RICH KELLY
GENEVA — All-star games are meant to be fun, with opportunities to meet new people in different formats while still trying to play fairly solid games, no matter the sport.
The Ashtabula County Women’s Scholar Athlete Association Senior All-Star Game at Geneva High School on Wednesday night had a lot of fun for all involved. With everybody just enjoying the moment, the Shamrock team, coached by Kim Triskett of Grand Valley and Tony Pasanen of Conneaut, put together a 20-0 run midway through the second half to blow open a tight game and earn a solid 91-63 win over the Irish, led by Geneva’s Nancy Barbo and Edgewood’s Chris Juncker.
While several players had big nights for the Shamrocks, the big run took a 58-50 lead up to 78-50 was fueled by Lakeside’s Sally Christian, who tallied six points in that run on her way to a 12-point second half, and five points and a trio of assists from Carly Cash of Geneva.
After Geneva’s Courtney Thompson ended the run with a jumper with five minutes to play, the Shamrocks went back to work, extending the lead to as much as 34 points late in the contest before the Irish got a couple hoops in the last minute.
“The kids just took over tonight and had a lot of fun,” Triskett said. “They are good athletes who have a good grasp of the game. They made some plays to push out the lead, but it basically was just a lot of fun for a great group of seniors.”
Pasanen agreed, with a more definite point to make at the same time.
“This was the way for these seniors to end their careers,” he said. “It was a lot of fun, and for me, it’s probably the only way I can beat Nancy Barbo.”
Nichele Johnson of Conneaut was the game’s top scorer, netting 19 points to go with nine rebounds and two blocked shots as she earned Player of the Game honors for the Shamrocks. Jefferson’s Lizzy Ziemski added 16 points, Sarah Campbell of Conneaut tallied 13 and Christian capped the night with her dozen.
Barbo made note of something she observed while the game was in progress.
“It was kind of strange for me to see some of my girls playing on the other team tonight,” she said. “I wish they had been on my team again, but it was nice watching them play from a different viewpoint tonight.
“We didn’t do a lot of coaching because the girls basically have a strong knowledge of the game. They were able to do some different things tonight and have a lot of fun doing it, which made playing so worthwhile.”
Edgewood’s Chris Juncker agreed, with a competition aspect coming into play as well.
“This was just great tonight,” he said. “Everybody was having a great time, they had fun, and maybe most importantly, they got a chance to get to know rivals during the regular season that will now be friends for years to come.”
Justine VanCise of Conneaut led the attack for the Irish with 11 points, including two 3-pointers. Pymatuning Valley’s Olivia Holt earned Player of the Game honors for the Irish with a 10-point, six-rebound, six-steal and three-assist night.
Kelly is a freelance writer from Jefferson.
