This post was contributed by a community member. The views expressed here are the author's own.

Sports

Lemon Makes Impact On and Off Court at All-Star Game

Hamilton graduate scored seven points as North team won the game, and raised $2,700 for MACC Fund on the charity side.

It did not take long for Hamilton's Courtney Lemon to prove her worth at the Wisconsin Basketball Coaches Association Division 1 All-Star Game on Friday at the UW-Madison Field House.

Lemon hit the game’s first shot, a 3-pointer from the top of the key. That got her North team off and running to a 59-37 victory over the South.

“I had a blast out there,” said Lemon, who will play basketball for Division II Northern Michigan in the fall.  “We had a lot of fun this week and it all led up to a great victory.”

Find out what's happening in Sussexwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Lemon also hit a layup to open scoring in the second quarter, scoring a game-high seven points in the first half.  But the opportunity to play alongside her rivals rather than against them was the most enjoyable aspect of the day for Lemon.

“(Nicolet's Alex Cohen) and I get along great as the two big girls in our conference,” Lemon said.   “We could use (that size) out there today and have fun.”

Find out what's happening in Sussexwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

The games benefitted the MACC Fund, supporting Midwest Athletes Against Childhood Cancer.

“We all had to raise over $500 for the MACC Fund,” Lemon said.  “I actually raised around $2,700, which all went toward a great cause.”

Gaby Bronson, one of three Nicolet players in the contest, was especially moved by the meaning of the event.

“It really touched me,” said Bronson, who scored six points and will play Division III basketball at University of Wisconsin-Parkside next fall.  “I love the game of basketball and today we got to play it for a great cause.”

Cohen made the biggest impact of three Nicolet stars on the court, scoring eight points and chipping in nine rebounds.

“It was a great week of playing basketball,” said Cohen, who will play basketball at Northwestern this fall.  “And it was even better to finish it with a victory.”

The third member the Nicolet group, guard Ashley Green, found her legs in the second half, hitting a pair of shots to finish with five points.

“It was a fun atmosphere out on the court with all the girls really supporting each other,” said Green, who will play Division 1 basketball at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee in the fall.  “But I also enjoyed the competitive nature of the game, having to keep an eye on everyone with so much talent out there.”

Green relished the chance to take the court one last time with her good friends.

“We all really bond well and know how each other plays,” said Green, who racked up a team-high 17 points in Nicolet’s 58-54 state championship-winning game against Middleton.  “Having us three girls together in a rotation rather than splitting us up really helped out today.”

The three Knights’ teammates made life easy on North coach Doug Follis of Fond du Lac, who utilized a cohesive unit that played effective defensively, a rarity in an All-Star game.

“Nicolet ran later than other schools with exams this week, so the (three Knights’ girls) weren’t able to join us until later in the week,” Follis said.  “But it worked out well having those kids together for some chemistry in our second group.”

The one disappointment on the day was Brookfield Centrals Valerierose Agnello of Brookfield Central.  Despite all of her fund raising work, the Lancers star was unable to suit up for the South All-Stars due to a prior injury.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

The views expressed in this post are the author's own. Want to post on Patch?

More from Sussex