Jack Blair game lineups star-studded
The 14th annual Jack Blair Memorial Girls AAU All-Star Basketball Classic probably won’t be much different than the first 13 games between the Metro and Region teams.
The Metro, represented by most of the players selected to the all-Greater Spokane League team, will be heavily favored to win. After all, the Metro is undefeated in the series.
Like a couple of times in the history of the all-star game, though, the Region, which is made up of the top players from North Idaho and other areas outside of Spokane, is hopeful this could be the year that a breakthrough occurs.
The game will be held May 31 at Lake City High School. Tipoff is at 7:30 p.m.
Not all of the top players are scheduled to play, though, at least for the Metro team. University of Tennessee-bound Angie Bjorklund (University High), among the best high school players in the country, is ineligible because she has already played in the allotted two national all-star games. Bjorklund also couldn’t play last year when she was recovering from an injury.
Two other players – Tara Cronin of Gonzaga Prep and Kelli Valentine of Mead – have conflicts.
There are plenty of other all-stars to fill the voids. In fact, this is the first time in the history of the game that the state champ and runner-up in the big-school classifications in Washington and Idaho are represented.
Lewis and Clark, the two-time Washington State 4A champ, and University, the State 4A runner-up, along with Idaho 5A state champ Lake City and runner-up Coeur d’Alene are well represented.
The second-best player in the area, 6-foot-1 senior Katelan Redmon of LC, an all-GSL first-team pick, headlines the Metro team. Redmon was named the most valuable player in the Jack Blair game last year when she led the Metro to a 74-40 win. She is joined by all-GSL first-team selections Lexi Bishop of Shadle Park, Dara Zack of U-Hi and Brittany Kennedy of LC.
Others selected to the Metro team are: Jenna Galloway of Ferris, Lexie Pettersen of Shadle; Lyndi Seidensticker of LC, Jazmine Redmon of Mead, Alysha Green of Mead, Denisha Whitehead of Rogers and Justine Bowman of Central Valley.
The Region team includes a combined seven players from Lake City and Coeur d’Alene. They are: 5A player of the year and state Gatorade player of the year Katie Baker, a 6-1 sophomore post from Lake City; seniors Richelle Fenenbock and Riki Moreland of Lake City; and senior Lindsey Stark, junior Deanna Dotts and sophomores Kama Griffitts and Sadie Simon of CdA.
Others picked to the Region team are: Natalie Nichols of Lakeland, Nikki Nelson of Chewelah, Megan Teade of Colfax, Roni Jo Mielke of Sprague-Harrington and Jenny McVeigh of Post Falls.
Notes
Coaching the Metro are Jim Redmon of LC and Nicole Kilgore, who coached Rogers this past season. Darren Taylor of Lake City is coaching the Region. … Admission is $5 for adults and $3 for senior citizens and students. Children 9 and younger will be admitted free. … The game is named in memory of Jack Blair, former CV girls basketball coach and co-founder of the Spokane Stars select summer basketball program.