PITTSBURG — Five of the area’s top basketball players from last season had the opportunity to play in the Southeast Kansas All-Star Game on Friday night in Pittsburg.
Iola’s Sydney Wade and Humboldt’s Makaylah McCall helped get the festivities started in the girls’ game.
Wade and McCall’s team won the game 88-68 while McCall had 10 points and Wade finished with nine.
“It was a whole new level to play with all these girls,” McCall said. “It was fun and none of us took it too seriously… It was nice to end on a win.”
This wraps up McCall’s basketball career as she will simply be a student next year at Pittsburg State University as she pursues a nursing degree.
Wade also participated in the three-point contest and hit six threes.
“It was really cool because this is the best of the best from the area,” Wade said. “It is fun to play with these girls.”
In the nightcap, Iola‘s Isaiah Fawson and Yates Center’s Mikey Bruner joined forces to take on a team led by Humboldt’s Rayce Hoepker.
Hoepker’s squad won a 117-98 game over Fawson and Bruner’s squad. Hoepker finished with 18 points while Fawson had nine and Bruner scored two.
“It was fun to just get out here and goof around a little bit,” Fawson said. “I haven’t played or practiced in a while so I was a little rusty.”
Hoepker and Fawson also exchanged late threes from the logo in John Lance Arena after the game developed into a relaxed game featuring plenty of dunks and deep threes.
“It was a lot of fun,” Bruner said. “It was great to see people slam it and hit half-court shots.”
Hopeker took second in the three-point contest with eight and Fawson had six.
“We didn’t have to worry about running offense or anything, we just had fun,” Hoepker said. “My team kept telling me to pull up so I finally decided to pull up at the end and it went in.”
Bruner is heading to Kansas State University next year and Fawson is undecided. Hoepker hopes to make a decision on where he will play next year soon.
Area stars show skills in SEK All-Star Game
