WESTON – By the end of the third annual A Shot For Life Girls Basketball All-Star Game at the Rivers School on Tuesday night, many of the state’s top players showed part of why they were selected to compete in the casual, yet still impressive showcase.
St. George’s star Aleah Bracey tallied 19 points and Rivers’ Grace O’Sullivan added 17 points to power Team White to a 102-91 win over Team Blue, despite a game-high 23 points from Kaelyn Carroll (Tabor Academy).
But the stats aren’t exactly what the all-star game celebrates.
Earlier in the year, ASFL founder and CEO Mike Slonina shared with the athletes that the organization’s whole fundraising efforts directly contributed toward a major breakthrough in brain cancer research. The results of a phase 1 clinical trial of a novel CAR-T cell therapy used in patients with recurring glioblastoma showed dramatic and rapid tumor reduction – the first effect of its kind on a glioblastoma treatment.
While the smiles and interactions during the game reflected yet another huge success for ASFL, what its athletes do off the court is much bigger.
“That (advancement is) simply the coolest thing that anybody here has ever been a part of,” Slonina said. “Those moments are the moments where you realize, ‘Oh wow, we’re really doing something here.’ We’re not playing an all-star game and then just kind of congratulating ourselves for raising money. We’re actually making an impact on real people with real families they’ll want to see next Christmas. And that’s what makes this all so cool.”
“(Slonina) actually showed video of what (the treatment) is, fighting the cancer cells, which is really, really cool,” Carroll said. “Cancer is something that ran through my family.”
Added Bracey: “It definitely shows the importance of what we’re donating for. For everyone, it’s a great cause, and we’re seeing that show up in the evidence that’s coming out of the research. I think it means a lot that we’re donating to this cause.”
Like many of the other athletes, Bracey used social media and family to help spread the word on her fundraising efforts. St. George’s teammate Molly Donovan ran a one-day clinic to help fuel hers.
Slonina stresses that the commitment of every ASFL athlete is what has led to the organization’s rapid growth and new heights seemingly every season.
“I think we are such a mix of the competitive spirit with a philanthropic heart,” he said. “Good things happen, but we don’t ever sit there and go, ‘Oh, that was awesome.’ We just want to keep driving. So, to see it continue to grow has been really awesome.”
After a slow start, Team White surged to a halftime lead and a double-digits advantage heading into the fourth quarter. Bracey and O’Sullivan starred, as did St. Andrew’s’ Molly Sisson (14 points). Dexter Southfield’s Izzy Adams, Hotchkiss’ Morgan Jenkins and Milton Academy’s Reagan Vaughan each added 10 points.
Action grew competitive as Team Blue started to press a bit and efforts ramped up. Worcester Academy’s Elyse McDonough (13 points) and Rivers’ Rissi Smith orchestrated a comeback that pulled Blue within 94-91, setting up premier contributions from Carroll, Northfield Mt. Hermon’s Breena Hannon (15 points) and St. George’s’ Payton Scurry (11 points).
“I think it’s just really fun to play free and have a good time with it,” Carroll said.
“It’s definitely fun in this game,” Bracey added. “It’s a real competitive game to be a part of.”
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