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.”