By Dan Weber
NKyTribune sports reporter
The “Battle for the Border,” — boys division — wasn’t much of a battle in Saturday’s All-Star doubleheader nightcap at Thomas More.
Unlike last year, there would be no Ohio sweep thanks to a hot-shooting Kentucky team that had three-point shooters everywhere you looked – and against almost every all-star game precedent — one pure passer who set them up.
“That’s my game,” said Covington Catholic alum Athens McGillis, who handed out a game high seven assists in just 12:31 of the 114-91 blowout that wasn’t really that close. Those were more than double the next high assist man’s three. And they came on familiar ball screen give-and-go’s to old CovCath teammate Donovan Bradshaw, among others, that took Kentucky from a 28-16 lead to a 42-23 edge late in the first half.
“I couldn’t do it without great teammates,” said McGillis whose team play put the final bow on this Kentucky win.“
“He’s so smart it’s unbelievable,” said Kentucky coach Nate Valentine from North Laurel’s state tournament runners-up. “I wish he were on my team. He’s so unselfish. I know he’s going to a Division II powerhouse (Nova Southeastern) but that dude can play at any level.”
With a roster including seven players who hit three-pointers, Valentine knew he was in good shape there as one after another Kentucky player fired it in from afar. North Hardn’s Keriawn Berry added 18 while another 6-foot-6 wing, Trinity’s Jayden Johnson, scored 15 as the pair combined for five three-pointers.
“I looked at our roster and knew we had shooters,” Valentine said. And McGillis, who made it easy for them, with his surprisingly quick first step that allows him to penetrate and then dish to an open shooter.
“I’ve been using that my whole life,” McGillis – the leading career assist man in CovCath history — said of his ability to surprise defenders with how quick that step is. “I’m a 5-11 white guy,” he says with a smile.
Bradshaw was one non-three-point shooter who didn’t need the deep ball to play off his teammate, hitting all three soft shots in the lane in the kind of coordinated offense you don’t often see in all-star games.
A big Ohio team pretty much didn’t know what hit it with the shooters Kentucky put on the floor like 6-4 guard Jacob Spurlock, Kentucky’s game MVP, who averaged 27.3 points while hitting 147 threes this past season for Boyd County to lead The Commonwealth. Two of his four in this game were easily from more than 30 feet, one close to 35. By halftime, the Bluegrass Boys led 53-40 and added 61 in the second half.
“I just go out and play with confidence, play my game,” McGillis said. “I’ve been playing with Donovan my whole life.”
“That was fun,” the 6-7 Bradshaw said. He’s still undecided on his college choice but has visits lined up for both Capital and Lincoln Memorial. “We got to meet new people and Athens has been one of my best friends. I’ve been playing with him since the third grade.”
Against an Ohio team with players heading to Miami of Ohio, Ohio U., Dayton, Cornell, Harvard and Bradley, Kentucky led by as many as 34 points – 108-74 – with 4:00 left as the game devolved into a slam-fest over the final minutes.
Two Ohio players will play locally. Quick 6-2 guard Willie Foster, out of Lima Senior, is headed to NKU after a tough one-for-10 shooting night for two points. Newark’s 6-5 Jake Quackenbush, headed to Thomas More, scored four points with four rebounds in 13:11.
Ohio MVP Julian Washington, a 6-4 guard headed to Dayton, scored 19 points to lead his team.
A third Northern Kentuckian, Lloyd Memorial’s Anthony Blaackar, did not play in the game after being selected. He was on a spring break vacation this past week and unable to make all the practices as required although back in time for the game.
KENTUCKY-OHIO BOYS SCORING SUMMARY
OHIO: Guess 2-2 0-0 4, Horton 3-5 2-4 8, Wiley 3-4 0-0 6, Washington 5-8 6-9 19, Mattucci 1-8 0-0 2, Singleton 6-13 1-3 13, Johnson 2-5 0-0 4, Foster 1-10 0-0 2, McKinny 4-7 2-4 10, Bowens 1-5 1-2 3, Quackenbush 1-2 2-2 4, Martin 3-3 2-2 8, Billingsley 1-4 0-0 2, Davis 2-8 0-0 6; TOTALS: 35-84 16-27–91. (Three-point FG’s: Washington 3, Davis 2 (Total 5-26, 19.2 percent)
KENTUCKY: Sparrow 0-1 2-3 2, Davidson 2-4 3-4 8, Ateny 2-4 1-1 5, Spurlock 8-13 0-0 20, George 3-9 1-2 8, Berry 8-13 0-0 18, Edelen 2-7 0-0 5, Stephan 2-6 0-0 5, Bradshaw 3-3 1-2 7, Jackson 2-6 1-2 5, McGillis 2-6 3-3 7, Washington 1-3 0-0 2, Johnson 5-9 2-2 15, Gray 1-4 3-3 5, Jung 1-2 0-0 2; TOTALS 42-90 17-22–114. (Three-point FGs: Davdson 1, Spurlock 4, George 1, Berry 2, Edelen 1, Stephan 1, Johnson 3: Total: 13-39, 33.3 percent).