All-Star Classic gives seniors chance for one last game
MERCERSBURG - Saturday, area seniors enjoyed one last basketball game while facing off against familiar faces during the 25th annual Blue Mountain Franklin/Fulton Senior All-Star Basketball Classic, held at James Buchanan High School.
Nearly 50 area seniors represented nine schools in the annual all-star game.
For the boys, the Green team came out on top in an 85-69 decision. Green was stacked with big scorers in James Buchanan's Ryan Hege (14 points), Gage Piper (10 points) and Toby Sowers (18 points), and Shippensburg's Wade Mills (19 points). Mills also claimed the dunk contest on the boys side.
The White team was highlighted by Greencastle's Spencer Meyers (14 points) and Sam Sprague (13 points). McConnellsburg's Landon Richards also scored in double figures, adding 12 points.
"I actually think it was tied late and (Green) went on 10-point run and all of a sudden I looked up and it was 79-69," said Ray Staver, the all-star coach for the Green team."We took care of it from there. We shot the ball much better in the second half."
Mills won the dunk contest during halftime, and used those skills in the fourth quarter with an ally-oop dunk, fed from Piper to kick off the Green team's run in the final minutes of the game.
"Piper broke a kid's ankle out in front, and later Trey Kennedy (Forbes Road) hit a 3-pointer from beyond half-court at the buzzer," Staver said. "I've coached a lot of all-star games, and I just want them to have a good time. It's nice for them for forge those relationships."
For the girls, the White team claimed victory by a 81-71 decision, featuring Chambersburg's Lindsay Embly, who scored game-high 26 points. Hannah Crist (Greencastle-Antrim, 16 points), Maddie Keck (Cumberland Valley Christian, 14 points) and Meghan Hirneisen (Greencastle, 10 points) also scored in double figures for the winning team.
"It was a really fun experience," Green's coach Meagan Raville said. "It is definitely a less stressful environment and it's really neat to see them play against each other all season long, then let loose and laugh and enjoy the game one last time."
The girls' Green team featured all-star game MVP Charity Miller (James Buchanan), who scored 19 for Green, while Shaye Smartt (Southern Fulton) added 15, and Celina Merchant (Southern Fulton) scored 12. Alexis Mellott (McConnellsburg), who competed on Green, won the 3-point contest during halftime of the girls game by making eight 3-pointers in 30 seconds.
"(Miller) wasn't a girl I liked playing against, but she is a tough kid with a great attitude," Raville said. "She plays hard even in an all-star game when everyone is having a good time."