I really did not know what to expect.
Quite often when you assemble a number of young, talented athletes in the off season for an all-star game, they tend to mail it in with a lackluster effort. Not this group.
It was obvious that many of them meant business and would use this event to once again showcase their respective talents.
When it was all said and done, it was talent mixed with fun and, most importantly, sportsmanship, and that is all you can ask for.
The County Girls squad wasted little time in showing dominance against their opponents from the City and cruised easily to a convincing 121-55 romp. Decatur Central’s Anna Munn led a scoring parade with 34 points and was joined by Lawrence Central’s Consuelo Owens and Pike’s Danielle Pulliam, who added 18 points a piece. The City squad was led by Northwest’s Lashawna Payne, who scored 13 points on a day when the County Girls were both impressive and, obviously, dominant.
The Boys contest would be a different story as the City Boys squad would win a high scoring affair against their counterparts from the county, as they rolled to a 117-111 victory.
While Marcell Reynolds of Broad Ripple would lead all scorers with 22, it was Northwest’s Darryl Walker who would take home game MVP honors after posting an impressive double-double, with 15 points and 10 rebounds. The County Boys team was led by Brad Elam of Ben Davis, who had 19 points.
Notes: Chrishawn Hopkins of Manual put on a high altitude show in winning the Indianapolis Recorder Slam Dunk Contest.
Amir Blackshear of Perry Meridian High School took the boys three-point shooting competition. Decatur Central’s Anna Dunn completed her banner day by capturing the girls three-point shooting event.
My sincere thanks to Ericka Austin for providing statistics to me. Nice job, as I know you were busy all day long.
Hats off to Arsenal Technical High School for being a great host. Hard to walk into that gymnasium and not reflect on the wealth of talent that has played there over the years.
I think Coach Frank Kendrick will return his alma mater to greatness before you know it. Tech basketball is part of the fabric of our community, so let’s show them our support.
Danny Bridges, who feels there is still more than enough basketball talent right here in Indianapolis to supply the Indiana University, Purdue, and Butler programs with quality players, can be reached at (317) 578-1780 or at Bridgeshd@aol.com.
