Juniors push Indiana All-Stars in 'super cool' exhibition, but senior girls emerge with win

FORTVILLE — Riley Makalusky was on an absolute heater Wednesday night. Representing the Indiana Junior All Stars in their annual clash with the Indiana All-Stars, the Hamilton Southeastern guard had accumulated 17 points with five 3-pointers on five attempts.

So it came as no surprise when the ball wound up in her hands with 0.4 seconds remaining and her team facing a three-point deficit.

Makalusky fought through a couple defenders, clearing just enough space along the far wing to catch the inbound pass and launch her sixth 3-point attempt of the game.

"I thought it might have been short at first, but then it looked dead on and I was like, 'uh-oh,'" said Makalusky.

"I had my back to it, then I turned around and I was like, 'Yes, Riley. I'm ready for overtime,'" Noblesville junior Ashlynn Shade added as she pumped her fist.

The shot looked good, but instead of bouncing off the rim and falling through, it clanged off and out, icing an 89-86 win for the seniors at Mt. Vernon.

"She was hitting 3s all day, so it figures she would hit the game-tying one," laughed Westfield senior Alyssa Crockett (Michigan recruit). "But thanks for not making it, I guess."

More: Indiana Junior All-Stars sweep boys, girls games vs. Kentucky

With only three practices prior to their debut, Crockett said the seniors did "a lot of guessing" as they tried to figure out everyone's role, resulting in a sluggish opening half.

The juniors took advantage, building a 12-2 early in the first quarter, then extending it to 13 midway through the second. Their strong start was highlighted by an 8-for-17 mark from 3, and stellar first-half performances by Hobart's Asia Donald, Bedford North Lawrence's Karsyn Norman and Makalusky.

"I've played with almost the entire core group before," said Norman, who announced her commitment to Butler earlier in the day. "The other six, we got a feel for them... We got along really well and it was easy for us to jell that way."

"It was awesome playing with all those girls," added Crockett, who led the seniors with 14 points, seven rebounds and four assists. "It was really hard playing against them in the past, but then coming together with all our individual talents as a collective whole — it was rough at the beginning, but we figured it out and started working together. The communication and positive energy really moved us in the right direction."

The Junior All-Stars led by 10 at halftime, but their lead quickly dissipated with the seniors embarking on an eight-point run as they carved up their opponent's zone before Crockett tied the score at 58.

"It starts with the bench," Crockett said. "Everyone cheering and pumped up on the bench gets everyone on the court pumped up. It starts there and with all the communication in the locker room from the coaches and everyone else."

The seniors took a four-point lead two minutes into the fourth quarter, with a layup by North Central's Tanyuel Welch (Memphis) followed by some nifty passing between Franklin's Ashlyn Traylor (Radford) and Carmel's Kate Clarke (Michigan) on a fast-break opportunity.

The lead didn't last.

The juniors responded with a 7-2 run that featured five points from Ashlynn Shade: A go-ahead 3-pointer from the corner followed by a 2-point jumper to negate a basket by Crown Point's Jessica Carrothers (Butler).

Shade delivered back-to-back go-ahead baskets again a few minutes later. She executed a steal-and-score with 1:41 remaining (Norman assist), then offset Silver Creek's Kynidi Mason-Striverson's game-tying bucket with a 2-pointer to give the juniors an 86-84 lead.

"It's definitely a new experience, but it's such an honor to be part of this," said Shade, who finished with 14 points, six rebounds and three assists. "It's super cool, especially getting to play with players you typically play against."

With about a minute remaining and the seniors trailing by two, Indiana All-Stars coach Rod Parker, of Homestead, called a zone break he'd installed last-minute at practice earlier in the day.

Traylor sealed and called for the ball to clear a path for Crockett, who took a precision pass from Welch and drained the game-tying layup.

"Those plays definitely helped," Crockett said. "It was super exciting to run that play and to do it right."

Three free throws — two from Crockett; one from Welch — and Makalusky's near-make at the buzzer later, and the seniors escaped.

"Oh man, that was so close," Norman said. "I looked at Riley and I said, 'Dude, that was awesome. That was so good.' She was so mad, but it was a good shot."

The seniors picked up 13 points apiece from South Bend Washington's Mila Reynolds (Maryland) and Carrothers, while Terre Haute North's Zoe Stewart added 10 points and Mason-Striverson tallied nine points (three triples), four assists and three steals. Traylor also logged three steals, plus seven points.

Donald led the Junior All Stars with a game-high 20 points, while Norman finished with 11 plus four steals. South Bend Washington's RaShunda Jones dished out seven assists; Ben Davis' Cristen Carter pulled in 11 rebounds.

The Indiana All-Stars play the Kentucky All-Stars Friday in Owensboro, Ky., and at 5 p.m. Saturday at Southport Fieldhouse.

Follow Brian Haenchen on Twitter at @Brian_Haenchen.

Juniors 31 19 21 15 - 86

Seniors 21 23 26 19 - 89

Juniors – Jones 2 1-2 5, Norman 5 0-0 11, Hull 2 2-4 6, Layden 2 0-0 6, Shade 5 3-4 14, Donald 8 2-2 20, Kelham 0 0-0 0, Makalusky 6 0-0 17, Schwieterman 3 0-0 6, Carter 0 1-2 1. Totals: 33 9-14 86.

Seniors – Welch 5 1-2 11, Clarke 0 1-2 , Stewart 3 3-3 10, Crockett 5 4-4 14, Reynolds 5 2-2 13, Carrothers 4 4-4 13, Mason-Striverson 3 0-2 9, Madden 1 0-2 2, Traylor 2 3-4 7, Fox 2 0-0 5, Stoddard 2 0-0 4, Smith 0 0-0 0.

3-pointers: Juniors 11 (Makalusky 5, Layden 2, Donald 2, Norman 1, Shade 1), Seniors 7 (Mason-Striverson 3, Stewart 1, Reynolds 1, Carrothers 1, Fox 1).

This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Indiana All-Stars: Girls seniors hold off talented Junior All-Stars