Team Ohio Erases 27 Point Deficit to Claim Victory

For many of the participants in the 20th Annual Ohio versus Kentucky All-Star Game, their high school career ended when the final horn sounded last night at Thomas More College in Crestview Hills, Kentucky. All I can say is; that was one hell of a way to go out! Team Ohio left the locker room flat, and found themselves down 27-2 early in the first half. The key to the early lead was the fact that Team Kentucky enjoyed superior size in the post, on the wings and in the back court. They took advantage of their size advantage defensively and on the boards, and by half time, Team Kentucky had ballooned the lead to 43-65.

From what I understand, the half time speech was direct and to the point. Whatever was said obviously had an impact, as Team Ohio began the second half with an attitude and a new commitment to defense. With a lineup that included Stevie Taylor, Brian Sullivan and Treavon Jackson, Team Ohio turned up the defensive intensity, forced the bigger Kentucky guards into turnovers, and finally found their shooting touch before chopping the sizable deficit to 56-60 by the 16:14 mark. The next round of substitutions included Trey Burke, Trey Lewis and Aaron White, and this group would continue the early success and eventually take a 2-point lead with 10:45 left in the contest. From there, the lead would change hands a couple of times, but Team Ohio would eventually squeak out a 102-100 victory. By the way, the Ohio Boys leads the series 13-7, and the Ohio girls also got a win last night.

Iowa bound Aaron White was key to the comeback, and his team-high 19 points earned him Co-MVP honors. Stevie Taylor was second in scoring for team Ohio with 14 points, followed by Trey Lewis (11), Trey Burke, Travis Trice, Nate Anderson (9), Tre Brown (8), Treavon Jackson, Jaylen Ragland, Markus Crider (5), Blake Justice (4), Brian Sullivan and Cole Krizancic (2). Although Remy Abell led all Kentucky scorers with 20 points, Anthony Hickey was named Co-MVP and finished with 14 points. The Breakdown in scoring includes: Timmy Knipp (13), Jermaine Jackson (11), George Fant (8), DeOndre McWhorter (7), Jordan Shanklin, Ryan Taylor (5) Donovan Kates, Lyonell Gaines and Chris Freeman (3).

I can't speak for everybody in attendance, but the game was truly special, as many of the Ohio kids have competed against each other for years, so for them to complete their high school careers playing together and winning such a big game will create lasting memories! To see pictures I took at the event, visit the Buckeye Prep Facebook Fan Page. Also, check out the video.