UK signee Jenkins scores 31 as Kentucky Girls’ All-Stars split series with Indiana
A night after losing a heartbreaker on a layup in the final seconds in Owensboro, the Kentucky Girls’ All-Stars delivered a resounding victory for the second year in a row over the Indiana All-Stars in Indianapolis to complete the annual Kentucky-Indiana All-Star Classic series.
Amiya Jenkins, 2022’s Miss Basketball out of Anderson County and a University of Kentucky signee, scored 31 points and distributed eight assists while Bullitt East standout and Bellarmine signee Gracie Merkle tossed in 29 points and grabbed a game-high 14 rebounds in the Kentucky All-Stars’ 101-78 win Saturday over Indiana at Southport High School in Indianapolis.
The victory avenged Friday’s 67-66 loss to the Indiana All-Stars at the Owensboro Sportscenter. Michigan signee Alyssa Crockett scored on a layup with two seconds left in that game for the win after the Kentucky All-Stars rallied from a 62-54 deficit with just over two minutes left to take a 66-65 lead with under 15 seconds to go in the game.
The Kentucky All-Stars avoided the same fate Saturday by outscoring Indiana 27-14 in the final period. East Tennessee State-bound Jaileyah Cotton out of Bardstown added 12 points, eight assists and eight rebounds. Sacred Heart’s Josie Gilvin (Western Kentucky) threw in 11 points with seven boards.
In Friday’s game, Jenkins led the way with 16 points, Merkle added 14 points and 12 rebounds and Gilvin rounded out the players in double figures with 14, as well.
Crockett led Indiana with 22 points Saturday, followed by Tanyuel Welch’s (Memphis) 11. Welch led three players in double figures Friday with 13 points. Jessica Carrothers (Butler) and Ashlyn Traylor (Radford) each had 12.
Saturday’s 101 points tied for the most by a team in the series. Jenkins’ 31 points also set a record, as did the team’s 26 assists Saturday. Merkle tied the series mark with five blocks in one game and broke the two-game blocks record with nine.
This year’s split brought Kentucky’s record against Indiana in the girls’ series to 40 wins against 52 losses.
Kentucky Boys’ All-Stars swept
For the third set of games in a row, the Kentucky’s Boys All-Stars team were swept by their Indiana counterparts in the annual series.
The Kentucky team fell 104-77 at the Owensboro Sportscenter on Friday and took a 101-81 defeat on Saturday at Southport High School in Indianapolis.
Caldwell County’s Jabrion Spikes (Georgetown College) led Kentucky with 22 points on Saturday while Covington Catholic’s Mitchell Rylee (Miami, Ohio) chipped in 13 points and 12 boards. Rylee led the way on Friday with 24 points while Ballard’s Kennedy “Keno” Hayden (uncommitted) contributed 17.
On Friday, CJ Gunn (Indiana) led seven players scoring in double figures for the Indiana All-Stars with 20 points. Ryan Conwell (South Florida) scored 18, Travis Grayson (uncommitted) had 12, while Peter Suder (Bellarmine) and Javen Buchanan (Indiana Wesleyan) each had 11 and Jaxon Edwards (uncommitted) and Branden Northern (Saint Francis) each chipped in 10. On Saturday, Gunn had a team-high 21 points, Conwell scored 19, Buchanan 13 and Suder 11.
Indiana improved its record in the boys’ series to 103-44.
