Greater Columbus players shine in Ohio high school basketball all-star games: 5 takeaways
The Ohio High School Basketball Coaches Association’s annual North-South All-Star games returned to Olentangy Liberty on Friday night, with seven central Ohio players and two area coaches taking part.
The North teams swept the doubleheader, winning the girls game 94-91 and the boys nightcap 126-118.
The top individual performance for an area player belonged to Jonathan Alder’s Peyton Heiss, who in his final game representing the Pioneers racked up 18 points, three rebounds, one assist and one steal for the South team. Heiss was Division II district Player of the Year and led Jonathan Alder to its first district championship in 45 years.
Here are five takeaways from the games:
1. Sam Johnson’s big second half sparks comeback by South boys
The Worthington Christian product, Cedarville signee and first-team all-state honoree in Division III did not start Friday, but he was on the court out of halftime and immediately helped the South whittle down a 67-54 deficit.
Johnson had two putbacks, a dunk and two rebounds in the first four minutes of the half. He scored 12 of his 14 points after halftime and finished with six rebounds.
“It’s an all-star game and if you’re not aggressive, you’re not going to get the ball and you’re not going to shoot,” Johnson said. “I found my way to the offensive glass and when I got the ball, I made sure to shoot.”
Johnson led Worthington Christian to a regional semifinal appearance and was district Player of the Year.
2. Pickerington Central’s Wallace stands out for South girls
One of six players who scored between 10 and 12 points for the South, Berry Wallace’s stat line was almost as balanced.
The 6-foot-1 forward, an Illinois signee who was Division I district and state Player of the Year and led Central to a second consecutive state semifinal, finished with 10 points, four rebounds and three assists. Wallace had two second-half 3-pointers, although they came in considerably different circumstances.
Her first put the South ahead 67-53 midway through the third quarter. The other trimmed the South’s deficit to 93-89 with 22 seconds left, keeping her team’s hopes alive.
“This was a lot of fun,” said Wallace, who also played in the McDonald’s All-American Game on April 2 in Houston. “I’ve played in this gym before, so I was more comfortable tonight. They were both different, but they were both great experiences.”
Bloom-Carroll guard Emily Bratton, the Division II district Player of the Year and a Miami University signee, finished with five points and a rebound. Like Wallace, Bratton was a starter.
3. Olentangy Orange’s Calo relishes experience
Four central Ohio boys players started in Delaware’s Jesse Burris, Heiss, Newark’s Steele Meister and Cade Norris from Hilliard Bradley. All guided their teams to district titles this winter, and the Ohio University-bound Burris led Delaware to its first Division I state semifinal.
Burris scored all of his 12 points in the first half and added six rebounds and a steal. Meister had six points and four rebounds, and Norris had two points, four rebounds and two steals.
The South went ahead 114-112 with 3:10 left on a Heiss free throw but did not lead again.
Orange coach Anthony Calo led the South team with Seaman North Adams’ Nathan Copas, and it was not lost on him that he coached against Burris, Meister and Norris in either the regular season or regional tournament this year.
“I told them from the beginning, it’s going to be a lot more fun when their points count for my team than against,” Calo said. “We just talked (at halftime) that we could either coast and lose by 15 or play hard and have a chance to win. It wasn’t a league championship-type play hard, but we made looks tougher for them and got ourselves back in the game.”
4. Ohio State-bound Colin White makes impact
The Ottawa-Glandorf senior and reigning Mr. Basketball made his presence felt for the North team, scoring 15 points.
White’s dunk with 1:04 left gave the North a 122-116 lead, and his lob to Cleveland Heights Lutheran East’s Jesse McCulloch on the next possession sealed the win.
McCulloch, a Michigan State signee who led Lutheran East to the past two Division III state championships, scored 24 points. Camden Preble Shawnee’s Mason Shrout had 24 of his game-high 28 points in the second half to pace the South.
“The next four years are going to be a blast,” White said. “I can’t wait to see (McCulloch) at Michigan State. I can’t wait to compete against him.”
5. More central Ohio players, coaches honored
Wallace, Bratton and Africentric’s Kamryn Grant were honored as OHSBCA players of the year in divisions I, II and III, respectively.
Grant, a Dayton signee who was not in the game, led Africentric to its second consecutive Division III state championship.
Marysville’s Klarke Ransome co-coached the North girls team with Steve Suter of Bascom Hopewell-Loudon.
Watterson’s Mike Lanza and Danville’s Lanna Staats were named division I and IV girls assistant coaches of the year, respectively. Watterson won its first district championship since 2004 and reached its first regional final since 1987.
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: 5 central Ohio takeaways from high school basketball all-star games
