High school basketball all-star games coming to Olentangy Liberty: What you need to know
Forty-eight of Ohio’s top seniors, including one state champion, three Ms. Basketball finalists and 17 Division I signees highlight the Ohio High School Basketball Coaches Association’s All-Star games Friday night at Olentangy Liberty.
The girls game begins at 6:30 p.m., and the boys will follow at approximately 8:30. Both will pit teams of 12 standouts from central and southern Ohio against those from the northern half of the state.
Here’s what you need to know ahead of the games:
Which Columbus-area players are in the games?
Five of central Ohio’s best are participating and playing for the South:
Girls
Madison Greene, Pickerington Central: A Vanderbilt signee and Ms. Basketball finalist who finished with 1,263 career points, the 5-foot-7 point guard and four-year starter averaged 15.2 points, 3.2 rebounds, 3.2 steals and 2.2 assists this winter in leading the Tigers to their first Division I state tournament since 2019.
Kate Ratliff, Canal Winchester: A 6-0 forward, 1,000-point scorer and Gannon signee, Ratliff’s 20.0 points, 8.6 rebounds and 3.2 assists led the Indians to a Division I district semifinal for the fourth year in a row.
Abbie Riddle, Liberty Union: A 5-10 guard, the Bowling Green signee averaged 18.8 points, 7.8 rebounds, 3.8 assists and 2.1 steals to earn Division III district Player of the Year.
Boys
Dailyn Swain, Africentric: A 6-8 guard, the Xavier signee, Division III district and state Player of the Year and Mr. Basketball finalist averaged 18.5 points, 8.2 rebounds, 7.3 assists, 3.6 steals and 3.5 blocks in leading the Nubians to their second consecutive state tournament.
Chase Walker, St. Charles: A 6-9 center and Illinois State signee, Walker averaged 18 points and shot 63% from the field. He was first-team all-district and special mention all-state in Division I.
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Hartley’s Donald Dennis will co-coach the South girls team with Glouster Trimble’s Joe Richards. In the boys game, Linden-McKinley’s Kevin Darthard will share South coaching duties with Travis Wise from South Point.
Wise was Division III state Coach of the Year after leading his team to a regional final, where it lost to Africentric.
How about players from outside central Ohio?
Division IV Player of the Year Rylee Sagester, from New Madison Tri-Village, highlights the non-area players in the girls game. The Wright State signee led the undefeated Patriots to the state championship, scored 2,001 career points, made a state-record 401 career 3-pointers and was runner-up for Ms. Basketball to Cincinnati Purcell Marian sophomore Dee Alexander.
All 12 players on the South girls roster have signed to play in college.
Two Big Ten recruits highlight the North roster in Grafton Midview’s Mary Meng (Michigan State) and Massillon Jackson’s Leena Patibandla (Wisconsin). They are alongside three state runners-up in Canal Fulton Northwest’s Lily Bottomley, Olmsted Falls’ Paige Kohler and Doylestown Chippewa’s Annabel Rodriguez.
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The boys game features three Big Ten signees, including Ohio State-bound Austin Parks of St. Marys Memorial on the North team. Centerville’s Gabe Cupps, the 2022 Mr. Basketball and 2023 runner-up to Pickerington Central’s Devin Royal, and Michigan signee George Washington III of Dayton Chaminade Julienne will play for the South.
Also on the South roster is Caldwell guard Bede Lori, who amassed 2,333 career points and was a prolific free-throw shooter. He once made 183 consecutive foul shots and owns the single-season (95.7%) and career (93.5%) state records.
How to get tickets
All tickets will be $8 at the door and are good for both games.
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Olentangy Liberty to host Ohio high school basketball all-stars
