The Buckeye State and the Bluegrass State both had their share of highlights Saturday night at Thomas More’s Connor Convocation Center in Crestview Hills.
In the annual Ohio-Kentucky All-Star games, featuring both girls and boys matchups, the Ohio girls picked up the opening win of the night, while the Kentucky boys responded with a strong victory of their own.
A total of seven Northern Kentucky players participated across the two games. Lloyd’s Anthony Blaackar was named to the boys roster but was unable to play.
Here’s a look at the games:
GIRLS: OHIO 93, KENTUCKY 73
All-star games provide opportunities that any other game may not.
No matter the level or sport, they bring together players from all over, often those who have never shared a roster before, but the Kentucky girls all-star team had a group that came in with a level of familiarity that made this experience a little different.
The northern Kentucky area accounted for 35% of the roster, featuring Cooper’s Addyson Brissey, Notre Dame’s Emma Holtzapfel, Simon Kenton’s Haylie Webb and Anna Kelch, and Campbell County’s Izzy Jayasuriya. While they’ve spent years competing against one another within the same region, this time they were finally on the same side.
And not necessarily for the first time.
Holtzapfel, Webb, Kelch and Jayasuriya shared time on an AAU team, and when Brissey is added to the mix, it gave northern Kentucky five of the area’s top players in one uniform.
“It was awesome,” Kelch said. “Just being back on the floor with my girls, Haylie, Emma and Izzy and even Addyson, though we never played AAU together. It was such a great experience.”
AAU success is one thing. Playing together at the high school level, however, added another layer, especially for Kelch and Webb, who were once again teammates after being part of a group that made a historic run at Simon Kenton.
“She’s like my sister,” Kelch said. “We talked about it before the game. This was our last game together. Let’s go out there, have fun and do what we do.”
There was already familiarity, but there was also a new level of adjustment that went beyond simply playing with different teammates.
Webb and Jayasuriya, for example, will soon share a court at the next level, both as Thomas More commits.
“Helping me for college and seeing what I’m going to see and getting used to playing here,” Jayasuriya said. “Playing on the floor that I’m going to be playing on in college was a really good experience. We played there in the summer in high school, but the courts were split in half and we played scrimmages.”
The five northern Kentucky standouts each made their impact in different ways.
Brissey, who earned a starting spot, finished with six points and four rebounds. Jayasuriya added four points, seven rebounds, a block and a steal. Kelch knocked down three three-pointers and grabbed three rebounds. Webb finished with six rebounds and four assists, while Holtzapfel hit three triples, shooting 50 percent from deep.
Holtzapfel, one of two Division I commits on the Kentucky roster along with Calloway County’s Jaiden Koch (Southern Indiana), also participated in Friday’s events, including the three-point contest, 1-on-1 and 3-on-3 competitions.
“That was really fun,” Holtzapfel said. “It’s competitive, but it’s more about getting everybody used to each other and playing together. It was really fun getting to play with other Kentucky girls and the Ohio girls and getting a glimpse of what they were like.”
Saturday night, the Kentucky squad held a 26-25 lead after the first quarter, but Ohio responded with a 19-9 run in the second to take a 44-35 advantage at halftime. The team north of the river maintained control from there, leading 67-59 after three quarters before closing out a 93-73 win in the Battle of the Border.
Ohio’s Kaylah Thornton of Fairmont, an Akron commit, earned MVP honors with 15 points. Stephen F. Austin commit Katie Fox and Notre Dame commit Mia Veith each added 12, while Ohio commit Sienna Allen finished with 11.
For Kentucky, Butler’s Keziah Renee, still undecided on her college destination, earned team MVP honors with 17 points.
For northern Kentucky’s group, the next steps continue to take shape. Webb and Jayasuriya will stay close to home at Thomas More, Holtzapfel is headed to Bellarmine, Kelch will play at Georgetown (Ky.), and Brissey will continue her career at Southern Connecticut State.
Holtzapfel and Webb were also named to the Kentucky roster for the Kentucky-Indiana All-Star series in June.
