DUBOIS – The White Team used second-half runs of 15-3, 10-0 and 17-2 to pull away for an 87-62 win in the eighth annual Alice R. Kozel Foundation District 9 Girls All-Star game presented by Quaker Steak & Lube in State College Saturday at Penn State-DuBois.
White, which was led by game MVP Tiffany Corle of Union, led 37-33 at halftime before starting the second half on the 15-3 run to take a 52-36 lead 4:43 into the half.
Blue cut the deficit to nine points – 56-47 – with 11:57 to play before White answered with the 10-0 run. Blue had one last run left, closing the gap to 10 points, 70-60, with 4:15 left. But White ended the game on the 17-2 spurt.
Corle, who earlier in the day was named the D9Sports.com All-American Awards & Engraving District 9 Girls Basketball Player of the Year, showed why by lighting the scoreboard for 20 points on 9 of 13 shooting while collecting seven rebounds, dishing out five assists, blocking a shot and coming up with six steals. The 20 points are the fifth most scored in Kozel Game history, while here nine made shots are the second most and her six steals tie her for the most in game history.
Corle’s Kozel teammate Carlie Cook of Brookville joined her with six steals, also tying the record.
Redbank Valley’s Jena Gruver chipped in with 12 points, while Coudersport’s Hope Morris had 13 points, and Elk County Catholic’s Andie Beveridge 12 points. Curwensville\’s Jackie White had two points, six rebounds, two assists and two blocked shots.
Bradford’ Whitney Cline paced the Blue squad with 14 points and 10 rebounds while also blocking three shots. She shot 7 of nine from the field. Clearfield’s Elizabeth Sopic chipped in with 12 points on 5 of 9 shooting while getting three steals and one rebound and blocking one shot. Union’s Janele Divins had 11 points. Curwensville\’s Dani Struble had four points, three rebounds, one assist and two steals.
Points off turnovers played a role with Blue turning the ball over 36 times leading to 47 points for White. White had 23 turnovers but they led to just 15 points for Blue.
NOTES – Corle and Cook are now tied with Coudersport’s Stefanie Erway, Elk County Catholic’s Lindsay Meholic and DuBois Central Catholic’s Ruthann Williamson for the Kozel record in steals … Sara Eddy of Bradford is the all-time leading game scorer, netting 23 points in the game’s first year (2000), while Punxsutawney’s Staci Heberling had a record 10 field goals in 2005 … The 25-point margin was the second most lopsided game in Kozel game history. In 2004, Blue beat White by 30 (70-40).
BLUE – 62
Dani Struble, Curwensville 2-5 0-2 4, Jenna Johnston, Clarion-Limestone 0-7 0-0 0, Cherian Burkhardt, Rocky Grove 2-5 0-0 6, Elizabeth Sopic, Clearfield 5-9, 2-2 12, Kylynn Smith, Clarion 1-5 1-4 4, Missy Aul, St. Marys 1-7 2-2 4, Samantha Reitz, Punxsutawney 0-4 0-0 0, Whitney Cline, Bradford 7-9 0-0 14, Paige Elkin 2-10 2-2 7, Janele Divins 4-9 1-2 11. Totals 24-70 9-14 62.
WHITE – 87
Tiffany Corle, Union 9-13 0-0 20, Carlie Cook, Brookville 3-5 0-0 9, Andie Beveridge 4-8 2-2 12, Lauren Martino, Punxsutawney 2-5 2-4 6, Hope Morris, Coudersport 6-13 0-0 13, Heather Stewart, Clarion-Limestone 3-14 1-2 9, Jena Gruver, Redbank Valley 5-10 2-5 12, Haley Callihan, Karns City 1-4 0-0 2, Nicole Siffrinn 1-6 0-0 2, Jackie White, Curwensville 1-6 0-0 2. Totals 35-84 7-13 87.
3-pointers – Blue 5-20 (Struble 0-1, Johnston 0-1, Burkhardt 2-4, Smith 0-1, Reitz 0-4, Elkin 1-6, Divins 2-3). White 10-26 (Corle 2-6, Cook 3-4, Beveridge 2-5, Martino 0-1, Morris 1-4, Stewart 2-5, White 0-1).
HALFTIME SCORE – White 37, Blue 33.
REBOUNDS: Blue 53 (Struble 3, Johnston 9, Burkhardt 2, Sopic 2, Smith 5, Aul 7, Reitz 1, Cline 10, Elkin 1, Divins 6, Team 7). White 49 (Corle 7, Cook 5, Beveridge 4, Martino 4, Morris 2, Stewart 2, Gruver 7, Callihan 3, Siffrinn 7, White 6, Team 2).
ASSISTS: Blue 16 (Struble 1, Johnston 1, Burkhardt 4, Reitz 5, Cline 1, Elkin 2, Divins 2). White 20 (Corle 5, Cook 2, Beveridge 4, Martino 4, Morris 1, Gruver 1, Callihan 1, White 2).
BLOCKS: Blue 4 (Sopic 1, Cline 3). WHITE 5 (Corle 1, Stewart 1, Callihan 1, White 2).
STEALS: Blue 16 (Struble 2, Johnston 1, Sopic 3, Smith 1, Aul 1, Reitz 1, Cline 1, Elkin 1, Divins 5). White 27 (Corle 6, Cook 6, Beveridge 3, Martino 4, Morris 1, Stewart 3, Gruver 2, Callihan 1, Siffrinn 1).
