TOMS One Day Without Shoes

Today is TOMS One Day Without Shoes. My daughter, along with other students at Clinton-Massie High School, are participating in this event by going without shoes to raise awareness of children lacking access to education and good health. TOMS was started with the idea that for each pair of TOMS purchased, a pair of shoes would be given to a child in need.

One of the unique opportunities our students have today is to be as globally connected as they are. When I was in high school, the awareness of global issues was not nearly as prevalent as it is today. One Day Without Shoes is one opportunity for students to engage in making a difference in the lives of people they will most likely never meet.

One side benefit for students is that (hopefully) it makes them more grateful for the opportunities we do have. My decision this morning was not if I had shoes to wear, but what pair of shoes I would put on.

Great job to the students of Clinton-Massie and students all across the US who are participating today.

Southwest District Honors

This article highlighting the Southwest District First, Second and Third Team and Honorable Mentions came out last week in the Wilmington News-Journal, but I wasn’t able to locate it online. We’re proud of our Clinton-Massie players who showed up on the both the boys and girls side, along with the other Clinton County athletes that were represented. Great job all!

District Champs!

The Clinton-Massie Lady Falcons are District Champs for the first time in school history. It was an exciting game last Friday night as they jumped out to a lead over Norwood and didn’t let them back in the game. The defense the Falcons played was intense from the first through the fourth quarter.

The Wilmington News-Journal had an excellent article on Massie’s victory, which you can read below.

On a side note, the Cincinnati Angels (Syd’s AAU team) are well represented in this year’s tournament. The Angels sent out an email listing current and former Angels’ players whose teams are moving forward in the tournament. Way to go Angels!

Division I:

Mason
• Kayla McDowell – Alum
• Jenna Gunn – 17U

Princeton
• LaJessica Olverson- 14U

Centerville
• Alex Henning- Alum

Twinsburg
• Marisa Howard- 17U

Reynoldsburg
• Alyssa Rice- 17U
• Nicole Orr- 17U

Toledo Notre Dame Academy
• Tierra Floyd- 17U

Division II:

Clinton-Massie
• Sydney Brackemyre- 17U
• Kasey Uetrecht- 16U

Division III:

Fayetteville Perry
• Megan Eyre – 16U

Middletown Madison
• Olivia Philpot- 16U

Here’s the Wilmington News-Journal article on the Falcons’ win:

MASON – In late December, many had written off the Clinton-Massie girls basketball team after a devastating injury and tough loss to Wilmington.

Two months later, the Lady Falcons are district champions.

Clinton-Massie won the school’s first girls basketball district championship Friday night, defeating Norwood 54-32 at Mason High School.

“The girls have worked hard, and they had a goal,” said CM head coach Allen Wilkinson. “They’ve done all they could do to make that happen. They’ve faced many different types of adversity.

“We’ve always had someone different step up every night.”

Clinton-Massie executed offensively with high precision in the first quarter, jumping out to a 16-3 lead. For good measure, Kasey Uetrecht threw one in from 45 feet to end the first quarter. Massie led 21-8.

Then, the Falcons just wore them down.

Norwood, playing just six players for most of the game, slowly started to fade as the game continued. Outstanding freshman Hannah Tubbs, who came in averaging 18 points per game, was held to just 11 points on 4 of 12 shooting.

“We don’t press, we just put pressure on the point guard to wear her down,” said Wilkinson. “Brittany Smith and Miquela Santoro did an outstanding job on Tubbs. Mary (Moyer) did a great job on (Natalie) Stoeppel.”

Moyer and the Falcon defense frustrated Stoeppel at every turn, causing her to take two straight charging calls which sent her to the bench with four fouls in the third quarter. She finished with just two points.

“We tried to keep (Tubbs and Stoeppel) out of the paint,” said Wilkinson. “They like to get in the paint and get to the free throw line.”

Clinton-Massie (21-5) didn’t just outplay Norwood (21-4), they outworked them. The Falcons outrebounded the Indians 45-27 and chased down numerous loose balls for second and third opportunities.

“We rebounded very well,” Wilkinson said. “We got to loose balls. We did a great job on 50/50 balls.”

Uetrecht was dominant inside, scoring 12 points and grabbing 13 rebounds. Moyer added 10 points, five rebounds and four assists. Allyson Monnin added 11 rebounds.

With a berth in the state’s final 16 teams, the Falcons are playing its best basketball at the right time.

