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Dave Nichols: Jack Blair Memorial game brings together several future collegiate players

Central Valley’s Lacie Hull, right, and Lexie Hull will play the final game of their prep career in Wednesday’s Jack Blair Game at Central Valley. (Dan Pelle / The Spokesman-Review)
By Dave Nichols daven@spokesman.com(509) 459-5441

It was a special season for girls basketball in the area and even though it’s almost June, it comes to a close today.

The 25th annual Jack Blair Memorial girls basketball game is at 7:30 p.m. at Central Valley HS, and features many of the athletes who made this season historic.

It’s the final high school game for the decorated Hull twins of Central Valley – both will take their talent to Stanford next season to play for the Cardinal – as well as Gonzaga-bound Melody Kempton of Post Falls.

This all-star game has always presented the finest girls basketball players the area has to offer and has included such players as Alli Nieman, Emily Westerberg, Angie Bjorklund, Laura Stockton, Oti Gildon and Riley Lupfer.

This year, though, may be the most impressive gathering of talent – nine of 10 seniors on the two rosters are committed to play in college – befitting of the historic season just played.

The “Metro” team is led by the Hull twins.

Lexie Hull, the Associated Press 2017-18 player of the year and two-time Gatorade state player of the year, and Lacie Hull, the Seattle Times co-player of the year with her sister, leave CV as two-time state champs and a record of 81-1 in their last three years.

This year’s Central Valley team was a once-in-a-generation squad: In addition to its record-setting performance at the State 4A tournament, it won a postseason national invitational tournament, was named by a MaxPreps poll as the No. 1 team in the nation and earned coach Freddie Rehkow the 2017-18 National High School Girls’ Basketball Coach of the Year award.

The Metro team features the entire starting lineup of Central Valley’s State 4A championship team, as well as the entire 2017-18 All-Greater Spokane League first and second teams.

Metro will be coached by Lewis and Clark’s Gabe Medrano and assisted by Rehkow, who recently resigned as coach of CV to spend more time with family.

In addition to the Hulls, two other Metro seniors will play in college: CV teammate Hailey Christopher committed to Idaho and University’s Claire Dingus signed with Saint Martin’s.

There’s plenty of talent on the “Region” team as well.

Kempton was Idaho’s Gatorade player of the year and led the Trojans to the 5A State championship. She ends her high school career as Post Falls’ all-time leading scorer, was a four-time 5A Inland Empire League MVP and two-time all-state.

Kempton scored 12 points and led the Region team to an 84-73 win in last year’s game at Post Falls HS.

In addition to Kempton, the Region team features Eastern Washington recruit Grace Kirscher of Sandpoint, a two-time 4A IEL MVP and two-time all-state selection.

Other college-bound players for the Region team include Post Falls’ Bayley Brennan (Seattle Pacific), Lakeside (Nine Mile Falls’) Sienna Swannack (Carroll College) and Lake City’s Keara Simpson (North Idaho).