CRESTVIEW HILLS – Terry Taylor took over plenty of games during his four years at Bowling Green, so he didn’t mind stepping aside while Kentucky’s best player seized control to earn Kentucky’s group of all-stars the victory in a postseason showcase.

Taveion Hollingsworth, a Western Kentucky signee and the newest Mr. Kentucky Basketball, scored 10 of his 19 points in the fourth quarter to help the Kentucky All-Stars defeat Ohio 94-90 Saturday night in the 26th Ohio-Kentucky All-Star Basketball Game at Thomas More College. Hollingsworth was named the Kentucky MVP.

“He won Mr. Basketball for a reason,” Taylor said. “He’s a really great player. When he took over, we were going to clear out and let him do him. He took over and that’s what won us that game. If he didn’t take over, we might’ve been in a really big dogfight with them.”

Taylor, along with Russellville’s Pedro Bradshaw and Franklin-Simpson’s Tavin Lovan, joined Hollingsworth and 11 more of Kentucky’s best players in the all-star showcase against 15 prep stars from Ohio.

Ohio cut the game to within four points in the fourth quarter before Hollingsworth took over. The 6-foot-3 Dunbar senior shot 7-of-14 from the field and was 3-for-4 on free throws to help Kentucky close out the win.

“I had to get in my Dunbar mode and start taking over like I usually do,” Hollingsworth said. “That’s what my instinct told me to do, so I did it.”

Hollingsworth added four rebounds and two assists to his final stat line. Taylor had seven points, nine rebounds and a pair of assists while Bradshaw added eight points, four rebounds, two steals and an assist.

Hollingsworth played in his first game since being named Mr. Kentucky Basketball and was named the 2016-17 Gatorade Boys’ Basketball Player of the Year from Kentucky on March 20. Saturday’s all-star event was the first in what will be a busy spring for the guard. He’ll play in the Derby Festival Basketball Classic next weekend in Louisville and the Kentucky-Indiana All-Star Game in June.

Hollingsworth averaged 28.3 points and 6.8 rebounds this year and became the all-time leading scorer in Lexington boys’ basketball history with 2,495 points.

Lovan came off the bench for four points in the third quarter. The three representatives of Region 4, who already share close relationships off the court, said they enjoyed their time this week practicing with the best in the state.

Players arrived Thursday and had four practices before Saturday’s game.

“Besides the basketball part of it, it’s been a lot of fun just hanging out with the guys,” Bradshaw said. “Those three especially, we’re practically like brothers. We’re all from the same area. We’re all really, really close. Terry was actually my roommate, so we’ve been bugging the heck out of each other the past few days.”

Taylor, Bradshaw and Hollingsworth joined North Laurel’s Peyton Broughton and Lawrence County’s Tim Dalton in the starting lineup for Kentucky. Taylor scored the first bucket on a tip-in and had two rebounds in the first five minutes.

The three each logged 10 minutes in the first half. Hollingsworth led that trio with seven points at the half and Terry Taylor had four points and six rebounds. Bradshaw had six points in the first quarter and a pair of rebounds.

It took until the second half for Lovan to finally show his skills. He missed two free throws and his only field goal attempt in the first half. He had his first points on a layup two minutes into the third quarter, then threw down a tomahawk slam a few possessions later that brought the crowd to its feet.

“It’s a great feeling,” Lovan said. “I’m just blessed to be here and play against a good Ohio team with a bunch of good athletes on that team as well.”

Taylor is coming off an illustrious career at Bowling Green capped by the Purples’ first state championship last month. Taylor was named the KHSAA Boys’ Sweet Sixteen Most Valuable Player after finishing the tournament with 82 points and 40 rebounds. He had 16 points and 10 rebounds in the Purples’ 67-56 win over Cooper.

Taylor signed with Austin Peay State University in November, but told the Daily News he hasn’t spoken yet with newly hired head coach Matt Figger, who replaces Dave Loos after 27 years at the helm.

Figger previously served as Frank Martin’s recruiting coordinator and assistant coach at Kansas State and through South Carolina’s recent run through this year’s Final Four.

“I’m just waiting for him to call me and see what he has planned for me and if he wants me to stay and whatnot,” Taylor said. “I’m just waiting on that call and when I get that call, I’ll know where my future is at, whether it’s at Austin Peay or somewhere else.”

Lovan said there still isn’t a decision on where he’ll play at the next level. Lovan averaged 26.3 points and 9.4 rebounds on his way to earning Franklin-Simpson’s all-time scoring record.

“Just stay tuned,” Lovan said. “Be on the lookout for me to see where I go.”

Bradshaw, who had six of his eight points come in the first quarter, signed with Belmont University last summer and became Russellville’s all-time leader in points and rebounds this season. The 6-foot-6 forward averaged 22.5 points and 13.3 rebounds for the Panthers, who finished runner-up to Bowling Green in the Region 4 Final.

Bradshaw’s future Belmont teammate Nick Muszynski of St. Charles (Ohio) scored five points.

“It was really physical, and the game had a lot of trash talking going on and everything that made it fun,” Bradshaw said. “Guys came out hard to play and that doesn’t usually happen in the all-star game. That made it fun.”

In the Girls’ All-Star game, Greenwood’s Rose Mary Jackson finished with three points in 10 minutes in Kentucky’s 82-73 come-from-behind victory over Ohio. Jackson joined the second platoon in the first quarter for the Kentucky girls’ team. She made her first shot on a 15-foot elbow jumper, but her second shot attempt in traffic was blocked at the buzzer as Kentucky led 19-17 going into the second quarter. She re-entered in the third quarter at the five-minute mark and split two free throws in the last minute.

Jackson started four years at Greenwood and scored a program-best 1,896 points. The 5-foot-9 guard averaged 18.8 points this season and earned second-team All-Region 4 honors. Jackson signed a letter of intent on March 30 to play at Lindsey Wilson College.

Metcalfe County’s MacKenzie Coleman, a Tennessee Tech signee, had three points.{&end}