Sharing is winning
LOREN BENOIT/Press Timberlake’s Allison Kirby (20) of the Region All-Stars drives to the basket while defended by the Metro All-Stars’ Jacinta Buckley of Lewis and Clark on Thursday evening at Post Falls High School.
LOREN BENOIT/PressBayley Brennan (12) of Region All-Stars dribbles the basketball down the court as Metro All-Star Aspyn Adams tries to steal the ball.
POST FALLS — Something you don’t see very often in an all-star game — passing — helped the Region to a not-quite-so-rare-anymore victory in the 24th Jack Blair Memorial Girls All-Star Basketball Classic on Thursday night.
Post Falls junior Melody Kempton scored 10 of her 12 points in the second half, and also finished with 11 rebounds and earned Most Valuable Player honors as the Region, made up of players from North Idaho and smaller schools in eastern Washington, beat the Metro, comprised of all-Greater Spokane League players, 84-73 at The Arena at Post Falls.
“That’s what won the game for us; we shared the ball,” said Kempton, who has verbally committed to Gonzaga. “I wasn’t really doing much (in the first half). My team just took off (in the second half); I was just trying to assist them. They were doing so amazing. This was an amazing team; we shared the ball so much more than you normally do in an all-star game.”
It was the Region’s third win over the Metro in the last five years, and the first since 2014. In the last nine games, the Region has won four times. Before that, the Metro (and before that, the Washington team when it was Washington vs. Idaho) won the first 15 all-star games.
“It is very competitive,” Kempton said. “I’m telling you it’s for fun, but when you get out there, especially with our record — the Region team doesn’t win very often — we want to win. We hadn’t won this in a while, and to say you won this is a very big deal.”
Junior Grace Kirscher of Sandpoint scored 10 of her 14 points in the first half. She hit three 3-pointers in the first 8 1/2 minutes of the game.
“They were moving the ball and got me open,” Kirscher said. “The ball movement, for an all-star game, was amazing.”
Keelie Lawler of Timberlake, who’s headed to NCAA Division II Western State Colorado, chipped in 11 points and six rebounds. Her high school teammate Allison Kirby, who’s bound for Idaho, had eight points and five assists, and had a few other “ooh, ahh” passes that resulted in missed shots and/or bonked a teammate in the head.
Christine Denny from Liberty of Spangle, Wash., scored 7 of her 11 points in the first three minutes of the game. Jordan Loera added nine points and four assists.
The Metro only led twice — after the first basket of the game, and again at 21-19 midway through the first half. The Region answered with a 9-0 run and led 43-27 with 3 minutes left in the half. Lexie Hull of Central Valley, a junior who has verbally committed to Stanford, scored seven of her points as the Metro finished the half on an 11-0 run.
The Metro pulled within two points early in the second half, and was within 3 with 11 minutes left, but the Region, led by Kempton and others, were able to regain control.
“She killed us,” Metro head coach David Pratt of Mt. Spokane said of Kempton. “When you have that kind of athleticism and talent, they’re all that good, and she’s just that good. Long arms, and that rebound she got toward the end, we were only down by 5. She’s just gets that rebound and goes back and finishes, and we thought our girl had her boxed out.”
Lexie Hull scored a game-high 22 points for the Metro, and was named Most Inspirational Player.
Metro 38 35 — 73
Region 43 41 — 84
METRO — Ellie Boni (University) 2, Lexi Hull (Central Valley) 22, Aspyn Adams (Mt. Spokane) 14, Jaidyn Lyman (Mt. Spokane) 1, Quincy McDeid (North Central) 2, Mady Simmerlink (Central Valley) 0, Camryn Skaife (Central Valley) 8, Lacie Hull (Central Valley) 6, Hailey Christopher (Central Valley) 8, Jacinta Buckley (Lewis and Clark) 2, Aaliyah Pauling (Mead) 3, Molly McDermitt (Gonzaga Prep) 0, Olivia Mayer (Gonzaga Prep) 5.
REGION — Jamie Loera (Moses Lake) 9, Elle Burland (East Valley) 2, Christine Denny (Liberty) 11, Bayley Brennan (Post Falls) 6, Allison Kirby (Timberlake) 8, Hailey Higashi (St. George’s) DNP, injury, Keelie Lawler (Timberlake) 11, Sienna Swannack (Lakeside) 8, Nina Carlson (Lake City) 2, Melody Kempton (Post Falls) 12, Grace Kirscher (Sandpoint) 14, Maryssa Hogamier (Wallace) 1.