“The sky’s the limit with this group,” Wilkinson said. “I told them in the locker room that the only person that can tell you ‘no’ is yourself and you don’t have to listen to yourself.”

Dayton Carroll awaits the Lady Falcons 8 p.m. Tuesday at Springfield High School. Carroll ended Talawanda’s unbeaten season Friday night in the district championship, 43-41.

“They’re very physical,” Wilkinson said. “They’re very big and they’re very good. They are a very well-coached team.”

Wilmington Article on Syd’s Verbal

Our local newspaper, the Wilmington News-Journal, does a good job reporting on local sports activities. They have been especially generous in their reporting on Sydney as both a player and as she has gone through the college process.

The following is the article that was published today in the Wilmington News-Journal. I like the fact that they talked about her faith along with everything else. You can read the article on the News-Journal website.

MARK HUBER

mhuber@civitasmedia.com

In the end, the University of Louisville had everything Sydney Brackemyre wanted in a college. So earlier this month, the Clinton-Massie junior gave a verbal commitment to the U of L women’s basketball program.

“In the end I chose Louisville because of its all-around fit,” Brackemyre said. “In the beginning of this process I had five keys I was looking for in a college …. opportunities to build my faith, academics, location, competitive athletics and relations with staff.”

Brackemyre, who plans to major in kinesiology, picked Louisville over Dayton and Michigan.

Brackemyre said all schools in contention were aware of her injury, a season-ending knee injury at the Pepsi Holiday Classic in December.

“My knee injury didn’t play any part in my decision,” she said. “None of the schools I was looking at lost interest because of my injury. I have been very honest with them about my injury and my rehab.”

Brackemyre recently put away the crutches and is hitting “rehab hard,” she said.

“As soon as my surgeon gives me the green light, I will get into Prasco with my trainer, Dante Harlan, and start working on my game,” she said. “I am hoping to get back in time to play AAU with the Cincinnati Angels for part of the season in July, but I am not rushing anything and won’t get on the court until my doctor, coaches and I think I’m ready.”

The Lady Cardinals were ranked No.12 in the nation in the latest poll and will be moving from the Big East Conference to the Atlantic Coast Conference.

“The Cardinals are very competitive athletically,” said Brackemyre. “I love that they are going to the ACC next year and I think that is a great conference. I love coach (Jeff) Walz’s style of play and the way he draws the mis-match and pushes the tempo. He has a great history of success, so I wanted to go to a program that has established itself as a team to beat.”

Brackemyre said Louisville’s Fellowship of Christian Athletes program was instrumental in her decision.

“I went on an overnight visit there in December and had the opportunity to attend one of their meetings,” she said. “Over 200 University of Louisville athletes participate, which is huge. My parents and I met with Chris Morgan, the director, and really believe I will fit in well there. I also think I will be able to plug-in to Southeast Christian Church, a mega-church in Louisville, and work with their college aged group. Southeast has a great ministry, as well.”

Blue Star’s Classic in the Country Wrap Up

Blue Star Media was present at Classic in the Country and do a great job (in my humble opinion) providing exposure for high school girls basketball. They offered a recap of each day’s action at CITC and then posted a wrap up of the entire event. As you read through it, they point out both the strengths and areas of improvement for players. You can read the entire write-up and find links to the game by game coverage on the Blue Star Media website.

Syd got some love from them even though she was sidelined with her ACL injury. Here’s what they wrote about her:

Sydney Brackemyre – Clinton Massie – Brackemyre recently joined the much too large ACL sorority and was on crutches but actively involved on the bench with her teammates and coaches. Just a speed bump in a very promising future.

They also highlighted some of the top girls in our area including Alyssa Rice, Makayla Waterman, Kathryn Westbeld and Chelsea Welch. There are many strong players in Ohio.

It was great to see Kasey Uetrecht under the “A Little More on a Few You May or May Not Know” portion of the page. Here’s what they wrote about her:

Kasey Uetrecht – Clinton Massie – A 6-0 junior, Uetrecht has a good combination of size and perimeter skills. With standout Sydney Brackemyre sidelined, the wing/forward is stepping up for the Falcons both on the wing and in the post. Though somewhat upright, she demonstrated the ability to handle the ball on the break or off the drive from the elbows. At other points she was efficient posting up and becoming an option around the rim. Her versatility presents a challenge for opposing defenses in terms of matching up with size or perimeter skills. She was 4 for 14 in Clinton Massie’s lone game but added 6 rebounds and 6 assists in the 60 to 47 loss to Proctorville Fairland. There’s plenty of basketball in her future, what level remains to be seen.

