Jack Blair Memorial girls basketball all-star rosters set
Central Valley post Hailey Christopher (4) and Lewis and Clark wing Jacinta Buckley (10) compete for a rebound during the first half of a GSL high school basketball game, Fri., Jan. 29, 2016, at Lewis and Clark High School. (Colin Mulvany / The Spokesman-Review)Buy a print of this photo
The 25th annual Region vs. Metro Jack Blair Memorial girls basketball game is scheduled for May 30 at Central Valley and boasts a pair of robust rosters filled with college-bound seniors and exciting underclassmen.
The Metro All-Stars features the entire starting lineup from Central Valley’s 4A state championship team, along with recently retired coach Freddie Rehkow, who will assist Lewis and Clark head coach Gabe Medrano.
Any team which showcases Lexie and Lacie Hull must be respected.
The twins, headed to Stanford in the fall, paced the Bears to a win in a national invitation tournament after winning the 5A state title.
Lexie is a two-time Gatorade state player of the year and three-time first team all-state, while Lacie was Seattle Times co-player of the year with Lexie and the 2018 state championship game MVP.
The pair are joined by teammates first-team all-GSL forward Hailey Christopher (Idaho) and juniors Camryn Skaife (two-time honorable mention all-GSL) and 2016-17 second-team all-GSL guard Mady Simmelink.
But the Metro team is not just the “Central Valley all-stars.”
Joining the Bears players are second-team 4A all-state tournament and second-team all-GSL forward Claire Dingus (St. Martins), first-team all-GSL guard Ellie Boni (so.) and second-team all-GSL forward Kinsley Barrington (so.) from University, first-team all-GSL forward Jacinta Buckley (jr.) and second-team all-GSL forward Dominique Arquette (jr.) from Lewis and Clark, two-time second-team all-GSL forward Quincey McDeid (jr.) from North Central, two-time first-team all-GSL guard Aspyn Adams (jr.) from Mt. Spokane and second-team all-GSL guard Mia Scelfo (sr.) from Gonzaga Prep.
The Region team is just as loaded with all-stars.
Leading the Region all-star team is Gonzaga commit and Idaho 5A player of the year Melody Kempton from Post Falls’ 2018 5A state championship team. Kempton was Idaho’s Gatorade player of the year and is a four-time 5A Inland Empire League MVP.
She is joined by teammates three-time all-IEL5A and 2017-18 all-state guard Bayley Brennan (Seattle Pacific) and first-team IEL5A forward Tyler McCliment-Call (so.) and IEL5A coach of the year Marc Allert.
Also on the Region team is three-time 4A all-state and two-time 4A all-Inland Empire League MVP forward Grace Kirscher from Sandpoint, who is committed to Eastern Washington, and 1AD2 North Star League co-MVP Bella Murekatete (jr.) of Genesis Prep.
Washington players on the region team include first-team all-Great Northern League guard Hailey Marlow (so.) from West Valley, first-team 1A all-state guard Jayda Noble (so.) from Medical Lake, two-time all-Northeast 2B guard Maisie Burnham (so.) from Liberty, three-time Northeast A MVP forward Sienna Swannack (Carroll College) from Lakeside, two-time all-league and Great Northern League MVP center Genesis Wilkinson (jr.) from East Valley and first-team all-IEL5A center Keara Simpson (North Idaho).
The tournament is named after longtime Central Valley girls basketball coach and Lewis and Clark Athletic Coordinator Jack Blair, who died in 1994 as a result of a cerebral hemorrhage.