JUDA — The Six Rivers West girls used a stellar defensive effort to top the East, 55–37, to open up the 11th annual Six Rivers All-Star Basketball Classic, while the East boys knocked down a last-second shot to edge the West, 82–81 for a split in the annual showcase at Juda High School Friday.
The West girls and East boys each ran their records to 8–3 all-time at the Six Rivers All-Star Classic, which was started by former Black Hawk boys’ basketball coach Jerry Mortimer in 2006 and has been run recently by current Black Hawk girls’ basketball coach Mike Flanagan.
The West also earned bragging rights for the first time in the three-year run of the 3-Point Challenge after out-gunning the East, 138–117, in sharp-shooting contest.
It was ladies first with Potosi’s Maddie Hawes and Cassville’s Andrea Okey shooting the West out to an early 72–60 lead. Belmont’s Lane Kamps and Cassville’s Colton Reynolds made the lead stand by outscoring their East counterparts 66–57 in the boys’ turn to lead the West to the win.
Once again, the true winner of the night was UW Children’s Hospital, which received a generous donation of more than $1,200 on behalf the Six Rivers Conference from the proceeds of the gate and concession sales. In the 11-year history of the All-Star event, the Six Rivers Conference has donated more than $16,000 to the UW Children’s Hospital.
Girls’ All-Star Game: West 55, East 37
Potosi’s Maddie Hawes scored six of her game-high 19 points during an early 14–0 run that propelled the West All-Stars over the East, 55–37, in the 2016 Six Rivers Conference Girls’ All-Star Classic at Juda on Friday evening.
Hawes hit the first of her five 3-pointers to start the run and thrust the West into the lead to stay. River Ridge’s Amber Patterson and Bridgette Myers followed with three straight baskets and Hawes sank another trey to put the West up 14–4 with 14:40 remaining in the first half.
Black Hawk’s Aleigha Sigafus tallied 11 of her team-high 18 points over the final 12 minutes of the first half to bring the East back within single-digits at the intermission. The West went into the half up 27–18.
The East got as close as seven on two occasions early in the second half before a 3-pointer by Hawes, another 3 by Benton’s Payton Bastian and an old fashioned three-point play by Patterson extended the West’s advantage to 39–24 with 13:08 to play.
The East never got closer than 11 points the rest of the way as the West limited them to just 13 points over the final 13 minutes of play. Their 37 points matched the 2014 East team for the Six Rivers Classic girls’ mark for lowest team score in the history of the event.
Hawes sank five of the team’s seven 3-pointers on her way to a game-high 19 points. Myers followed with 12 points, while Bastian and Potosi’s Taylor Bloyer chipped in with six points apiece and Patterson finished with five points. Belmont’s Brook Knebel did not score for the West, which was led to victory by Cassville head coach Martin Kirschbaum in his first turn as coach at the Six Rivers Classic.
Sigafus was the lone player in double figures for the East, which was coached by Barneveld’s Doug Pickarts.
Barneveld’s Kelsee Fargo netted six points, while Black Hawk’s Brooke Moore and Pecatonica’s Samantha Erickson added four points apiece for the East, who shot just 3-of-17 from the foul line in the game including a 1-of-12 performance in the second half.
West 55, East 37
(from Friday, June 24 @ Juda)
West 27 28 — 55
East 18 19 — 37
West — Maddie Hawes (Potosi) 19, Taylor Bloyer (Potosi) 6, Bridgette Myers (River Ridge) 12, Brook Knebel (Belmont) 0, Payton Bastian (Benton) 0, Calie Gibson (Potosi) 2, Andrea Okey (Cassville), 3, Amber Patterson 12. Totals — 20 8-21 55.
East — Kelsee Fargo (Barneveld) 6, Aleigha Sigafus (Black Hawk) 18, Brooke Moore (Black Hawk) 4, Samantha Erickson (Pecatonica) 4, Sydnee Woyak (Albany) 2, Marley Malkow (Albany) 3, Samantha Mabin (Pecatonica) 0, Mattie Schave (Barneveld) 0. Totals — 16 3-17 55.
3-point goals — West: 7 (Hawes 5, Bastian 2); East: 2 (Malkow 2).
Boys’ All-Star Game: East 82, West 81
Barneveld’s Bryce Arneson knocked down the go-ahead basket with 1.3 second remaining on the clock to lift the East over the West, 82–81, in the 2016 Six Rivers Conference Boys’ All-Star Classic on Friday.
The East held a held a 62–51 lead with just over nine minutes remaining, but the West refused to go down without a fight as they rallied behind the long-ranged shooting of Potosi’s Tyler Udelhoven and Cassville’s Colton Reynolds, who each sank three 3-pointers during a 24–13 scoring run over a six-minute span that brought the West back to even a 75 all.
Belmont’s Lane Kamps gave the West a 79–77 lead with a layup with 1:38 remaining, and he added another layup with a minute to go to extend the lead to 81–77. Argyle’s Riley Ostby sank a 3-pointer with 43 seconds remaining to pull the East back within a point.
The West appeared ready to run out the clock until the East dared Kamps to attempt a long, uncontested 3 with time running down. The shot was off the mark, which allowed the East to gather in the rebound and they swiftly advanced the ball up court and got it into Arneson’s hands.
The 6’2” Golden Eagle forward put the ball through the hoop while being fouled to lift the East into the lead. His free throw attempt was off the mark, but Ostby gathered in the rebound as the horned sounded to secure the East’s first All-Star game victory since 2013.
The game featured 17 lead changes, including 11 in the second half as the two teams battled with one another the entire way.
Ostby finished with a game-high 19 points and his Argyle teammate Kyle Emberson followed with 18 points. The two Orioles combined for 29 of the team’s 45 points in the second half to rally the East from a 39–37 halftime deficit and score a win for their former head coach Justin Jenson in his All-Star game debut.
Juda’s Peter Bouc tallied 14 points and Arneson chipped in with 11 for the East. Albany’s Tyler Dahl added eight and Pecatonica’s Dalton James six in a winning cause.
Udelhoven and Reynolds netted 17 points apiece to pace the West, which was coach by Cassville’s Jacob Bernetzke.
Potosi’s Nate Friederick scored 14 points and Kamps scored 10 points, while Benton’s Tyler Hilby and Cassville’s Dylan Ganahl-Johll poured in eight points each for the West.
East 82, West 81
(from Friday, June 24 @ Juda)
West 39 42 — 81
East 37 45 — 82
West — Dylan Ganahl-Johll (Cassville) 8, Lane Kamps (Belmont) 10, Preston Clark (River Ridge) 3, Colton Reynolds (Cassville) 17, Jared Kartman (Cassville) 4, Tyler Hilby (Benton) 8, Nate Friederick (Potosi) 14, Tyler Udelhoven (Potosi) 17. Totals — 33 5-6 81.
East — Riley Ostby (Argyle) 19, Tyler Dahl (Albany) 8, Cole Trapp (Albany) 4, Kyle Emberson (Argyle) 18, Logan Marty (Monticello) 2, Peter Bouc (Juda) 14, Bryce Arneson (Barneveld) 11, Dalton James (Pecatonica) 6. Totals — 35 5-16 82.
3-point goals — West: 10 (Kamps 2, Reynolds 3, Udlhoven 5); East: 7 (Ostby 1, Emerson 4, James 2).
