North/South All-Star Classic History

The North/South Indiana All-Star Classic series began 16 years ago via efforts of Richmond athletic director Frank Kovaleski, Richmond businessman Bob VanPelt and Hoosier Basketball Magazine publisher Garry Donna. The purpose was to initiate a statewide all-star series showcasing Indiana's best senior girls' and boys' players. The first 16 years have achieved that purpose. Over 300 players and 40 coaches from the Classic have subsequently performed in the prestigious Indiana-Kentucky All-Star series. In the 1989 inaugural Classic at Richmond, Miss Basketball Renee Westmoreland (Scottsburg) and Parade All-American Courtney Cox (Noblesville) sparked the East to a 100-94 come-from-behind victory over the West. In 1990, again at Richmond, the girls' contest was deadlocked at 53-53 with 11 minutes to go. The East, led by Stacie Shepherd of Richmond, rolled to an 83-67 victory. The West girls broke into the win column in 1991 with a scintillating 104-102 overtime win at the Hulman Center in Terre Haute. The clincher was a jumper in the final five seconds by Miss Basketball Jennifer Jacoby (Rossville) who led all scorers with 29 points. Top scorers for the East, each with 17, were Dana Creighton (Warsaw) and Sarah Armington (Anderson). The West tied the series in 1992 at Warsaw with a 97-85 win. Marla Inman (Miss Basketball from Bedford North Lawrence) topped West scoring with 16. The East was led by Niki Steveson (Delta) with 15. In 1993, as the Classic changed to a North/South format at Jeffersonville, the North girls notched a 98-95 overtime win. Fort Wayne Northrop's Leslie Johnson paced the North with 24 points. Bloomington South's Beth Morgan led the South, and all scorers, with 35 (still a series record, boys or girls). In 1994, at Paoli, the North girls raced to a 49-30 halftime lead. The South girls fought back but lost 86-80. Angela Hamblin (22) of Gary Wallace and Miss Basketball Tiffany Gooden (18) of Fort Wayne Snider paced the North. Owen Valley's Darci Redenbaugh (16) topped the South. At Madison, in 1995, the North girls edged the South 83-81. Sheila McMillen (Rochester) led North scoring with 17 points including the winning basket. The South's Julie Helm (Washington) and Haley Harris (Wood Memorial) split 30 points. In 1996, at Warsaw, the South girls, led by the 22 points of Danielle Traylor (Eminence), beat the North 87-79. The North's Lauren Rice (Peru) tallied 21. At Batesville, in 1997, the South girls eeked out a 73-72 win, paced by Liz Stansberry (Center Grove) with 14 points. Candi Crawford (Homestead) and Connie Murdock (South Bend Clay) divided 32 points for the North. In the series' 10th year the North and South girls split two games. The South prevailed 65-64 at Bluffton. The North's Kyle Black (North Central) paced all scorers with 23. The North turned the tables at Martinsville 86-81, led by Kelly Kuhn (Lake Central) with 16. The South's Kara Kessans (Tell City) tallied 19. Year 11 of the series (1999) resulted in a 115-94 verdict for the North girls at Connersville. Jeanette Gray (Valparaiso) led the North with 18 points. Top scorer for the game was April McDivitt (Connersville) with 21 for the South. Year 2000 resulted in a 102-94 South girls win over the North at Marion. Lynne Johnson (Corydon) and Abby Scharlow (New Albany) combined for 34 South points. Jessica Reiter (Penn) led the North with 20. The South won the 2001 Classic at New Castle, 94-80. The South's Ashley Allen (Ben Davis) led all scorers with 21. The girls' winner in 2002 at New Albany was the North, 86-72. Candace Dark (Fountain Central), with 15 points, led the North. In April, 2003, at Forest Park, the North girls routed the South 111-62. High scorer was the North's Sarah Van Metre (Noblesville) with 23 points. Laura Gaybrick (Perry Meridian) and Carrie Smith (Brebeuf Jesuit) each scored 15 for the South. At Greenfield-Central, in 2004, the North girls defeated the South for a third straight year. The score was 96-85. Julie DeMuth (Merrillville) led the way with 24 points. Janese Banks (Ben Davis) topped the South with 17. The South girls dominated the North 91-72 at