By Tom Nader

Publisher and Editor

The 2nd Portage Sports High School Basketball All-Star Games were hosted at Ravenna High School on Friday night.

The games featured 44 of the county’s standout basketball players from the 2024-25 season, as well as 22 cheerleaders.

Also, the teams were coached by Kent Roosevelt’s Craig Foreman and Crestwood’s T.J. Henderson for the girls and Kent Roosevelt’s Curtis Black and Garfield’s Andrew Olesky for the boys.

Both the girls and boys All-Star Games came down to the closing moments.

In the girls opener, Team Foreman defeated Team Henderson 63-58.

In the boys showdown, Team Olesky pulled off a comeback win over Team Black, after trailing by as many as 20 (31-11) in the first half.

Streetsboro’s Naomi Benson goes above the crowd for a rebound during Friday’s All-Star Game at Ravenna High School.
Paisley Nader/Portage Sports

Mogadore senior Amelia Morris was named the Most Valuable Player in the girls game. She led her team to the win with 16 points in seven rebounds.

In the boys game, Crestwood senior Dekota Johnson was named MVP. He scored 19 points to go along with eight rebounds and three steals.

BOX SCORES

2ND PORTAGE SPORTS GIRLS BASKETBALL ALL-STAR GAME

TEAM FOREMAN 63, TEAM HENDERSON 58

(At Ravenna High School)

HENDERSON (58) — Makenzi Blockinger 0 0-0 0; Hannah Ward 3 0-1 7; Sydney Abbuhl 3 0-0 7; Mandy Cardinal 1 0-0 2; Brooke Pierce 2 0-0 4; Becca Brady 2 0-0 6; Brooke Manav 1 0-0 2; Naomi Benson 8 2-4 19; Kristen Campbell 2 4-5 8; Jenna Canale 0 0-0 0; Kolby Fresch 0 0-0 0; Brielle Jones 1 0-0 3. Totals 23 6-10 58.

FOREMAN (63) — Miriyha Sandifer 3 0-0 8; Jalysia Thompson 1 0-0 2; Kelsey Bittecuffer 1 0-0 3; Julia Nash 0 0-0 0; Amelia Morris 6 2-5 16; Delilah Rahe 5 0-0 11; Ari Tompkins 4 2-2 11; Sarah Balzer 1 0-0 2; Nadia Lough 0 0-0 0; Claire VanDamme 5 0-0 10. Totals 26 4-7 63.

Mogadore’s Amelia Morris, who was named the game’s MVP, goes up for a shot in the lane.
Paisley Nader/Portage Sports

HENDERSON 25-33—58

FOREMAN 27-36—63

Three-Point Goals — Team Henderson (6): Brady 2, Ward 1, Abbuhl 1, Benson 1, Jones 1. Team Foreman (7): Sandifer 2, Morris 2, Rahe 1, Tompkins 1, Bittecuffer 1.

Total Rebounds — Team Foreman 41 (VanDamme 9), Team Henderson 33 (Benson 10).

Total Assists — Team Foreman 16 (Nash 8), Team Henderson 14 (Ward 3).

Total Steals — Team Henderson 8 (Abbuhl, Campbell 2), Team Foreman 3 (Bittecuffer, Nash, Tompkins 1).

Total Blocked Shots — Team Foreman 7 (VanDamme 3), Team Henderson 4 (Benson 2).

Total Turnovers — Team Foreman, 11-7.

2ND PORTAGE SPORTS BOYS BASKETBALL ALL-STAR GAME

TEAM OLESKY 72, TEAM BLACK 68

(At Ravenna High School)

Southeast’s Cohen Richardson goes up the court in transition.
Paisley Nader/Portage Sports

TEAM BLACK (68) — Carson Hayn 1 0-0 2; Blake Mullaly 0 0-0 0; Jaden Dennison 3 1-2 9; Cohen Richardson 7 0-0 17; Gavin Peeps 9 1-1 20; Jordon Smith 0 2-2 2; Curtis Ross 3 0-0 6; Trevor Simons 2 0-0 5; Zach Keto 2 0-0 5; Nick Stephenson 1 0-0 2. Totals 28 4-5 68.

TEAM OLESKY (72) — Charles Ivory 5 2-3 13; Dekota Johnson 7 2-4 19; Preston Gedeon 3 0-0 7; Brock Habbyshaw 4 0-0 8; Carlos Bruton 1 1-2 3; Brayden Ronowski 3 2-2 8; Aidan Hill 1 0-0 2; Johnny Trivisonno 0 0-0 0; Ben Stayer 1 1-1 3; Jack Batten 4 0-0 9. Totals 29 8-12 72.

BLACK 39-29—68

OLESKY 27-45—72

Three-Point Goals — Black (8): Richardson 3, Dennison 2, Simons 1, Keto 1, Peeps 1. Olesky (6): Johnson 3, Ivory 1, Gedeon 1, Batten 1.

Total Rebounds — Team Black 42 (Peeps 10), Team Olesky 41 (Johnson 8).

