BARNEVELD — The coronavirus cancelled the Six Rivers Conference Senior All-Star Basketball Classic in 2020, but the league’s charity showcase returned to the court with a vengeance at Barneveld High School on Friday, July 9, 2021.

The West girls used a record-setting performance to shoot down the East All-Stars, 85-70, to open the night, while the East boys got a buzzer-beater from Monticello’s Peter Gustafson to edge the West, 74-74, in the finale.

The West girls’ and East boys’ each improved to 11-4 all-time series record over their counterparts during the 15-year history of the event. It is the sixth year in a row the two leagues have split the victories.

In the seventh annual 3-point shooting contest, the West foursome sank a record 79 treys to rally past the East 237-195 and take a 4-3 lead in the all-time series. 

For the 15th year in a row, the true winner of the night was American Family Children’s Hospital in Madison, which will receive a generous donation of nearly $1,650 on behalf the Six Rivers Conference from the proceeds of the gate and concession sales. In the history of the All-Star event, the Six Rivers Conference has donated nearly $22,000 to the Children’s Hospital.

“We had a great night with two very competitive games, some impressive shooting and scoring performances, a buzzer-beating layup to end the boys contest, and an impressive amount raised from admissions. After not being able to have the event last year, it was great to see the players and coaches competing and having fun together,” said Black Hawk girls’ basketball coach and event organizer Michael Flanagan. 

“We would like to acknowledge RBS Activewear for donating shirts for the players and coaches, the coaches for taking the time to work with the athletes, the Barneveld district for hosting the games, Jon Satterlee for broadcasting and announcing courtside. Most importantly, we want to thank everyone who came out and donated in the form of a free-will admission. It is fans in the stands that make the games exciting and enable us to make a meaningful contribution to a great cause.”

Girls’ All-Star Game

West 85, East 70

Potosi/Cassville guard Logan Hubbard sank four of her team’s eight 3-pointers and led three players in double figures with a team-high 29 points to lead the West to a record-setting 85-70 victory over the East All-Stars at the 15th annual Six Rivers Classic.

The West set the record for points in a girls’ game in All-Star history with their 85-point performance — besting the 73 points scored by the West in the 2012 game, and they also poured in a record 45 points in the second half — topping the 40 scored by the 2012 West team and the 2006 East team — to pull away from the East. The two teams also combined for the highest scoring total (155) in All-Star history, breaking the mark of 134 scored in the 2007 game.

Black Hawk’s Ms. Basketball and the Six Rivers East Player of the Year Bailey Butler — who shattered the single-game scoring record with 38 points in Friday’s contest — scored seven straight points to spark a 13-4 run to thrust the East out to an early 18-9 lead.

The West came storming back with a 25-10 run of their own to turn a nine-point deficit into a 34-28 advantage. Hubbard sank two 3s and scored 10 points during the run, while Shullsburg’s Layla Alt — the SRW Player of the Year — chipped in with seven points.

The West held a 40-36 lead at the intermission after shooting 13-of-19 from the foul line in the first half. The East went just 5-of-8 from the line, but outshot the West, 5-3, from beyond the arc to keep things close. Butler finished the first half with 22 points — topping the previous single-game scoring record of 21 held by Albany’s Amy Golz (2008) and Potosi’s Tiffany Langmeier (2013). Hubbard netted 19 in the first half to lead the West.

The teams traded the lead six times in the second half until 3s by Hubbard and her Potosi/Cassville teammate Lilly Post during an 8-0 run by the West ahead to stay at 63-56 midway through the second half.

A trey by Butler brought the East back within a point at 65-64 with six minutes remaining, but Alt (six points, 4-of-4 FTs) and Post (four points) teamed up to put the West ahead 75-67. Hubbard and Shullsburg’s Madison Russell sank 3s and West went 4-of-6 from the foul line down the stretch to pull away for an 85-70 decision.

Hubbard led the way for the West with 29 points, followed by Alt with 19 and Post with 16. Potosi/Cassville’s Anna Kartman netted nine points and Russell added eight in the win.

The West finished the night hitting 25 of their 34 free throw attempts.

Butler poured in a game-high 38 points for the East. Warrior teammates Kaylee Marty, Macie Stauffacher and Makayla Mau combined to score 24 of the team’s remaining 32 points. Marty and Stauffacher each scored nine points, while Mau tallied six. The four Warriors sank all 11 of the team’s 3-pointers with six by Butler, three by Stauffacher and two by Mau.

