'It was so much fun'

SPOKANE VALLEY — It was fun, it was entertaining … and it was close at the end.

The Region girls, which included six players from North Idaho, had their moments.

But the Metro girls, featuring the starting five from the powerhouse Central Valley team, were just a little too much in notching an 87-80 victory over the Region in the 25th annual Jack Blair Memorial high school girls all-star basketball game Wednesday night at Central Valley.

“It was so much fun,” said Post Falls High standout Melody Kempton, who finished with 16 points, eight rebounds and four blocked shots. “I loved playing with all these girls; they’re all such great people. It’s a really fun experience to play with people you don’t really know, or you played against.

“They (the Metro) have five players from their national (tournament) championship team. So for us to play them that close, I’m very proud of my team. We had one practice, so to be able to come out and compete like that was awesome.”

Bayley Brennan of Post Falls, who is headed to Seattle Pacific, scored 12 of her 15 points in the first half.

“It was so much fun,” said Brennan. “It was just fun to play again.

“We definitely wanted to keep up with them,” Brennan said of playing a star-studded team like the Metro. “It’s a little competitive, but they’re super nice, so it never gets to trash-talk or anything like that.”

Keara Simpson of Lake City, who is headed to North Idaho College, had six rebounds, two assists and a blocked shot in the first half. She finished with four points, seven rebounds, two blocks and two assists.

“It was a ton of fun,” Simpson said. “It was fun playing with different people you don’t always get to play with.

“I kinda ran out of gas at the end. I’m not really in basketball shape; more in track shape,” joked Simpson, a thrower in the spring.

Lacie Hull, she of the Stanford-bound Hull twins, put on a show at both ends. She finished with 18 points, eight steals, seven rebounds and three assists. She buried three 3-pointers early in the second half, one an “I can top that” 3 after the Region had just hit a 3, that helped give the Metro the cushion it needed to hold off the fast-closing Region.

But the MVP award went to Lewis and Clark junior Jacinta Buckley, who scored 11 of her 17 points in the first half.

Medical Lake sophomore Jayda Noble, who was in a boot until just recently being cleared by doctors to play, was named most inspirational after scoring nine points for the Region.

The Region scored the first five points of the game, on a jumper from the left by Simpson, and a 3-pointer by Grace Kirscher of Sandpoint, who is headed to Eastern Washington.

But the CV-led Metro answered with a 12-0 run, and led by as much as 13 in the first half, which ended 46-38.

The Metro built a 69-54 lead with 13 minutes left, but the Region wouldn’t go away. They closed to within three with seven minutes left, and had a couple shots roll off the rim down the stretch that would have made things real interesting.

Junior Aspyn Adams from Mt. Spokane, approaching Steph Curry range, hit three 3s and finished with 11 points for the Metro. Lexie Hull added five points, six rebounds and three steals.

Kirscher finished with eight points. Tyler McCliment-Call, a sophomore from Post Falls, scored five, and Bella Murekatete, a junior from Genesis Prep, had four rebounds and one point.

For the Gonzaga-bound Kempton, it was the finale of a stellar high school career which included three state titles in the high jump, as well as a state title in hoops this winter.

“After we won our state title, I kinda felt like that was it, so this was just like icing on the top, to finish out the year,” she said.

Region 38 42 — 80

Metro 46 41 — 87

REGION — Hailey Marlow (West Valley) 8, Jayda Noble (Medical Lake) 9, Maisie Burnham (Liberty) 8, Bayley Brennan (Post Falls) 15, Grace Kirscher (Sandpoint) 8, Sienna Swannack (Lakeside) 0, Tyler McCliment-Call (Post Falls) 5, Genesis Wilkinson (East Valley) 6, Melody Kempton (Post Falls) 16, Bella Murekatete (Genesis Prep) 1, Keara Simpson (Lake City) 4.

METRO — Ellie Boni (University) 8, Lexie Hull (Central Valley) 5, Aspyn Adams (Mt. Spokane) 11, Camryn Skaife (Central Valley) 3, Claire Dingus (University) 4, Mia Scelfo (Gonzaga Prep) 0, Mady Simmelink (Central Valley) 5, Lacie Hull (Central Valley) 18, Hailey Christopher (Central Valley 8, Jacinta Buckley (Lewis and Clark) 17, Dominique Arquette (Lewis and Clark) 4, Quincy McDeid (North Central) 3, Kinsley Barrington (University) 1.