Kent Roosevelt’s Gavin Peeps is defended by Crestwood’s Dekota Johnson and Aurora’s Brock Habbyshaw.
Paisley Nader/Portage Sports

Total Assists — Team Olesky 13 (Habbyshaw 3), Team Black 12 (Mullaly 3).

Total Steals — Team Olesky 11 (Habbyshaw, Johnson 3), Team Black 9 (Mullaly, Ross, Simons 2).

Total Blocked Shots — Team Olesky 7 (Stayer 3), Team Black 3 (Peeps 2).

Total Turnovers — Team Olesky 15, Team Black 9.

THE ROSTERS

BOYS ALL-STARS

TEAM OLESKY

Brock Habbyshaw, Aurora, senior

Johnny Trivisonno, Aurora, junior

Dekota Johnson, Crestwood, senior

Field’s Ben Stayer goes up for a layup during the second half of action.
Paisley Nader/Portage Sports

Brody Durham, Crestwood (unable to attend), sophomore

Brayden Ronowski, Field, senior

Ben Stayer, Field, senior

Preston Gedeon, Garfield, senior

Aidan Hill, Garfield, senior

Charles Ivory, Streetsboro, senior

Jack Batten, Streetsboro, senior

Carlos Bruton, Windham, senior

Nick Hopper, Windham (unable to attend), senior

TEAM BLACK

Gavin Peeps, Kent Roosevelt, junior

Jaden Dennison, Kent Roosevelt, senior

Jordon Smith, Mogadore, senior

Nick Stephenson, Mogadore, senior

Curtis Ross, Ravenna, junior

Carson Hayn, Rootstown, sophomore

Blake Mullaly, Rootstown, sophomore

Zach Keto, Southeast, senior

Cohen Richardson, Southeast, sophomore

Trevor Simons, Waterloo, senior

Mogadore’s Ari Tompkins drives against Aurora’s Brooke Pierce.
Paisley Nader/Portage Sports

GIRLS ALL-STARS

TEAM HENDERSON

Brooke Pierce, Aurora, junior

Brooke Manav, Aurora, senior

Hannah Ward, Crestwood, senior

Becca Brady, Crestwood, junior

Mandy Cardinal, Garfield, junior

Kolby Fresch, Garfield, senior (unable to attend)

Kristen Campbell, Southast, senior

Jenna Canale, Southeast, sophomore (injured)

Naomi Benson, Streetsboro, senior

Sydney Abbuhl, Streetsboro, senior

Makenzi Blockinger, Windham, sophomore

Brielle Jones, Windham, sophomore

TEAM FOREMAN

Streetsboro’s Sydney Abbuhl gets into transition during the first half.
Paisley Nader/Portage Sports

Delilah Rahe, Field, senior

Sarah Balzer, Field, senior

Julia Nash, Kent Roosevelt, senior

Claire VanDamme, Kent Roosevelt, junior

Ari Tompkins, Mogadore, senior

Amelia Morris, Mogadore, senior

Miriyha Sandifer, Ravenna, junior

Jalysia Thompson, Ravenna, junior

Kelsey Bittecuffer, Rootstown, senior

Nadia Lough, Rootstown, senior (injured)

THE CHEERLEADERS

Aurora: Vanessa Zembala, Katelyn Paczak

Crestwood: Audrey Julian, Sarah Lame

Field: Gianna Barbetta, Morgan Barber

Garfield: Jocelyn Sommer, Sammie Whitlow

Garfield’s Preston Gedeon prepares to pull up for a 3-point attempt.
Paisley Nader/Portage Sports

Kent Roosevelt: Maddie Booher, Katelyn Gumm

Mogadore: Haylie Stuart, Sophia DeWitt

Ravenna: Hannah Stepic, Kaitlynne Arus

Rootstown: Anna Burke, Kayla Nicholas

Southeast: Julia Frick, Genevieve Brown

Streetsboro: Harmony Brown, Mia Perez

Waterloo: Allie Loar, Olivia Newkirk

THE THANK YOUS

Portage Sports would like to sincerely thank the following group for helping make the Portage Sports All-Star Games a success:

   • Ravenna High School and its administration, specifically athletic director Jim Lunardi and athletic secretary Megan Greene.

   • Field’s Ellen Arena, official scorebook keeper

   • Field’s Alex Black, clock operator

   • Rootstown’s Denny and Ruth Pickens, statisticians

   • Mogadore’s Jack Hugg, public address announcer

   • Mogadore’s Jennifer Hugg, National Anthem singer

   • Rootstown coach Toccara Ball and Mogadore coach Julie Popio, cheer coach coordinators

   • The Ravenna Athletics Booster Club, concessions

   • Tom and Julie Nader, ticket table

   • Kyle Nader, gym preparation setup

   • Madyson Stelzer, gym preparation set up

The Portage Sports All-Star cheerleaders complete their “Hello Cheer” prior to the start of the boys All-Star Game.
Paisley Nader/Portage Sports