Seniors shine in 40th annual Northeast Kansas High School Basketball All-Star Games

(HIGHLAND, KS) - The 40th annual Northeast Kansas High School Basketball All-Star Games were held at Highland Community College on Sunday.

In the girls game, the Gold Team (coached by Hiawatha's Stacey Jasper) defeated the Navy Team (coached by Doniphan West's Perry Smith), by a final of 66-46.

Rossville's Rylee Dick led all scorers with 18 points on Team Gold, Atchison's Kaiya Downing had 4 points and Maur Hill's Kaitlyn Folsom had 3 points.

For Team Navy, Troy's Harper Whetstine finished with 7 points, Troy's Alyson Grable had 3 points, Riverside's Niahla Duncan had 4 points and Doniphan West's Emmy Jo Whetstine and Isabelle Smith both had 3 points.

"I'm very blessed to be selected. My coach told me a couple of months back that if I want this is something I want to do and I was like, definitely, so I'm just glad that I got to be a part of this opportunity," said Downing.

It was also the last time the seniors represented their high schools on the floor.

"I'm very proud to have done what I have done and this experience has just been great," said Harper Whetstine. "I loved all my teammates and my coaches throughout the years, and they've all just made me a better player overall."

For the boys all star game, it was a tight back-and-forth contest in the second half, but it was Team Navy (coached by Hiawatha's Brady Jasper) that edged out a 79-78 victory over Team Gold.

Jefferson County North's Isaac Laird led Team Navy with 15 points. Atchison's Yogi Purdy finished with 10 points and Riverside's Ty'Zell Harrington had 3 for Team Navy.

For Team Gold, Troy's Henry Geiger finished with a double-double, 15 points and 11 rebounds. His Troy teammate, Hunter Engemann had 7 points. Doniphan West's Dustin Veach and Kolter Peterson had 6 and 4 points respectively.

"It was an honor, you know, my brother played here in this game, so just to keep the legacy going of the Purdy family is an honor," said Yogi Purdy. "It's pretty humbling to play with these guys, we all are talented in our own way, so it's an honor."

"Just building that bond with my brothers for 4 years on the court. We never won state, we got close to winning the league, but at the end of the day, that's not what matters, just being with your friends, having a good time and having fun," said Henry Geiger.