Seniors shine at Mullan All-Star Game
St. Maries' Wyatt Holmes attempts a windmill-style dunk during the District I All-Star Game's slam dunk competition. Holmes beat out five other dunkers on his way to winning the competition.
Joshua McDonald
MULLAN –– The top senior talents from North Idaho were on display Friday night at the District I All-Star Game at the Mullan Athletic Pavilion.
The girls game opened the evening and immediately the ladies from the Silver Valley made an impact. The West Team, who won 64-51, featured players from Kellogg, Wallace, and Mullan – including Wallace’s Britany Phillips, who poured in 22 points and took home the game’s MVP award.
Phillips and her local teammates combined for 44 of the team’s points.
Coeur d’Alene’s Logan Orchard led the charge for the boys West Team, scoring 19 points and handing out numerous assists on his way to the game’s MVP award and a 78-67 win.
Phillips and Orchard won their respective 3-point contests, but Orchard was able to knock off his female counterpart in their head-to-head matchup to claim the overall championship.
St. Maries’ Wyatt Holmes, won the slam dunk competition.
Mullan School District Athletic Director Stetson Spooner loves the annual exhibition game because it gives so much to the athletes, the community, and the sports fans who like to ask those hypothetical questions.
Whether it’s, how well could the standout players from Lakeside do against the NAIA-bound Orchard? Or, how Phillips, who played at 1A Wallace, would her game translate against the bigger schools? People get a taste of what those answers might be during the fun exhibition.
“Brittany Phillips was outstanding and as a small school AD/Coach, I really enjoy seeing that interaction with the 2A-5A players,” Spooner said. “The talent that was showcased was really special and it's always fun for those top-tier talents to mix it up with other athletes they don't see two, three, or even four times during league play and district tourneys.”
Over the years, the folks in Mullan have gotten accustomed to seeing the panhandle’s top seniors make their way to one of the more remote schools in the area, but this year there were a few differences that Spooner noted and wanted to highlight.
“The 5A Boys from Coeur d’Alene and Lake City along with the young ladies from North Idaho Christian stood out with their sportsmanship, appreciation, and attitudes,” Spooner said. “That's not to say the other athletes were different necessarily, that group mentioned just seemed to really go out of their way to thank people around them and play ball with a smile.”
The annual all-star event, which has been canceled twice in the past four years, is a major fund generator for Mullan Athletics – and once again the event delivered.
“The funds used for anything that provides opportunities for our student-athletes,” Spooner said. “We take kids to college games or help with camp costs and uniforms, buy awards for banquets and pay officials – it's all used somewhere and somehow to celebrate our student-athletes.”
BOYS
West 16 16 24 22 — 78
East 17 8 27 15 — 67
WEST — Wyatt Holmes (St. Maries) 8, Logan Orchard (Coeur d’Alene) 19, Stephen Petit (Mullan) 5, Reed Whatcott (Kellogg), 7, Max Entzi (Coeur d’Alene) 8, Kenton Ferguson (Lakeland) 12, Ben Ryan (Lakeland) 2, Kofi Appiah (Mullan) 0, Seth Swallows (St. Maries) 9, Alex Cleveland (Wallace) 6.
EAST — Brutis SiJohn (Lakeside), 10, Chase Sanroman (Clark Fork) 3, Blaze Callahan (Lakeside) 3, Neil McCarthy (Post Falls) 6, Cole Sanroman (Clark Fork) 7, Liam Hendrickx (Lakeside), 20, Jacob Yetter (Timberlake) 2, Braydn Arrieta (Lake City) 2, Ethan Howard (Clark Fork) 12, Simon Hodges (Kootenai) 2.
GIRLS
West 21 14 9 15 — 64
East 12 13 12 14 — 51
WEST — Macy Jerome (Kellogg) 9, Danika Kelly (North Idaho Christian) 9, Emily Coe (Kellogg) 7, Alex Karst (Kellogg) 2, Britany Phillips (Wallace) 22, Sami Sindt (St. Maries) 0, Tayla Janssen (St. Maries) 0, Symone Pilgrim (North Idaho Christian) 6, Autumn Charvez (Mullan) 0, Tia Hendrick (Wallace) 4, Kurtsten McKellips (Timberlake) 7.
EAST — Pavin Coleman (Priest River) 0, Martina Rivera (Lakeside) 4, Sam Pound (Priest River) 0, Markynn Pluid (Bonners Ferry) 0, Marley Burgess-Duquette (Priest River) 0, Lily Richardson (Sandpoint) 5, Brooklynn Brennan (Post Falls) 19, Katie Yount (Genesis Prep) 0, Helena White (Priest River) 0, Karlie Banks (Sandpoint) 7, Destiny Lowley (Lakeside) 0.