By Staff
UP IN THE AIR Brandon Griffin (41) makes a jump shot for the South team at the MACJC All Star game at Choctaw Central Thursday night. Griffin represents Southwest Community College. Photo by Carisa McCain/The Meridian Star
By Marty Stamper / EMG sports assistant
April 5, 2002
PHILADELPHIA East Central's Nikki LaCour scored a game-high 20 points to lead the South women to a 97-70 victory over the North in the 25th-annual Mississippi Association of Community and Junior Colleges All-Star Women's Basketball Game Thursday at Choctaw Central High School.
In the men's game, the North scored 76 second-half points in turning a 56-52 halftime deficit into a 128-123 victory. Holmes' B.J. Townsend took MVP honors after scoring 20 of his 22 points in the second half.
South women 97
North 70
LaCour became the second straight player from East Central to receive MVP honors for the women's game as Anna Udicova, now at USM, started the trend last year.
The South jumped out to a 19-12 lead in the game's first five minutes only to have the North rally for a brief 21-20 lead on a three-point play by Monica Lee of Holmes with 11:12 to go in the first half.
The South responded with an 8-0 run and carried a 51-40 lead into halftime behind 11 points from LaCour, eight from Mindy Livaudais of Copiah-Lincoln, and six each from ECCC's Lori Cumberland and Co-Lin's Christy Brown. The South was 23-of-30 at the free-throw line in the first half.
The South steadily pulled away in the second half, taking a 90-61 lead on a basket by LaCour with 3:12 left.
Having the Co-Lin girls on his side was a pleasant experience for South coach Mark Swindle, whose Southwest Lady Bears were 1-3 against the Lady Wolves this season, losing to Co-Lin in both the state and region tournament finals.
In addition to LaCour's 20 points, which included an 8-of-8 showing at the free-throw line, the South also got 12 points from Brown, 10 each from Livaudais and Dee Flennory of Pearl River, nine from Southwest's Traci Forrest, eight each from Natasha Booth of Southwest and Wanda Farmer of Gulf Coast, seven from Southwest's Collette White, and six from Cumberland, who was 6-of-7 at the charity stripe. Jones' Brittany Sumrall and Demesha Chambers both had two points.
Lee led the North with 10 points. Chassidy Jackson of Northwest scored nine, Susan Spencer of Northeast had eight, Casper Bobo of Itawamba tossed in seven, and Donna Franklin of East Mississippi and Schneka Harris of Coahoma both had six.
North men 128
South 123
The North hit 18 3-pointers in its five-point win. Twelve of the treys came in the second half. Townsend, a 6-foot-3 guard, hit four 3s.
The South took a 56-52 lead into halftime behind 14 points from Gulf Coast's Marquez Moultrie and nine from Wesley Haynes of Southwest.
The North used its long-range barrage in the second half to take the win.
The North also got 22 points from Northwest's Jason Rogan, 16 from Northwest's Khamari Ballard, 15 from Holmes' Greg Tucker, 12 from Itawamba's Trent Vaughn, 10 from Northwest's Andre Amos, and seven each from East Mississippi's Dennis Dupree and Itawamba's Prince Thompson.
Haynes led the South with 21 points. Moultrie finished with 19, Edward Mack of Hinds had 17, East Central's James Denson scored 16, Southwest's Brandon Griffin had 13, and Co-Lin's B.J. Black and Pearl River's Wand Steward had 12 each. Nick Paige of Jones had two points, while Chris Keyes of Jones and Winfred Craig of ECCC did not score.