SALINA — Forty-two Kansas high school students competed in the Kansas Basketball Coaches Association All-Star Games on Saturday night.
The girls gold stars defeated the blues team, 96-85, while the blues stars won the boys match, 95-85.
Here are some of the best players from both games at Mabee Arena on the campus of Kansas Wesleyan University.
Salina was nice to Eudora’s Harper Schreiner
It’s been a successful four months for Eudora’s Harper Schreiner, especially in Salina.
Schreiner was a member of the Cardinals basketball team that finished second in Class 4A at Tony’s Pizza Events Center in March and won the Class 4A State Softball Championship in May at Salina South. Schreiner’s third and final trip to Salina was for the KBCA All-Star Game, where she led the winning team to gold with 16 points.
Schreiner, a Pittsburg State basketball signee, was already back in basketball mode after attending team camps with the Gorillas.
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“I love basketball and it was (fun) to get back to a faster sport,” Schreiner said. “It was not my goal (to lead the team). I’m glad I did what it took to get the win.”
It was a long day for Schreiner, who got up at 6:30 a.m. and drove to Salina from Pittsburgh to compete in the event.
“It was exhausting,” Schreiner said. “Just winning the game was the icing on the cake.”
Schreiner also played in the Missouri-Kansas All-Star Game earlier this spring and was part of the Kansas team that won that exhibition.
“I’m 2-0 in all-star games, so I can’t ask for anything more,” Schreiner said.
Cheney’s Harrison Voth adapts to pace to lead Blue Stars
Harrison Voth had a rhythm in the boys game.
I led the blue team with 17 points en route to their win.
“It’s nice to be able to do that (and) compete with these guys,” Voth said. “(This) was definitely different from (Class) 3A basketball. (It was) much faster, so I just tried to find another way to score.”
When Voth found out he was drafted, he just wanted to show that he was one of the best of the best in Kansas.
“Just show them that I’m a shooter (and) that I’m not afraid,” said Voth, who will continue his studies at the University of Kansas in the fall. “It’s a really big honor because I respect every one of these guys here. It’s really special to play on the same court as all of them in an all-star game.
“It was a good time. Both practices were really fun, (and) getting to know all the guys was really fun.”
Voth added that hard work pays off in the long run. The KBCA game is not the last sporting event of his career as he will play for Team West at the Kansas Shrine Bowl on July 23 in Pittsburgh.
“Do your best in everything, even though you might not be the best,” Voth said of his experience. “Just keep your head up all the time.”
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Remarkable Peak Performance
In addition to Schreiner leading the women’s gold stars, they had major contributions from Goddard’s Maycee James and Cheney’s Brynn McCormick, who each had 15 points.
James and McCormick signed to continue their basketball careers at Butler Community College and Hutchinson Community College.
Sterling’s Kali Briar led the blue girls with 18 points. will play for Sterling College next season. Salina Central’s Aubrie Kierscht added 16 in his last game in his hometown.
While Voth led Team Blue to victory, they also got 15 points from Toby Miller of Lyndon and 13 from Elijah Brooks of Topeka West.
Wichita Heights’ Dreylin Kemp led the Golden Boys with 18 points and Topeka Seaman’s Ty Henry and Maize’s Kyle Grill each have 13.
Kierscht was named Miss Kansas Basketball, while Brooks was named Mr. Kansas Basketball. Kierscht will continue his basketball career at Presbyterian College, a Division I institution in Clinton, South Carolina, while Brooks will travel to North Dakota.
Dylan Sherwood has been a sportswriter for the Salina Journal since August 2019. He can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter @DSherwoodSJ
