Eastern Hancock’s Kenzie Koch makes a steal against Vanessa Rosswurm of Norwell during their Indiana All-Stars Futures Game.
Mike Brown | For The Daily Reporter
As part of a week’s worth of basketball action during the Indiana-Kentucky All-Star series, Hancock County’s top basketball stars were given the opportunity to show off their skills in Scottsburg, Fishers, Kokomo, Lexington, Ky., and Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis last week.
Opening with the Indiana Junior All-Stars facing the Kentucky Junior All-Stars in Scottsburg on Sunday, June 2, New Palestine’s Julius Gizzi and Greenfield-Central’s Braylon Mullins helped lead the way for a 130-103 Indiana victory.
No one had a better all-star game last week than Gizzi.
The 6-3 guard had a game-high 27 points in the win. He hit 10 of 11 field goals, including 4 of 5 from 3-point range. He also had four rebounds and two assists. Mullins had a strong performance, too. He scored 14 points on 6 of 12 shooting, including a pair of 3-pointers.
Both players did their work while playing just 20 minutes.
At Hamilton Southeastern in Fishers on Monday, the second annual Futures Games featured four Hancock County connections.
The game includes the state’s top young players that finished either their freshman or sophomore seasons this past winter. The game is for Indiana players only with the North taking on the South.
Eastern Hancock freshman Kenzie Koch played in the girls game. Mt. Vernon sophomores Luke Ertel and Julien Smith played in the boys game. All played for the South stars. New Palestine boys basketball head coach Trent Whitaker was the head coach for the North squad.
Koch was part of a 97-84 victory. She had seven points, two rebounds, three assists and two steals. She went 3 of 5 from the field with a 3-pointer.
In the boys game, the South edged Whitaker’s North squad 116-113.
Smith was the South’s second-leading scorer with 20 points. He was 7 of 11 from the field, hitting 4 of 6 from 3-point range. Ertel scored 12 points and had seven rebounds and four assists.
Gizzi and Mullins returned to action Wednesday at Kokomo in the Indiana Juniors versus Indiana Seniors game.
The Seniors won 104-96. Gizzi had 14 points, including 4 of 10 from the field and 2 of 4 from 3-point range. He was 4 of 4 at the free-throw line. Mullins scored 13 on 6 of 8 shooting. He had four rebounds, three assists and one steal.
The lone Hancock County star wrapping up their high school career was Mt. Vernon senior Ellery Minch, who’s next action will be at DePaul University in Chicago.
She played in Kokomo Wednesday, Lexington on Friday and in Indianapolis on Saturday.
The girls Indiana Senior All-Stars lost 83-80 to the Indiana Juniors on Wednesday. Minch had two points, two rebounds an assist and a steal.
She was part of an Indiana sweep over Kentucky during the weekend.
On Friday, Indiana won 90-79. On Saturday, the Hoosiers won 66-64.
Minch played around two and one-half minutes in each game. She recorded a rebound in Friday’s victory.
