmedia.org/classic-in-the-country-2020-day-one/
Check back with Blue Star Media to see additional coverage from Monday’s final eight games of the 2020 Classic the Country.
Day two opened with a classic Ohio matchup of two well coached programs with long running cultures of success. Newark and Mason lit it up in the first quarter with the Wildcats holding a 22 – 18 lead after eight minutes of play. The opposite was true in the second as neither team reached double digits and Newark took an extended 31 – 24 lead into the break. Newark added six more to the lead in the third behind some timely long range shooting and held Mason off in the fourth to post a 59 – 45 win over the Comets. Standout sophomore Maddie Vejsicky was named Player of the Game behind her 21 point performance compliments of 8 for 11 shooting. The shooting included 5 of 7 from behind the arch. Junior Emma Shumate added 14 more in the win. For Mason Margo Mattes was the only Comet to hit double figures as the freshman finished with 14 for the day. Ironically Mason dominated the boards by 13 but turned the ball over 8 more times than the Wildcats.
For the second day in a row Fairmont had its way with an opponent this time around claiming a 60 – 45 win over Eastlake North. A 10 point lead after one became 19 at the half and grew to as much as 24 at one point. When all was said and done the Firebirds had their second win in two days, both in convincing fashion. Notre Dame commit Maddie Westbeld was named Player of the Game. The senior forward had her second consecutive double-double posting 14 points and 12 rebounds in the win. Classmates Madison Bartley and Kierra Thornton joined her in double figure scoring with 16 and 12 respectively. Junior Abby Carter led Eastlake North with 15. Classmate Avril Drew added 11 while senior Destiny Leo chipped in 9 more.
In the day’s high profile showdown Mt. Notre Dame and Winston Salem Christian staged a national caliber slugfest that was worthy of the Classic in the Country mainstage. Naturally a matchup like that would end up tied up after one period of play at 14. By halftime Mt. Notre Dame had opened up a whopping two point lead of 27 – 25. The Lions edged ahead entering the fourth by way of a 13 – 7 third period. However it was the Cougars that got the final say in the fourth grabbing a one point lead while making one of two free-throws with eight seconds remaining followed by WSC rattling a shot in and out as the horn sounded to come up one point short 49 – 48. The game was competitive and physical from start to finish and worthy of two good teams in mid-season form. MND senior point guard Makira Cook, whose shooting was critical throughout the game, was named Player of the Game. The Dayton bound standout finished with 22 that included a 4 of 8 slate from downtown. Junior Laila Phelia added 13 critical points including the go ahead free throw while freshman KK Bransford produced 11 more. Physical post Kiandra Brown led Winston Salem in the loss with 14 points and 13 rebounds. For good measure the 6-2 junior also shot 7 of 14 from the floor.
Another classic Ohio match up featured Notre Dame Academy (Toledo) and Lakota West facing off in the day’s fourth game. The Firebirds held a one point lead after one period of play, 16 – 15. A low scoring second (8 – 4) saw Notre Dame take a 23 – 20 lead at the half. The Eagles doubled up Lakota West in the third and added 2 to the total in the fourth to claim a signature 57 – 44 win. Highly regarded sophomore Grace VanSlooten led the way with 21 points and seven boards. Named the Player of the Game, she also produced a 9 for 16 shooting report card on the day. Junior guard Olivia Sims added 17 more while shooting 7 of 13 herself. Chance Gray again led Lakota West but had to fight for every touch and look. The sophomore still produced 22 in the loss but found the going tough with a 9 for 19 shooting clip.
GlenOak may well want to forget their trip to Berlin and the Classic this year. After taking it on the chin hard yesterday (78 – 35) they lined up with an accomplished Huber Heights Wayne team. Unfortunately for the Golden Eagles the outcome wasn’t much different though the margin was slightly less. Wayne was up 27 – 9 after one and led 43 – 20 at the half. They added three more to the lead in the third and five more in the fourth to claim a resounding 78 – 47 win. Elite junior prospect Bree Hall was named Player of the Game behind 26 points, 8 rebounds and 3 steals for Wayne. Senior Nyla Hampton added 20 more. Combined the two shot 19 for 30 from the floor. GlenOak had just one player in double figures as senior Alexis Lemire finished with 10 in the loss.
The day finished with a back and forth competitive battle between Gahanna Lincoln and Centerville. Centerville held a one point edge in a high scoring first quarter, 22 – 21. Both teams cooled off a bit in the second but the Gahanna Lincoln took a 33 – 27 lead at the half. Centerville responded in the third (18 – 12) making it 45 apiece entering the final period of play. Lincoln stretched the lead to as much as 9 in the fourth but fouls and a good understanding of the need to score quick allowed Centerville to get things back to one possession with just 4.4 seconds left. However Gahanna Lincoln knocked down one more free throw to keep the comeback just a dream and post a 68 – 64 win. Senior guard Edyn Battle finished with 25 points in the win while being named Player of the Game. Backcourt and classmate Morgan Darnell added 19 more in the win. High profile sophomore Cotie Mcmahon was a monster for the Elks finishing with 34 points and grabbing 16 rebounds while shooting 16 of 35 from the floor. Junior guard Amy Velasco contributed 15 points and 6 assists in the Centerville loss.