Good to see Kasey get some well-deserved attention for her play.

Massie at Classic in the Country Pics

One of the Clinton-Massie parents posted a link to view pictures from the Clinton-Massie game at Classic in the Country. The picture above shows the team during a time-out. You can check out the rest of the album at the SmugMug site.

Classic in the Country Recap

My wife and I were able to take in a couple of games at the Classic in the Country Challenge this weekend. We got up to Berlin in time on Sunday to watch Kettering Fairmont play. I’ve seen a few of their players on the AAU circuit, but haven’t seen the high school team play. They handled the ball well through the game and stretched out to a 20+ lead in the second half.

Clinton-Massie played on Monday morning. They went up against an undefeated team from Division III, Proctorville Fairland. The Falcons played them well, but just couldn’t get the shots to fall in the fourth quarter.

Blue Star Media had a recap of the game and gave some deserved recognition to Kasey Uetrecht. She has been Syd’s teammate during school and summer ball and is a solid player.

The first game of the day had a missing element that most likely would have had a tremendous impact on the ultimate outcome. While Proctorville Fairland got the 60 – 47 win over Clinton Massie, it’s hard to imagine that injured (ACL) CM junior standout and nationally ranked forward Sydney Brackemyre might not have influenced the final score to some degree. As it was, Fairland utilized a 18 – 7 fourth quarter to break open a two point game and make the final margin a deceiving 13 points. Junior guard Chandler Faulks led the way for the Dragons with 20, 12 of which came as a result of her 4 for 10 three-point effort. Minnesota early commit Tera Stapleton, a 6-4 2014 post, added a double-double with 13 points and 11 boards in the win. Clinton Massie got 14 from versatile junior swing player Kasey Uetrecht and another 10 from senior Mary Moyer. Both teams rebounded even at 37 for the game while Fairland finished with 13 turnovers to the Falcons 11. In the end Clinton Massie’s 24 percent second half shooting was their downfall despite getting seven more attempts from the floor over the course of the game.

Great job Lady Falcons!

Classic in the Country

This weekend is the annual Classic in the Country Challenge. It is a weekend of basketball designed to highlight some of the best high school girls basketball players in Ohio. This year our Clinton-Massie Falcons will be playing in the event. Unfortunately, due to Syd’s torn ACL and subsequent surgery, she will not be participating.

The image on this page is an iPhone pic of the poster promoting this event. Syd is on the bottom left in her Massie uniform. She made a joke yesterday that you can see her left knee (the one she injured). She said that you can see it when it looked good and was healthy! Glad she can joke about it.

All Star Media posted an article today on the upcoming event. We are planning to take in part of the event and looks like a good one for girls basketball in Ohio.

The top players in Ohio will be in the spotlight this weekend at the Classic In The Country Challenge in Berlin, Ohio. Dayton, Ohio State, Xavier and the other collegiate programs in the Buckeye State, are anxiously awaiting the event.

“There are a lot of talented young players in the state of Ohio, and this tournament is going to have a lot of those kids,” said Bret McCormick, the analyst at the All Star Girls Report.

Most of the recruiting attention is now focused on the Class of 2014. Here is a quick look at the key performers from the Class of 2014 (along with their national ASGR ranking) who will be competing at the Classic In The Country.

No. 3, Kelsey Mitchell, 5-8, PG, Princeton, Ohio: “Kelsey is a great player who will be a program changer for someone. She is a lefty who is a great passer, and she is a big-time scorer. She can attack the rim, and she can hit the deep three,” said McCormick.

No. 14, Alyssa Rice, 6-3, C, Reynoldsburg, Ohio: “She is a very smooth post player with great footwork. She is one of the top post players in the class, and she could play the four or the five on the next level.”

No. 30, Sydney Brackemyre, 6-1, F, Clinton (Ohio) Massie: “Sydney has come on strong lately, but unfortunately she injured her ACL recently so she will not be playing at the Classic In The Country.”

No. 38, Katherine Westbeld, 6-1, Kettering (Ohio) Fairmont: “Katherine has a high basketball IQ. She just knows how to play the game. She has a strong inside game and she can also step out and score.”

No. 49, Kristen Confroy, 5-9, G, Solon, Ohio: “She is a combo guard who is a strong athlete with a great skill set and a high basketball IQ. Kristen’s stock has really risen recently, and there are a lot of top programs interested right now.”

