Gray turns Red blue in ACBF clash
Senior boys close out county basketball season in style

By Rich Kelly
For the Star Beacon

JEFFERSON — As another fine season of basketball closes on the fans of Ashtabula County with the Ashtabula County Basketball Foundation Senior All-Star Game putting on the finishing touches.

Another group of senior boys got the chance to show their stuff in the battle between the Red and the Gray at Falcon Gymnasium in Jefferson. Sparked by a big second half at both ends of the floor by Player of the Game for the Gray, Chris Johnstone of Lakeside, the Gray squad came from behind to claim a 90-84 decision.

The Red had taken the game’s only double-digit lead of the night late in the first half, at 39-26, as Cory Prine of Jefferson torched the nets on his home floor for 10 first-half points, the last two of his four hoops attaining that 13-point lead.

A 10-0 run covering the last two minutes of the opening half got the comeback started for the Gray. It picked up where it left off to open the second half of the game, which was played in a college format of two 20-minute halves.

The run to end the first half was triggered by a pair of hoops from Tyler Stetz of Grand River Academy and 3-pointers from Johnstone and Brian Bevins of Jefferson.

Josh Furmage of Conneaut hit three straight hoops, two of them treys, to give the Gray its first lead of the night at 46-43 with 3:12 gone in the second half. After that, the Red team, led by ACBF Hall of Famers Jim Dodd and Tom Henson, managed to tie the score three times midway through the second half, but a 9-0 run sparked by a pair of hoops from Johnstone gave the Gray a lead it never relinquished.

Gray coaches and sisters Kim Triskett and Kelly Henson, also ACBF Hall of Famers from Grand Valley, had the perfect game plan come to fruition for them, almost.

“We told them that we wanted them to score 100 points at least with, hopefully, some dunks.” Henson said. “We got 90 points with two dunks, so we’re happy.”

“With the unfamiliarity the kids have to deal with, we just told them to go out and have some fun,” Triskett said. “Our goal was to just enjoy ourselves tonight, and we did.”

La’Roo Wells of Lakeside capped a fine week in all-star competitions for the Gray with 20 points, eight rebounds, five steals and three blocked shots. Johnstone really ignited the game-winning comeback with his aggressive play at both ends of the floor, though, finishing with 16 points, four assists, four steals, and a pair of rebounds.

They also had plenty of help, especially in the second half. Furmage tallied 10 of his 13 points in the second half and Bevins kept the Gray in the game in the first half with nine of his 12 points.

Red coaches Tom Henson and Jim Dodd, also with Grand Valley backgrounds, as was the Gray coaching duo, agreed there wasn’t much coaching they had to do.

“The kids put out a whole lot of effort for both teams tonight,” Dodd said. “With so much talent, all we told them was to get the ball and start running with it.”

A lack of preparation for an all-star game, which is usually the norm at the end of a season, dictated how the game would be played. While not a totally artistic success, a number of fine plays keyed the attacks of both teams.

“When you don’t get any time to practice and get to know each other, there’s only one way to play,” Tom Henson said. “You run with the ball and shoot it up there. The kids can only let their natural abilities take care of things, and they did a good job tonight. Those were big-time athletes for both teams on the floor tonight.”

Jake McMahan of Geneva won Player of the Game honors for the Red with a performance that was electrifying at both ends of the court. He nailed six 3-pointers out of his seven hoops on the night as he took game scoring honors with 23 points. He also snared eight rebounds, dished off for a pair of assists, and added a steal and blocked shot to his night’s work. Prine ended his career on his home floor with 12 points.

Michael Schubert of Geneva helped get his teammate McMahan, going with 10 total points and four assists, two going to McMahan in the early stages of the game. Brandon Easton of Pymatuning Valley had a solid second half to cap his career with nine points, and Anthony Terry of Conneaut did likewise. Peter Mackey of Edgewood also scored nine for the Gray.

Kelly is a freelance writer from Jefferson.