All-Star hoops pit area’s top seniors
Vindicator staff report
Not ready for high school basketball season to end?
Not sure what you’ll watch before Saturday’s Final Four?
Not eager to spend a few hours freezing your face off at a prep baseball or softball game?
Well, there’s good news — it’s All-Star week.
Tonight’s Columbiana County All-Star game at Lisbon High School kicks off a week’s worth of action featuring the top senior basketball players from the Mahoning Valley.
Wednesday at Boardman High, players from the Tri-County area face off in the 39th annual Al Beach Classic sponsored by the Mahoning Valley Coaches Association.
Youngstown Christian senior Olonzo Johnson, who helped lead the Eagles to their first district title in any sport, will again battle Warren JFK’s Nick Brown in a rematch of this year’s Div. IV regional final.
Brown and Johnson will also compete in the dunk contest, where they will try to best a bevy of rim-rattlers, including Poland teammates Ben Donlow and David Baker, who was the runner-up in the event at last year’s Bubba Classic.
And if you haven’t seen Crestview’s Chelsea Bowker, this may be your last chance. The Rebel standout was the district player of the year in Div. III.
Thursday, it’s back to Lisbon High for the Inter Tri-County League All-Star game with players from both tiers battling to see which division plays better basketball.
Finally, on Friday, Warren Harding High will host the eighth annual Frank Bubba Classic, which pays homage to former Raiders coach Frank Bubba, who passed away in 2002 after a long battle with cystic fibrosis.
Several Raiders are scheduled to play, including Desmar Jackson, Isiaha Henderson and Paris Bruner. Those three were key components for a Harding team that advanced to the state semifinals for the first time since 1966.
The girls games begin at 6 p.m. with the boys following between 7:30 and 8.
The events will feature halftime 3-point shooting contests for boys and girls and dunk contests, when possible.
The games may not count in the standings, but bragging rights are at stake.
And since Mother Nature doesn’t seem to be in a hurry to usher in spring, fans can use these games as a chance to hang on to the best part of winter.
Or, at least, avoid spring cleaning for a few more days.