Locals Play In Michiana All-Star GamesMISHAWAKA – Those that want a shot clock and more scoring in high school basketball games got their wish Tuesday night at Bethel College’s Wiekamp Center. The sixth annual McDonald’s Michiana High School All-Star Games were more about no-look passes, dunking and shooting NBA-range three-pointers than good shot selection and playing defense. The crowd on hand for the two games, which were played in a college format – two 20-minute halves for the boys and four 10-minute quarters for the girls – seemed to enjoy it. “It’s really fun to play in a game like this because you play against these players all season and now you get to be on a team with some of them,” said Warsaw’s Kyle Mangas, who finished with 13 points, 10 rebounds, five assists and three steals as his gray team fell 148-145 to the red team in overtime. Mangas, the star player on a Warsaw team that gave up just 42 points per game – tops in the state in Class 4A – admitted all-star games aren’t his forte, but did say it was fun getting up and down the court and throwing down some dunks. “I don’t really like them that much,” laughed Mangas when asked if he liked the run-and-gun, no-defense style of play that all-star games offer. “I’m used to locking down on defense, playing for Coach (Doug) Ogle every game, so it’s a little bit different. But it is fun running the court and showing off my dunking skills.” In the 40-minute boys game, the teams combined for 229 shot attempts, including 102 three-pointers. South Bend Riley junior Damezi Anderson wowed the crowd with a plethora of windmill jams. Anderson, playing for the victorious red team, scored a game-high 40 points to go along with 12 rebounds and five steals. NorthWood senior Vincent Miranda tallied 25 points and nine boards in the win, while Penn sophomore Noah Applegate finished with 24 points and 18 rebounds. Riley senior Mo Scott, the brother of former Notre Dame star Skylar Diggins, dished out 12 assists for the red team. South Bend Washington junior Cory McKinney led the gray team with 27 points, while Walter Ellis, the son of former Notre Dame standout and NBA player LaPhonso Ellis, scored 20 points. Riley junior Shamar Dillard tallied 19 points for the gray team, while Marian junior Mike Hemingway and Clinton Christian senior Nathan Stutzman scored 17 points each. The boys game featured 17 players, and 15 of them scored at least 11 points. In the girls game, the teams combined to take 166 shots, including 55 three-point attempts, as the gray team beat the red squad 75-72. Warsaw seniors Dayton Groninger and Madi Graham, and Tippecanoe Valley senior Anne Secrest played for the red squad. Groninger led the local trio with nine points and six rebounds. “This was so much fun,” said Groninger, who like Mangas will play collegiately at Indiana Wesleyan University. “It’s great to get to play with people from surrounding schools, because we play them during the season so we know most of them. It’s good to get to know them outside of scouting reports.” Graham scored six points, all from the arc, while the Youngstown State University-bound Secrest finished with five points and 11 rebounds. Graham talked after the game about being friends with Secrest and how special it was to play on a team with her. Both Graham and Secrest said they were inspired by the fact the teams visited patients Monday at the Ronald McDonald House at Memorial Children’s Hospital in South Bend. “It was fun getting to play with girls from other teams, especially the girls from Warsaw,” said Secrest. “There’s a lot of talented players here. “Monday we ate at McDonald’s and we went to the Ronald McDonald House and got to tour that. We broke up into teams ... I was in the cupcake decorating group. The kids came around, and we got to spend time with them, which was really special.” Graham, who is eyeing a career in the medical field, was also inspired by the visit to the Ronald McDonald House. “I loved going there, because that’s the field I want to go into,” said Graham. “I want to do something in the medical field. I love doing things like that, and it’s great to see the impact you can make in a short amount of time.” Elkhart Central junior Kristen Hunt led the red squad with 13 points, while Northridge junior Brooke McKinley matched Groninger’s total of nine points. For the victorious gray team, St. Joe senior Nicole Konieczny scored a game-high 16 points, Riley junior Asia Strong tallied 13 points and nine boards, and Oregon-Davis senior Alex Bope finished with 10 points and nine rebounds.
