Area players, coach selected for North-South game

Less than 10 miles separate Olmsted Falls, Columbia and North Ridgeville, but three players and a coach from those schools were selected to represent The Morning Journal coverage area’s girls basketball scene.

April 17, the Ohio High School Basketball Coaches Association announced the rosters for its annual Boys and Girls North-South AllStar Games, which included North Ridgeville’s Grace Kingery, Columbia’s Elise Champagne, Coach Jordan Eaton and Danielle Cameron from Olmsted Falls.

The game will take place April 26, as the girls game will tip off before the boys game at 6:30 p.m. at Olentangy Liberty High School.

Cameron and Eaton, a Division I state championship pairing, will team together on the South Team, alongside Olivia Skillings (Mechanicsburg), Emily Bratton (Bloom Carroll), Berry Wallace (Pickerington Central), Jamisyn Stinson (Sheridan), Kelsey Harlan (River), Airah Lavy (Nelsonville-York), Bree Allen (Fairland), Payton Johnson (Peebles), Kassie Ingram (Kings), Riley Smith (Kettering Alter) and Jayda Mosly (Purcell Marian). South Gallia’s Corey Small will coach alongside Eaton.

Mosley is a D-II state champion for the Cavaliers and is signed to play at Youngstown State, which is in the same recruiting class with Cameron.

Cameron won The Morning Journal’s Player of the Year award. Cameron was a D-I second-team AllOhioan who averaged 19.3 points per game.

Led by Cameron and Eaton, Olmsted Falls went 26-3 (13-1 in SWC) to win its sixth straight conference championship. The Bulldogs’ average margin of victory in the playoffs was 23.7 points per game, as they defeated Springboro, 52-45.

Kingery, the winner of Lorain County Ms. Basketball, and Champagne will be on the North Team, with Sophia Gregory (West Branch), Chelsea Johnson (Warrensville Heights), Megan Campbell (Massillon Jackson), Cori Vermilya (Loudonville), Ashley Mullet (Berlin Hiland), Hillari Baker (Carrollton), Destiny Robinson (Fremont Ross), Lauren Gerken (Liberty Benton), Brooklyn Vaugh (Toledo Central Catholic) and Cali Gregory (Crestview).

The North Team will be coached by Marysville’s Klarke Ransome and Hopewell-Loudon’s Steve Suter.

Champagne became Columbia’s third girls basketball player to be named All-Ohio four times, a historic feat that was only accomplished by Alison Schafer and Allyson Ross (three at Columbia, one at Lake Ridge).

In a season she averaged 14.5 points per game, 6.7 rebounds, 5.3 assists and 3.4 steals, Champagne was named D-III Lorain County Co-Player of the Year and Lorain County League Most Valuable Player.

Kingery received a host of accolades to eventually become Lorain County’s all-time leading scorer. She received D-I first-team All-Ohioan honors, Southwestern Conference Most Valuable Player and D-I Northeast Lakes District Co-Player of the Year.