White team fends off Red comeback in boys All-Star game

The White team built a lead as big as 22 points at one point during the second quarter Monday night’s All-Area All-Star boys game.

The Red Team, however, made a huge comeback.

The Columbus North duo of sophomore Blake Barker and junior Nick Schiavello and South Decatur sophomore Lane Lauderbaugh led a second-half charge that allowed the Red to tie the game at 79-79 with 1:09 left in the game.

The White ended up fending off the late charge by scoring the final six points to pull out an 85-79 win.

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In the five-year history of the All-Star game, which features players from The Republic All-Area teams, this was the second-closest margin of victory. The Green Team beat the Gold 96-93 in 2017.

“It was super-fun. I love my teammates. They were all in good spirits and just a great group to play with,” said Barker, who finished with a game-high 26 points. “We moved the ball around, and it wasn’t like we were trying to go one-on-one every time. We fed the hot hand whenever someone got hot. The comeback was really cool, and it was a lot of fun.”

The game was close early on with White leading 15-14 after the first quarter. In the second quarter, the White got hot from the 3-point line. Columbus East senior Drew Johnson and East sophomore Tyler Boyer were both feeling it from long distance, combining for five of the eight total 3-point baskets in the first half. The White increased its lead to 43-28 at halftime.

Schiavello was quiet in the first half, but made his presence felt in the second half. Schiavello and Lauderbaugh gave Red the 1-2 punch they needed to get the deficit into single digits in the fourth quarter.

White fended the off comeback scoring six straight points with the final two points of the game coming from The Republic Boys Basketball Player of the Year Matt Frost, who capped the game off with a dunk.

Johnson was glad to share one final moment with his Olympian teammates.

“I really wanted to come out here and have fun shooting around with all these guys,” Johnson said. “It’s great that we get to do it for a great cause.”

This year’s beneficiary was Hauser senior Erin Newcomb, who suffered a traumatic brain injury in an car accident Aug. 29 near Hauser High School.

“I loved raising money for (Newcomb),” Barker said. “Since Columbus Christian started doing this, it’s been a very great thing.”

The All-Star game brings back a lot of memories for Barker, who played the game for the third time. The first came as an eighth-grader, when he attended Columbus Christian.

“I loved playing on this court. It was so much fun,” Barker said. “I loved playing for (Columbus Christian) coach Kevin Roth. I really liked playing here, and I hope I can come back here and do it again the next couple years.”

Schiavello and Lauderbaugh finished with 22 and 13 points, respectively for the Red.

Hauser junior Jackson Paradise led the White with 18 points. Johnson added 14, and East senior Carson Whitehead and Hauser senior Will Trotter each had 10.

“It was a lot of fun and it got close, which made it even more fun,” Paradise said. “It was an incredible experience and a great atmosphere.”