Great Bend High School’s Olivia Basye stepped up in overtime to lead the Black team to a 68-62 victory in the first annual Central Kansas High School Basketball All-Star Classic on Sunday at Kirkman Activity Center.
High school girls from 16 separate schools competed and while the Black team trailed most of the game, it was the Black team that knotted the score at 59 to force a three-minute overtime period.
“It was a lot of fun,” said Central Plains head coach Toby Holmes, who coached the Black team. “It’s quite an honor to get to do this. You get some really good players from around the central part of the state to coach. We get about 25 minutes to teach them stuff.”
Basye, who scored all of her eight points in the overtime period, drilled a pair of 3-pointers to give her team a 65-60 advantage with 55.1 seconds remaining. Then she went to the free-throw line and went 2-for-2 to keep a five-point lead at 67-62 with 22.6 seconds remaining.
“Well, I just got into my flow and started getting into my rhythm that I’m usually in,” Basye said. “I kind of got used to the feel of the basketball again and had confidence in myself. I knew that in order to win, we needed to get some shot in, so I just stepped up.”
The Black team, which was mainly made up of players from higher classification schools, won 68-62.
Ashton Bruner of McPherson recorded a double-double with 18 points and 12 rebounds. She was named the Black team’s MVP.
“She’s a good player,” Holmes said of Bruner. “She’s one of those kids you wish you had on your team. I’m really honored to coach all of these girls.”
With four minutes remaining and the White team up 59-50, the Black team went on a 9-0 run that closed the game in a tie.
Kelsie Page of Minneapolis got the run started by making a pair of free throws.
Kelsey Keith, who finished with 13 points and will be playing for Barton Community College next season, followed Page by dropping in a short jumper and making 2 of 2 free throws on the following possession.
Keith also won the 3-point contest, making eight in the final round of the competition.
Bruner, who was only 1-for-10 from the free-throw line for the game, finished the run by dropping in a 3-pointer from the top of the key.
Taylor Mayes, a 6-foot-1 player from Hutchinson, finished with three points. It was announced that Mayes would be playing for Barton as well.
Kinsley’s Alisen Habiger was the MVP for the White team, finished with 10 points.
Great Bend’s Elizabeth Kutina finished with four points.
“It was a really good experience,” Kutina said. “It was an honor to be able to play. It was fun. It was kind of like closure for my whole senior year for basketball and everything. All of the hard work and everything kind of paid off one more time.”
St. John’s Teresa Wade and Central Plains’ Sydney Rugan, who were both unanimous All-Central Prairie League first-team selections, finished with eight points apiece.
“It was great (coaching Wade one last time),” said St. John head coach Danny Smith, who coached the White team. “That’s the main reason that I did this was for her.”
Otis-Bison’s Janel Tammen also scored eight points.

HIGH SCHOOL BASKETBALL
Central Kansas
High School Basketball
All-Star Classic

At Great Bend
Kirkman Activity Center

GIRLS

Sunday

Black team 68, White team 62, OT
BLACK TEAM
     Kelsey Keith 4 3-4 13, Mackenzie Mense 1 0-0 3, Ashton Bruner 8 1-10 18, Olivia Basye 2 2-2 8, Elizabeth Kutina 2 0-2 4, Kelsie Page 3 2-4 12, Taylor Mayes 1 1-2 3, Sierra Hays 2 0-0 4, Janelle Hoheisel 1 1-2 3. Totals 24 12-30 68.
WHITE TEAM
     Katie Seeman 2 0-0 4, Alisen Habiger 4 2-3 10, Darrien Beckwith 1 0-2 2, Blakelee Cooper 2 0-0 5, Jill Oden 4 1-4 9, Janel Tammen 2 3-4 8, Teresa Wade 2 4-9 8, Sydney Rugan 2 4-4 8, Kelli Rourke 3 2-2 8. Totals 22 15-20 62.
     Halftime — White team 27, Black team 23. Three-point goals — Black team 8 (Basye 2, Keith 2, Page 2, Mense, Bruner); White team 2 (Cooper, Tammen).