Big Game, Tough Loss

Someone who saw yesterday’s post about the game against Bellbrook asked about the outcome. Unfortunately, Massie went down to Bellbrook, who shot well from the 3-point line. It was a good test for both schools and will (hopefully) help as they prepare for the tournament later in the season.

The Dayton Daily News did a nice write-up on the game. Perhaps Massie and Bellbrook will meet again later in the year. It would be a good rematch to see.

Bellbrook wins Division II showdown

The ability to hit 3-point shots was the main difference between Bellbrook and Clinton-Massie on Tuesday.

Home team Bellbrook got key points when needed from beyond the arc during a 58-47 win. It was a matchup between two of the area’s best Division II teams.

Both came in at 3-0 and loaded with returning talent from outstanding 2011-12 seasons. Bellbrook went 22-4 last season, losing in the D-II state semifinals to eventual champion Shaker Heights Hathaway Brown. Clinton-Massie went 19-4 with its season ending with a 44-42 loss in the sectional finals to Chamiande Julienne.

Bellbrook has four of its top six players back from the state tournament team. Seniors Erin Dorn and Gabrielle “G” Etter are the top returning scorers. They were the leaders Tuesday with Etter scoring 17 points and Dorn adding 16.

Both are shooting better off the dribble than last season. Dorn was 3-of-5 from 3-point range with two big shots early in the second quarter. A 6-0 run in the final 1:10 of the first quarter got C-M within 16-8.

Dorn took away the Falcons’ momentum burying back-to-back treys for a 22-8 Bellbrook lead. C-M could never get that margin below seven points the rest of the night. Every time it challenged, Bellbrook made a 3-pointer as part of 6-for-11 shooting night from long-range.
“This was a big win for us because they’re a really good team,” Dorn said. “We saw they could play last year in the tournament. So it was a good test for both of us. I think we stepped up and made big shots as a team, didn’t make many mistakes and had composure when they made runs at us.”

Clinton-Masse’s Sydney Brackemyre is one of the top juniors in the state. She has gotten a lot of recruiting attention from a host of NCAA Division I schools. The 6-foot-1 junior, who had 17 points and 14 rebounds, has her choices whittled down to Dayton, Michigan and Louisville.

“Good night all around for all of us,” said C-M coach Allen Wilkinson. “We’d like to have come away with a win, but we showed we can compete with a state tournament team like Bellbrook. Sydney showed she can play.

“Dorn hit those 3s in the second quarter to give them the cushion they needed. Hopefully we’ll get a chance to see them again in the tournament.”

Big Game Tonight for Lady Falcons

Tonight is the first big test of the basketball season for the Clinton-Massie girls basketball team. They travel to Bellbrook to play the #4 ranked team in Div. 2. It will be a good opportunity to see where our team is and how they stack up against state ranked competition. Massie is ranked #6. Here’s cheering for a win!

Here’s the latest OGBR JJHuddle Girls Basketball Power Poll.

DIVISION II
1. West Holmes (3-0) beat Tri-Valley 58-22, beat Dover 85-24, beat Hathaway Brown 49-45. Previous: 3
2. Hathaway Brown (2-2) beat Pickerington North 58-52, lost Reynoldsburg 35-45, beat Akron Hoban 63-42, lost West Holmes 45-49. Previous: 1
3. Toledo Rogers (0-1) lost Canton McKinley 55-62. Previous: 2
4. *Bellbrook (2-0) beat Miamisburg 57-55 (ot), beat Franklin 66-18. Previous: 4
5. Clyde (4-0) beat Tiffin Columbian 71-23, beat Mohawk 78-35, beat Fremont St. Joseph 78-57, beat Margaretta. Previous: 5
6. *Clinton-Massie (2-0) beat Blanchester 69-21, beat Western Brown 69-44. Previous: 6
7. Akron St. Vincent-St. Mary’s (2-1) lost Solon 51-59, beat Shaker Heights 47-35, beat Uniontown Lake 85-78 (4 ots). Previous: NR
8. *Bellevue (1-0) beat Mansfield Sr. 59-55. Previous: 9
9. Dayton Carroll (2-1) lost Reynoldsburg 41-55, beat Lakota East 44-40, beat Beavercreek 48-45. Previous: 10
10. *West Branch (1-0) beat Youngstown Ursuline 67-19. Previous: NR