It might be a high school event, but it is run with a professional attitude.  The fourth edition of the 33-team event honoring the memory of Dr. Martin Luther King and benefiting the Perry Reese Memorial Scholarship Fund was a rousing slam dunk.

I have attended similar events across the country - Los Angeles, Chicago, North Carolina, New Jersey, Columbus - and nothing compares to the Classic.  From the talent on display to the game-day operations to the hospitality of the people at Hiland High and Berlin, Ohio, the Classic in the Country Challenge is just what its name implies, a classic.

Worthwhile:

Stow, Green and Wadsworth all benefited from their experience. Stow got excellent play out of guards Liana Jennings, Cate Cianchetti and Emilee Ritchie and post player Alyssa Wagers in a 65-57 win over Little Miami.

Green junior Amanda Rose had nine points, six rebounds, four assists and six steals in a 49-44 victory over Fort Recovery, and top-ranked Wadsworth gutted out a win over host and two-time reigning Division IV state champ Hiland.

"We needed to play against a good team in a hostile environment," said Wadsworth coach Andy Booth, a former teammate of Hiland coach Dave Schlabach at Malone College.  "We got what we wanted."

Bonanza:

Holmes County Chamber of Commerce Director Shasta Mast estimated the event had a profound economic impact.  "I haven't seen all the numbers yet, but based on last year and the number of people who attended this year, I can say the Classic produced around $1.5 million worth of revenue," she said.

Hunger pangs:

With about 19,000 fans attending the three-day event, concessioners did a booming business.  They sold approximately 1,200 hot dogs, 620 slices of Swiss cheese, 108 rings of trail bologna, 250 pounds of popcorn, 440 jumbo chocolate-chip cookies, 18 roasters of chicken and noodles, 400 ice-cream cups, 88 pounds of hamburger and 240 pounds of chicken used to make sandwiches.

Hands-on:

The team from Fort Recovery took advantage of the cultural opportunities offered by the event.  The team ate dinner at an Amish home on Saturday after touring a farm, a buggy-maker and a broom-maker.

Baby Steps:

The husband-wife tandem of Michelle and Wayne Blizzard, from Somerset, Ohio, near Zanesville, officiated Green's win over Fort Recovery.  Michelle Blizzard, a real-estate agent, is 23 weeks pregnant.