High school basketball all-stars to clash Friday night

Elite high school basketball players from the Kansas City area will compete Friday night in the Greater Kansas City Basketball Coaches Association All-Star Showdown at Shawnee Mission South High School.

It will feature a Missouri vs. Kansas format and begins with a girls all-star game at 6 p.m., followed by a boys all-star game 15 minutes following the conclusion of the girls game. Doors open at 5 p.m.

There will be a slam-dunk contest during halftime of the boys game. Tickets will cost $10 for adults and $5 for students.

Here are the rosters for Friday night’s games, as well five things to watch in the event.

ALL-STAR ROSTERS

MISSOURI BOYS: Micah Smith, Lincoln Prep; Cartier Dean, Rockhurst; Pierce Moling, Kearney; Kirk Finley, Blue Springs; Jarred Dixon, Lee’s Summit West; Landry Shamet, Park Hill South; Drew Lock, Lee’s Summit; Tyrone Gibbs, Raytown South; Allen Hyatt, Park Hill South; Ben Harris, Raymore-Peculiar; Kevin Puryear, Blue Springs South; Jailen Gill, Raytown. Coaches: Blake Little, Lee’s Summit; Sean Pearson, Lincoln Prep; Tim Lewis, Lee’s Summit; Brandon Coleman, Lincoln Prep.

KANSAS BOYS: Brett Wright, Gardner Edgerton; James McNeal, Washington; Alston Jones, Bishop Miege; Theo Bass, Wyandotte; Anthony Bonner, Lawrence; Javion Blake, Olathe East; Louis Rollins, Shawnee Mission West; Dalton Schoen, Blue Valley Northwest; Adam Kutney, St. Thomas Aquinas; Weston Hack, Lawrence Free State; Cooper Cook, Blue Valley North; Blaise Gammon, Blue Valley West; Lucas Jones, Shawnee Mission East (unable to play due to injury). Coaches: Mike Bennett, Mill Valley; Dan Morrow, Olathe South; Alex Houlton, Mill Valley; Matt Pence, Olathe South.

MISSOURI GIRLS: Taylor Jackson, Lee’s Summit West; Aerreon Parker, Grain Valley; Dajanae Wilson, Raytown; Aliyah Lee, Blue Springs; Kyessence Collins, Raytown; Eriyonna Irvin, Lee’s Summit; Chiarra Franklin, Liberty; Cloe’ Lane, Blue Springs South; Brianna Tauai, Blue Springs; De’Jionae Calloway, Lee’s Summit West; Austin Richardson, Lee’s Summit West; Antoinette Daniels, Ruskin. Coaches: Lisa Glenn, Lawson; Jeff Hardin, Lee’s Summit West; Noah Simpson, Liberty; Randy Draper, Grain Valley.

KANSAS GIRLS: Lyndsee Johnson, Paola; Jabria Leggett, Mill Valley; Jordan Morton, Olathe South; Tatum Graves, Shawnee Mission Northwest; Taylor Westrom, Blue Valley Southwest; Megan Bonar, De Soto; Maddie Ogle, Baldwin; Tyler Johnson, Leavenworth; Madeline Homoly, Bishop Miege; Rachel Blackburn, Leavenworth; Claire Ferguson, St. Thomas Aquinas; Tiana Moala, Paola; Tashia Jones, Leavenworth (unable to play due to injury). Coaches: Stuart Ross, Paola; Bob Martin, Baldwin; Taryn Morris, Paola; Eric Toot, Baldwin.

FIVE THINGS TO WATCH

1. The Missouri boys will run

It’s no secret that all-star games can be rather friendly to the offenses, but the Missouri boys team won’t need any favors. Its roster is stacked full of players who can run the floor. And it’s led by a pair of coaches — Lee’s Summit’s Blake Little and Lincoln Prep’s Sean Pearson — whose teams liked to play at a frantic pace.

The Missouri all-stars feature a guard-heavy roster, led by Park Hill senior Landry Shamet and Lee’s Summit West senior Jarred Dixon, both of whom are Division I signees. But even its top forwards are plenty capable of contributing to the fast break, most notably Blue Springs South senior Kevin Puryear, Raytown South senior Tyrone Gibbs and Lee’s Summit senior Drew Lock.

2. Guards will spark Kansas boys

Although there are plenty of talented forwards on the Kansas boys roster, this year belongs to the guards in the Sunflower League and Eastern Kansas League. The two players of the year were Lawrence’s Anthony Bonner and Bishop Miege’s Alston Jones, who averaged 19.3 and 16.6 points per game, respectively. A few forwards to watch include Blue Valley North’s Cooper Cook and Blue Valley West’s Blaise Gammon, who will not hesitate to get physical down low.

3. Chip on Missouri girls’ shoulders?

Among the five female finalists for the DiRenna Award, only one hails from Missouri (Truman sophomore Kierra Collier), and her underclass status prevents her inclusion from Friday’s All-Star Challenge.

In other words, the Missouri girls team could have something to prove when it takes the floor Friday against Kansas. The squad is led by Lee’s Summit West senior De’Jionae Calloway and Blue Springs South senior Cloe’ Lane, two interior post players who could help Missouri gain an edge on the rebounding battle.

4. Familiarity for Kansas girls

With the attention that Leavenworth’s three Division I signees received throughout the season, it is no surprise that the three are not only all-stars, but two are DiRenna Award finalists. Tashia Jones will not play in the all-star game due to injury, but her two teammates should add some star power and chemistry to the group. The only other team with two all-stars on the Kansas girls roster is state finalist Paola, who will be represented by Lyndsee Johnson and Tiana Moala.

5. Dunk Contest

Two Kansas and two Missouri boys will compete in the slam-dunk contest during halftime of the boys game on Friday night. Park Hill’s Landry Shamet and Raytown South’s Tyrone Gibbs will represent Missouri, while Olathe East’s Javion Blake and Shawnee Mission West’s Louis Rollins will represent Kansas and the Sunflower League.

This story was originally published April 9, 2015 at 7:16 PM with the headline "High school basketball all-stars to clash Friday night."