MORE PHOTOS: Provided by Charles Bolton
OHIO ALL-STARS 93, KENTUCKY ALL-STARS 73
OHIO — 25-19-23-26 — 93
KENTUCKY — 26-9-24-14 — 73
Scoring
OHIO — Thornton 15, Fox 12, Williams 12, Allen 11, Habra 8, M. Veith 8, Korfhagen 7, Buskirk 4, Sturgill 4, B. Veith 3, Jones 3, Crompton 2, Godby 2, Bayliff 2
KENTUCKY — Renee 17, Holtzapfel 9, Kelch 9, Powell 9, Hamblen 4, Jayasuriya 4, Koch 3, Terry 3, Spivey 2
BOYS: KENTUCKY 114, OHIO 91
It was a sweet, sweet night for the Kentucky boys All-Star team.
Losing on a three-pointer in the final seconds to Ohio’s Trey Perry, who would go on to play at Miami (Ohio), Kentucky answered back in a big way.
It was particularly sweet for two players who were part of one of the state’s top teams during the high school season, and the only two northern Kentucky representatives on the roster, 9th Region Player of the Year Athens McGillis and Covington Catholic teammate Donovan Bradshaw.
The duo spent much of the season in the state spotlight and, more often than not, delivered.
To do it one last time together made it even more special.
“It’s a surreal feeling,” McGillis said. “I’ve played with him for so long, and to come out and showcase it in front of a big crowd, being one of the best duos in the state, it feels really good to showcase it in front of everybody.”
At times, it looked like the two were right back in Park Hills, connecting on multiple plays as if nothing had changed.
“We’ve been playing together since third grade and we’re best friends off the court,” Bradshaw said. “It just came naturally. We’ve been doing it all season, all high school career, it’s really fun to be playing with him. He’s made me better over the years, and I’m very grateful.”
McGillis finished with seven points and seven assists, while Bradshaw also added seven points, along with three rebounds and a steal.
They played like they had all season, just in a different setting, surrounded by teammates they weren’t used to sharing the floor with.
Even so, familiarity wasn’t entirely absent.
Covington Catholic’s success has often meant facing the best competition in the state, and this weekend reunited them with familiar opponents-turned-teammates, including North Laurel’s Reece Davidson, whom they faced early in the season, and St. Xavier’s Jeremiah Jackson, who squared off with the Colonels in the opening round of the KHSAA state tournament.
“It was fun competing against guys and then playing with them,” Bradshaw said. “St. X, North Laurel, we have a lot of respect for them. We wanted to beat them during the winter, but now we put all that aside and became one big family this weekend.”
The Kentucky team played as if it had always been together.
After one quarter, Kentucky led 28-16, and it was up 53-40 at halftime.
That early chemistry translated into 10 assists in the first half alone, something McGillis has excelled at throughout his career.
“Whoever I pass it to, I trust them to hit shots,” he said. “There’s a lot of talent. I’m just glad I was able to be picked, and I thought I did pretty good out there.”
The Bluegrass squad kept rolling in the second half, extending the lead to 80-62 after three quarters before pushing past the century mark and securing a 23-point victory.
Ohio’s MVP was Julian Washington, a Dayton commit from Margaretta, who finished with 19 points. Harvard commit Jason Singleton added 13, and Ohio commit Xavier McKinney scored 10.
For Kentucky, Boyd County sharpshooter Jacob Spurlock, a Youngstown State commit, earned MVP honors with 20 points. North Hardin’s Keriawn Berry added 18, and Trinity’s Jayden Johnson contributed 15, both still undecided on their college destinations.
McGillis, who is also a Kentucky All-Star for the Indiana series, will continue his career at Nova Southeastern, while Bradshaw remains undecided.
MORE PHOTOS: Provided by Charles Bolton
KENTUCKY ALL-STARS 114, OHIO ALL-STARS 91
KENTUCKY — 28–25–27-34 — 114
OHIO — 16-24-22-29 — 91
Scoring
KENTUCKY — Spurlock 20, Berry 18, Johnson 15, Davidson 8, George 8, Bradshaw 7, McGillis 7, Ateny 5, Edelen 5, Gray 5, Jackson 5, Stephan 5, Jung 2, Sparrow 2, Washington 2
OHIO — Washington 19, Singleton 13, McKinney 10, Horton 8, Martin Jr. 8, Davis 6, Wiley 6, Guess 4, Johnson 4, Quackenbush 4, Bowens 3, Billingsley 2, Foster 2, Mattucci 2