Madison's Claire Wakim thankful for one last high school game in CVC all-star tilt
Mar. 20—Defense doesn't usually come into play in all-star basketball games.
But when you've missed as much time in your senior season as Madison's Claire Wakim has, you don't miss an opportunity to make a big play — even if it's on the defensive end of the court.
Wakim, who missed six games at the end of her senior season last month with a torn knee ligament, blocked a shot in the waning seconds of her team's 68-67 win in the first of two Chagrin Valley Conference all-star games at Berkshire High School on March 20.
Wakim helped Madison to an 18-5 record this season, but a torn PCL kept her out of the team's last six regular-season games. She played some in the team's tournament loss, but said that getting back on the court one last time in Madison Blue and White at the CVC all-star event was important to her.
"It was super exciting," said Wakim, who scored 10 points in the Lake Division's one-point win over the Metro Division. "Playing against these girls all the time, I finally got a chance to play with them for once. It was really fun. Electric."
As the final minutes ticked off the clock in regulation, she unstrapped her knee brace and packed it up. But when the game went to overtime, she strapped it back on and made the game-clinching block after Madison teammate Zoey Deligianis gave the team the lead with a free throw.
"It was great to be back out here again with Zoey," Wakim said. "It was tough this season, being injured and just sitting on the bench. I was happy to at least be on the bench and help them the best I could. To get out there one last time tonight was great."
Wakim is headed to Ohio Wesleyan University to play basketball on the college level.
Aside from Wakim's 10, the Lake Division team got 12 from Deligianis and 11 from Geneva's Brooke Richmond. The Metro Division got 14 from Trinity's De'Oshania Bennett and 11 from Brooklyn's Ashlyn Dyson.
In the nightcap, the Chagrin Division had only seven players, but relied on its fast-paced style to defeat the Valley Division, 87-82.
Chagrin, which never trailed, had a slim 65-63 lead midway through the second half, but went on a 11-2 run to get a commanding lead that it would never lose. Richmond Heights' Mya Johnson fueled the run with a putback and back-to-back dishes to Chagrin Falls' Avery Russell. When Hawken's Sara Liu hit a 3-pointer, it was a 79-65 lead and the Chagrin never looked back.
"That run was big," Johnson said. "Some of us had played together before, so we had some chemistry going for us. We had a lot of fun."
Johnson and Chagrin's Lilly Stukus each had 19 to pace the Chagrin squad, with Orange's Kynnade Bates adding 17. Valley was led by Wickliffe's Ava Gabriel (20) and Grand Valley's Dixie Miller (14).
In between the games, Perry's Victoria Lynch won the 3-point contest by making 12 shots in the final round to best Grand Valley's Morgan Crawford. Ironically, Lynch needed to win a shootout tiebreaker in the semifinals just go get to the title bout against Crawford.
"I felt pretty confident," Lynch said. "My shooting was on in the game we had just played. It's exciting to win it. It makes me happy I was able to do that."
Lake 68, Metro 67 (OT)
Lake: Contenza 4, V.Lynch 8, Marrison 8, Farley 2, Wakim 10, Richmond 11, Torrance 2, Deligianis 12, McCollister 4, Franklin 3, Johnson 2, M. Lynch 2.
Metro: Walker 3, Grant 5, Harrison 6, Jaenkel 4, Bennett 14, Davenport 9, Adya 3, Gibbons 4, Dyson 11, Ashkenasy 8.
Chagrin 87, Valley 82
Chagrin: Bates 17, Liu 5, Russell 11, Johnson 19, Cicerini 4, Oberstar 12, Stukus 19.
Valley: Ward 13, Kaminsky 2, Pleva 2, Brady 3, Masink 12, Miller 14, Hart 3, Gabriel 20, Stoddard 2, Katic 11.