Shullsburg head coach Nathan Russell improved to 5-0 all-time in the Classic after combining with Belmont Kaleen McGettigan (1-0) to lead the West to victory. 

Coach Michael Flanagan, who recently announced his resignation as head coach at Black Hawk after 15 seasons guiding the Warriors, slipped to 2-5 in his All-Star Game coaching appearances. He was joined in coaching duties by Albany’s Derik Doescher.

Boys’ All-Star Game

East 74, West 72

Monticello’s Peter Gustafson — the 2020-21 Six Rivers East Player of Year — tear-dropped in a layup right before the buzzer sounded to lift the East to a 74-72 come-from-behind victory over the West All-Stars to capped Friday’s festivities.

The East trailed by seven points with under two minutes remaining in regulation. The West missed the front-end of two bonus free throw situations and turned the ball over twice down the stretch to open the door for the East rally and East All-Stars busted right through it by scoring the game’s final nine points to win the event for the 11th time in 15 seasons.

Early on it looked like the East were going to cruise to victory after they jumped out to an 11-2 lead on a pair of baskets by Gustafson and 3-pointers by Argyle’s Clay Ritschard and Black Hawk’s Clayton Stietz.

However, the West came storming back with an 18-3 scoring run that pushed them into a 20-14 lead. Shullsburg’s Brandon Hoppman — the Six Rivers West Player of the Year — pumped in seven points during the West rally.

The lead swapped hands four more times in the first half with the West taking a slim 39-38 advantage into the halftime break, and the game remained tight throughout the second half as the lead see-sawed between the two squads six times in the opening minutes.

Treys by Benton’s Dominick Cummins, Shullsburg’s Chandler Kelly and River Ridge’s Ethan Hunt and an old-fashioned three-point play by Shullsburg’s Brendan Kudronowicz put the West in front 72-65 with two minutes to play.

The East answered back with a basket by Stietz, a free throw by Gustafson, a steal and layup by the Ponies’ Owen Ace and a putback by the Warriors’ Thatcher Schliem to tie the game at 72 all with 25 seconds to go.

The West was on the foul line with nine ticks remaining, but missed their bonus opportunity. The East rebounded the miss and got the ball into the hands of Gustafson, who did the rest scoring a last-season, game-winning layup for the last of his team-high 21 points.

Stietz chipped in with 13 points for the East, while Schliem and Ace added 10 points apiece in the win. Argyle’s Connor Carius scored eight points and Oriole teammate Ritschard added five.

Hoppman led all scorers with 22 points. Cummins dropped in four 3s en route to a 17-point effort, while Kelly reached double figures with 10 points. Kudronowicz tallied seven and Hunt added six for the West.  

Friday’s boys’ game was the fifth in 15 seasons decided by two points or less, and the third that was won on a last-second shot. The West won the 2019 All-Star Game on a basket with 10 seconds remaining. 

Monticello head coach Mark Olson improved to 2-0 in All-Star game appearances, while River Ridge’s Tom Neises (0-1) fell is his All-Star debut.

3-Point Shoot-Out

West 237, East 195

Benton’s Dominick Cummins sank 25 3-pointers during his two-minute turn to rally the West to a 237-195 victory over the East in the seventh annual Six Rivers Conference Senior All-Star Basketball Classic 3-Point Shooting Contest.

Cummins teamed with Potosi/Cassville’s Logan Hubbard and Lilly Post and Shullsburg’s Brandon Hoppman to hit a Classic record 79 treys and 237 points. The two teams combined for record 432 points, shattering the previous record of 351 set in 2018.

The East held a 54-51 lead after round one with Black Hawk’s Macie Stauffacher hitting 18 treys to Post’s 17. Black Hawk’s Bailey Butler added to the East leading by sinking 23 shots to Hubbard’s 18 to make the score 123-105 following the girls’ turn.

Monticello’s Peter Gustafson and Hoppman each sank 19 3s in round three to keep the East in front by 18 heading into the final round, but Cummins got off to a hot start for the West and did not cool off as he buried 25 treys to five by Argyle’s Clay Ritschard to rally the West to victory. 

The West also took the lead in the all-time series at 4-3.