Ohio all-star girls top Kentucky rivals
A pair of local coaches on both sides of the river said good bye to their superstars Saturday at the 23rd annual Ohio-Kentucky Girls' All-Star Basketball Game at Thomas More College.
Ohio assistant Jill Phillips of Princeton coached sister starters Kelsey Mitchell and Chelsea Mitchell for the last time just a few weeks after winning the Ohio Division I state championship.
Kelsey Mitchell, the Ohio Division I player of the year, scored nine points and Chelsea Mitchell added three on a 3-point basket, helping the Ohio All-Stars rally to a 114-91 victory.
Kentucky led 32-19 with 9:15 left in the second quarter, but a 23-14 Ohio run to close the half cut it to 46-42. Ohio scored 72 second-half points to finish it off, outscoring Kentucky 33-12 the first eight minutes after the break.
Tyra James, a Kent State recruit from Winton Woods, scored 15 points and was named Ohio MVP. Her 3-point basket at the 17:44 mark of the second half gave Ohio the lead for good at 52-50. She had 11 points during Ohio's half-opening run.
"It was fun, but it's also bittersweet," coach Phillips said of her last game with the Mitchell sisters. "We've been together four years, but it's time for them to leave the nest and go on to bigger and better things."
The Mitchells are heading to Ohio State University, following in the footsteps of their father, to continue their basketball careers. "For me and my sister to play for a coach like her was great," Kelsey Mitchell said. "We got better as players and people playing for her."
Kentucky's local contingent of Newport Central Catholic starter Nicole Kiernan and reserve Sarah Futscher for Bishop Brossart was limited to two points, scored on a basket by Kiernan. But NewCath coach George Stoll, an assistant for Kentucky, will treasure the moments.
"It was a lot of fun to have these last three days together," Stoll said of the all-time blocks leader, the second-leading rebounder and third all-time leading scorer in NewCath history. "It's sad, too, to see Nikki go, so we both just wanted to have fun."
Kayla Rankin from Perry County Central scored 15 points and was named Kentucky MVP. Boyle County's Devin Conley, heading to Binghamton, was next with 13. She had three treys.
For Kiernan, who is undecided about college, it was her final high school basketball game. She was invited to try out for the Kentucky-Indiana All-Stars, but will be out of town the day it's played.
"This is a great way to go out," Kiernan said. "I met a lot of great people while I was here."
PLAY OF THE GAME: Kentucky cut the lead to 66-58 on a 3-point bomb by Magoffin County's Jamie Castle with 13:12 to play, but Brittany Johnson of Pickerington North hit back-to-back baskets, pushing the lead to 13 and keeping Ohio in control. Johnson hit three treys and scored 10 points, matching totals for Talawanda's Ana Richter and Amanda Cahill, the Division II co-player of the year from Clyde, who was playing for her father Saturday.
VIEW FROM THE SIDELINE: "I think we just relaxed in the second half, and got into our 44 offense," said Ohio head coach John Cahill from Clyde. "Plus, the kids had that first half to get to know each other."
PLAYERS OF THE GAME: Though James and Rankin were named MVPs, Ohio's Jenna Burdette, a Dayton recruit from Meigs-Eastern, led all scorers with 16 points. She hit a pair of 3-point baskets.
QUOTABLE: "I thought it was a great experience, but it wasn't really an emotional one for me as much as it was a fun game to play," Chelsea Mitchell said. "Once I was out there playing, it was basketball, and it was fun."
Ohio 42 72 -- 114
Kentucky 46 45 -- 91
OHIO (114): LeAnna Adkins 2, Josie Buckingham 1, Jenna Burdette 16, Amanda Cahill 10, Jenna Gunn 6, Alexa Hart 9, Tyra James 15, Brittany Johnson 10, Chelsea Mitchell 3, Kelsey Mitchell 9, Imani Partlow 3, Lydia Poe 8, Ana Richter 10, Madison Ridout 4, Terra Stapleton 8.
KENTUCKY: (94): MacKenzie Cann 5, Jamie Castle 4, Devin Conley 13, Sarah Cooley 9, Sarah Futscher 0, Nicole Kiernan 2, Danielle Lawrence 10, Eriel McKee 8, Ashley McMurtrey 2, Rachel Potter 0, Kayla Rankin 15, Madison Raque 10, Erica Rogers 9, Brooke Todd 4, Taylor Wheeler 0.
Free Throws: Ohio 21-33; Kentucky 25-39. Three-pointers: Ohio 7 (Burdette 2, James, Johnson 3, C. Mitchell). Kentucky 11 (Cann, Conley 3, Cooley 2, Lawrence, McKee 2, Raque 2, Rogers).