Swannanoa – A.C. Reynolds Lady Rocket forward Landyn Stewart sank a long three-point shot in an all-star exhibition Saturday night.
Then, in a playful taunt, she repeatedly smiled and pointed at the opposing coach as the play continued. That coach is normally her own head coach, Reynolds’ Amanda Whitaker. Whitaker coached the red-clad Rankings Report girls’ all-star squad against the blue team that included Stewart.
Coach Whitaker grinned in return. She later said, “Landyn pointing at me was a fun moment. It was a great event last night for everyone involved!” Whitaker had much to smile about. Whitaker guided the red team to a 76-73 win.
The red stars surged from an early 13-point deficit, led 46-43 at halftime, and by nine points at 47-48. They contained a rally that sent the game into overtime. Red stars outscored blue stars 10-4 in a two-minute overtime, until a blue shot went in at the buzzer to tighten the final margin.
A doubleheader of girls’ and boys’ all-star games was played on Saturday, March 18, and packed Warren Wilson College’s gym in Swannanoa. The all-star doubleheader debuted a year ago. It succeeds longtime Blue-White All-Star contests, showcasing western North Carolina stars to college recruiters. Scouting service RankingsReports.com sponsors these games. Players are seniors. Most have not yet committed to a college basketball scholarship. Organizer Jacob Senyo saw a few college scouts attending and said that others watched remotely.
There was crisp passing and other aspects of teamwork. That is remarkable, considering that these squads did not practice. “We just showed up and played,” Enka’s Jacob Adair noted. Organizer Senyo assigned players to squads, trying to balance point guards and tall post players.
Girls’ game MVP Katie Alexander of Asheville Christian Academy (ACA) led the winning reds with 13 points. She made four steals in the first half. She is husky, but reacts quickly enough to beat faster opponents to the ball.
Tymber’s Plans Work
Aspiring architect Tymber Thompson scored eight of her 12 points in the first half for the red all-stars. T.C. Roberson’s slender and agile six-footer physically held off huge Aubree Grigg of East Burke, to gain position down low on offense and defense. Grigg scored merely four points. Thompson also showed superb quickness, often neutralizing Hendersonville point guard Mia Hansen at the top of the key. Hansen (16.3 PPG) managed six points.
Thompson shines as a volleyball hitter and at third base in softball. She hit her first career walk-off homer to beat Brevard days earlier. She has a 4.1 GPA. She will skip collegiate sports to study architecture at Tennessee.
Her TCR Ram and all-star teammate, E.P. Sluder, and Robbinsville’s Desta Trammell (23.4 PPG) each scored nine points. Asheville’s Kirsten Watt (15.4 PPG) and 6-foot-3 Franklin center Roslyn McCollum each scored eight points. ACA’s Macy Wike scored five points, also for the red stars.
Watt sank crucial free throws to help seal the victory. She rejoiced at how the game brought together players who “love the game.”
Stewart of ACR and North Henderson’s Lexie Gunter each scored 12 points to pace the blue team. Gunter connected on three three-pointers, the last of which helped spark the late comeback. Gunter averaged 19 points in each of her past two seasons. She said getting to play in the all-star contest shows that her “hard work has paid off.”
The blue team got ten points from Hibriten’s Katie Story, six by Hansen of HHS, and four from Owen’s Carly Hancock.
Tiller in a Thriller
The all-star boys lit up the scoreboard even more. The blue stars won 113-108. They led 50-45 at halftime, then by 60-47 thanks to a 10-2 run. The teams combined for a whopping NBA-like 126 points in the second half.
Game MVP Jacob Tiller from Enka led the blue squad with 22 points. The 6-4 wing scored on a variety of outside shots and inside moves. He scored 15 points in the decisive second half. Tiller has played AAU ball recently, since averaging 26 points for Enka in a half-season.
Tiller said that he relished going up against the area’s finest players, and appreciated the MVP honor.
Zavien Dillingham of Hickory Christian scored 21 for the blues. They had the largest player in Asheville Christian’s 6-9, 270-pound Dyllan Barnwell. He scored six points, and made some blocks.
Simpson: Simply Fun
Freedom’s strong leaper Philly Harris led the red team with 24 points — 18 in the second half. He made the earliest dunks.
Hendersonville’s lanky 6-4 Jacobi Simpson evoked loudest cheers for his acrobatic slams. He dunked on two consecutive possessions, putting the blue team up by 17 points. Blue stars earlier wowed the crowd with dunk after dunk in the pre-game shootaround.
Simpson scored ten points. Following his dunks, Simpson shuttled a pass to North Henderson center Josh Heiny for a layup. Heiny scored five points. At times, he was matched against his intra-county rival Lawson Sullivan of West Henderson. Sullivan scored all six of his points in the second half.
Simpson got into the game’s intensity and frolic. He joyfully leaped when a blue teammate dunked — just as he did in HHS games. He said that “it’s fun to play with so many great athletes.”
Alijah Ferguson, his HHS Bearcat and red squad teammate, scored seven of his nine points in the opening half. He said, “We worked hard out there, and raced to the lead.”
Red stars from Buncombe and Henderson counties sparkled. Jacob Adair (20.2 PPG) scored ten points, and Jet Logan Creek (23 PPG) had nine. Their Enka Jets (22-7; 9-3 MAC) were runners-up to MAC champ Reynolds (ACR). ACR point guard Jayden Harper scored eight points. North Henderson’s Micah Pierce scored two points.
For the blue team, Owen’s Hunter Inabinett scored seven points and North Buncombe sharpshooter Chad Clark (22.1 PPG) scored two points.
Adair Encore
“Air” Adair and Asheville Lady Cougar Evangelia “Sleek Greek” Paulk will each play this coming Saturday, March 25, for North Carolina versus South Carolina stars in the Carolinas Classic in Wilmington. Adair is the only western North Carolinian in the boys’ game.
Adair is heading to the Virginia Military Institute (VMI). He plans an Army career. He might earn another nickname — “General Adair” — since he aspires to rise to the rank of “commander.”
Wofford College-bound Paulk averaged 18 points for the MAC co-champion Asheville Cougars (24-3; 11-1 MAC). The athletic six-footer is WNC’s sole player in the girls’ game. Area coaches in the N.C. Coaches Association chose her as WNC’s best female player. Paulk is also the MAC player of the year. She transferred back to AHS from Asheville Christian Academy, after winning a state 2A private school title in 2022.