WOOSTER — Some of the top young talent in Ohio was in Wooster Friday competing in the Buckeye State Battleground event with Pickaway County’s players taking second.
Seventeen counties were represented in this event where players compete on teams with other local players instead of their school or AAU teams.
Brian McAllister, head coach at New Hope Christian Academy, guided the local kids through the tournament that featured incoming sophomores, juniors and seniors.
“I knew we had some talented girls here, but I had no idea how tough some of them are,” McAllister said. “We were down 10 points against two different teams and the girls just came together and gutted out the wins. If was a fun day coming together and representing our home county.”
Pickaway County’s squad included Morgan Blakeman and Gabby McConnell (Circleville), Maren McAllister and Jenna Tripp (New Hope), Alyssa Horsley, Jenna Horsley and Gabrielle Watkins (Teays Valley) and Gabby Patete (Westfall).
The Pickaway squad went 2-1 in pool play beating Knox County 58-37, falling 50-41 to Richland and beating Ashland 56-39.
The 2-1 record in pool play gave them the top seed out of their pool heading into single-elimination bracket play where they beat teams from Clermont and Fairfield counties before falling to Washington County in the title game.
