Blue Team Wins NEMO Officials Girl’s All-Star Game
Blue Team Wins NEMO Officials Girl’s All-Star Game
By David Sharp
Tessa Ramer tossed in eight fourth quarter points, including the game-sealing bucket with nine seconds to play in the 22nd Annual girls’ 2009 NEMO Officials Association All Star Game.
The Blue team defeated the Red squad by a final score of 56-53. The contest was half of a two game set, with the boy’s game following. The Red team took the boy’s game by a 73-70 final score.
Participating players were chosen by area coaches from 2009 graduating senior basketball standouts. The Blue team was led by Canton coach Seth Minter. The Lady Tigers won second in Class 2 in 2009. The Red Team was coached by Macon’s Dan Halley.
Knox County graduates Amanda Woods and Tessa Ramer along with Clark County alum Britni Bertelli played for the Blue Team. Please visit www.nemonews.net for a complete player listing.
The contest was close on the scoreboard most of the way. Britni Bertelli nailed a blue team three with 6:13 remaining in the first half, trimming a four point red team lead to 17-16.
Tessa Ramer drove the lane, putting her Blue team up 19-18 with 5:08 showing on the second quarter clock.
The Red team came back to lead 28-23 at intermission. The first half was a three to five point affair. The Red team took the basketball away several times and maintained their five point advantage. Turnovers evened out near the close of the third period.
Beth Voss (Atlanta HS) completed a three point play for the Blue team with 5:24 showing on the third quarter clock for a 34-33 lead. Amanda Woods sank two free throws for a 41-37 Blue team lead with 25 seconds remaining in the third quarter.
Abby Rowland (Macon HS) tossed in a Red team three pointer with one second to play in period three for a 41-40 Blue lead after three periods of play.
Intensity picked up in period four. Britni Bertelli scored with six minutes to play in the game for a 44-41 Blue lead. Abby Rowland tied the game at 44 with a three pointer. Melissa Cotton (Scotland County HS) regained the four point Blue squad edge with a bucket at the four minute mark.
Tessa Ramer fired in a pair of critical three pointers. The first home run ball came at the three minute mark for a 51-46 lead. The John Wood Community College basketball recruit dialed long distance 30 seconds later for a 54-46 Blue team lead.
“We didn’t want to lose,” said the 2009 Lady Eagle first team all conference and Class 2 all district guard. “We thought of ourselves as the underdogs,” said Ramer of the Blue squad.
“As soon as they got up, we knew we had to stop them on the defensive end of the floor. We had to box out, get every rebound and loose ball.”
The Blue team showed their metal with a last minute nine point streak. Katie Steele fired in a three with about a minute to play in the game.
Jena Leathers (Macon HS) scored with 11 seconds remaining, capping a string of nine unanswered points for a 54-53 Blue team lead.
Coach Seth Minter drew up a play calling for Amanda Woods to inbound the ball. Woods fired a three quarter court pass to high school teammate Tessa Ramer. The Lady Eagle connection resulted in Ramer sinking a lay-up with nine seconds to play in the game for a 56-53 lead.
The Blue team kept their opponents from getting a good look at the tying bucket and prevailed by the 56-53 final score.
Tessa Ramer and Danielle Boulware (Palmyra HS) shared high point honors with 14 points each. Jordan Ewigman (Marceline HS) scored 13 points and Macon product Abby Rowland was in double figures for the Red team with 12 points.
Melissa Cotton scored 11 points for the Blue team. Britni Bertelli scored three points while Amanda Woods put in two Blue team points.
