SHELBY, Ohio — Jeryn Reese may not have won the MVP, but Mansfield Senior’s All-Ohioan made a pretty compelling case for the award during Wednesday’s Shelby Rotary NCO All Star Classic.
Reese scored 23 points and grabbed 12 rebounds, helping lead the White to an 84-68 win over the Black in the Senior All Star game.
“I was just trying to have fun and trying to win,” said Reese, who scored the White’s first five points. “It’s always fun to win, no matter what.”
The White led 38-36 at halftime before stretching it out in the second half. A 9-0 run to open the second gave the White a 47-36 advantage and a 15-6 later in the period sealed it.
Bellevue’s Carly Santoro scored a game-high 24 points. The Bowling Green State University-bound Santoro was the game’s MVP.
Clear Fork’s Morgan Bailey had 10 points for the White. Madison’s Alexis Smith added eight.
Sandusky’s Ta-Sharra Jeffries and Clear Fork’s Deijah Swihart paced the Black team with 19 and 18 points, respectively. Madison’s Mekaila Grose had eight, while Shelby’s Gabby Stephens added six.
“I had a blast playing with other girls. We just really connected at practice,” Swihart said. “It was fun playing with them.”
Familiar Opponents: Clear Fork teammates Swihart and Bailey were on opposing teams, as were Madison’s Grose and Smith.
“It was fun. I got to guard (Bailey) once,” Swihart said. “I tried to block her but obviously that’s not going to happen. She’s too tall.”
Grose and Smith were occasionally matched up against one another.
“I tried to take it easy on her,” Smith joked. “It was fun playing against her and getting the opportunity to play with some girls we usually play against during the regular season.”
Grose agreed.
“I enjoyed it a lot,” she said. “It was a great experience.”
Show-Stoppers: Four of Richland County’s highest flyers put on a show during halftime of the girls all-star game. Mansfield Senior’s Naradain James, Ontario’s Bradley Garverick, Shelby’s Cody Stine and Plymouth’s Tyrell Edmiston participated in a dunk contest, much to the delight of the crowd. The quartet had six minutes to wow the crowd and they didn’t disappoint. Garverick won the award for best dunk and Edmiston won the award for best dunk session. The highlight came when Garverick leaped over Ontario teammate Treyvian Jordan.