Plymouth in 2005. Kahla Roudebush (Hamilton Southeastern) led the South with 13 points. Jodi Howell (Alexandria) topped the North with 11. Last year the North girls won 84-66 at Lawrence North. Pendleton Heights' frontliner Susan Lester led the winners with 19 points. The South's FahKara Malone (Evansville Memorial) was the game's high scorer with 23. The West boys trailed 60-53 at intermission of the initial 1989 Classic at Richmond. Rallied by Casey Schmidt (Valparaiso), the West pulled out a 113-109 win. Schmidt and Matt Painter (Delta) shared scoring honors with 22 each. Despite 22 points and 11 rebounds from the West's Jason McCain (Marion), the East squeezed out an 84-82 decision in the 1990 Classic at Richmond. Sixteen points by Todd Cochenour (Mooresville) led the East. The 1991 boys' contest at Terre Haute went to the West, 91-80. An Indiana All-Star trio combined for 47 points - Ryan Wolf (Martinsville) 17, Brandon Brantley (Andrean) and Brian Evans (Terre Haute South), each 15 - to lead the West. Marlon Fleming (Southport) and LaSalle Thompson (Pike) - two East stars - split 34 points. Billy Wright of state champion Richmond led the East boys to a convincing 124-103 conquest of the West in 1992 at Warsaw with 16 points. Steve Hart (Terre Haute South) paced the West with 18. A putback at the buzzer by Matt Graves (White River Valley) climaxed a 16-point South comeback during the game's final four minutes at Jeffersonville in 1993. The result was a rousing 128-127 South victory over the North. B.J. Flynn (Jeffersonville) led seven South double-figure scorers with 23 points. The North's Kojak Fuller (Anderson) matched Flynn's total. The South boys, sparked by four players in double figures, won convincingly, 93-82, at Paoli in 1994. The North had three players in double figures. In 1995, at Madison, the North boys dominated the South 130-103. The North's James Patterson (Ben Davis) topped all scorers with 26 points. Chris Owens (Scottsburg) paced the South with 14. At Warsaw, in 1996, Andrean's Carson Cunningham led seven double-figure scorers with 23 points as the North beat the South, 121-102. Jason Campbell (Columbus East) and Andrew Graves (White River Valley) each scored 15 points for the South. Led by Brown County's Drake Roberts (25 points), the South edged the North, 110-108 at Batesville in 1997. Cameron Stephens (Fort Wayne South) scored 18 for the North. The boys also split 1998's 10th anniversary games. At Bluffton, the South cruised to a 104-85 win behind six double-figure scorers. The North got revenge at Martinsville, 120-116. Andy Abernethy (Carmel) paved the way with 26 points. The South's T.J. Ott (New Palestine) set a boys' series record with 29. The 1999 boys' game at Connersville resulted in a 118-107 win by the North. John Roos (Pike) and Matt Poynter (Lafayette Jeff) divided 34 points. High man for the South was Jasper's Faruk Mujezinovic (16). The North boys set a series record for scoring with a 132-107 win at Marion in 2000. Brett Buscher (Chesterton) scored 25 points for the winners. The South was led by the 28 of Andre Owens (Perry Meridian). In 2001, at New Castle, Kyle Hankins (Bloomington South) topped all scorers with 19 points as the South boys dominated the North 109-85. The South boys' defeated the North, 108-103, in 2002 at New Albany. Angelo Smith (Lawrence North) of the North led all scorers with 24 points. At Forest Park, in 2003, the North boys' crushed the South, 139-109. Three players evenly divided 48 points for the North. The South's Matt Webster (Sheridan) also had 16. In April 2004, at Greenfield-Central, the North boys beat the South, 105-91. The winners - James Hardy (Fort Wayne Elmhurst) paced both squads with 24 while the South's Courtney Lee (Pike) scored 16. The North boys won a high-scoring 123-114 victory at Plymouth in 2005. Josh Mayo (Merrillville) led the winners with 24 points. Deonta Vaughn (Indianapolis Arlington) topped the South with 26. The 2006 boys' winner at Lawrence North was the North, 109-90. Andrean center Luke Harangody led the way with 26 points. The South's top point producer was Cole Holmstrom (Bloomington South) with 18.