Adam MacDonald
The Valdosta Daily Times
VALDOSTA —
VALDOSTA — The South stars shined brightly in the South Georgia All-Star Classic basketball event on Saturday night at Lowndes High.
The South, made of up South Georgia basketball players, defeated the North, made up of Middle Georgia players, 78-77 in the girls’ game. Coffee’s Trevis Simpson and Lowndes’ Robert Powell put on a show during the dunk contest. Lowndes’ Justin Mayfield helped the South prove its basketball prowess by winning the boys’ 3-point contest.
The boys’ game was not completed by press time.
The South team was made up of players from Lowndes, Valdosta, Tift County, Coffee, Clinch County, Lanier County and Open Bible. Cook, Atkinson County and Colquitt County were also represented in the boys game.
The North team consisted of players from Wilcox County, Dooly County, Crisp County, Turner County, Fitzgerald and Hawkinsville.
In the girls’ game, Valdosta senior Alisha Crawford cut to the basket, and made the game-winning layup with 10 seconds left. The North did not get a shot off in the final 10 seconds, and the South players knocked the ball away as time expired.
Tift County’s Amber McKenzie was named the MVP after scoring 13 points. Crawford also scored 13 points. Lowndes’ Kristian Darling poured in 12 points, all in the first half.
Monique Grant of Crisp County led the North with 21 points. Demetria King of Turner County scored 16 points.
In the girls’ 3-point contest, Jenna Kennedy of Wilcox County defeated Crawford by hitting 6 of 10 3-pointers in the final round. Kennedy hit 12 of 20 3-pointers in the two rounds.
Players took two shots each from both corners, both wings and the top of the key.
The boys’ 3-point contest wasn’t much of a contest. Mayfield dominated, hitting 14 of 20 3s in the two rounds. He knocked down 8 of 10 in the first round, then defeated Cook’s B.J. Henry in the finals by hitting 6 of 10. Henry hit 8 of 10 in the first round, but only made two in the finals.
The highlight of the night was the boys’ dunk contest. Simpson, Powell and Open Bible’s Victor Johnson had tremendous dunks in the opening round, but the crowd’s applause sent Simpson and Powell to the finals.
The finals were supposed to be one round, but both first-team All-Region players were so impressive that a bonus round was added. In his first dunk in the finals, Simpson jumped over two people standing — without contact — and slammed the ball in with one hand. Powell countered with a one-handed 360-degree dunk.
Powell went first in the bonus round, and threw down a two-handed reverse jam.
Simpson countered with the dunk of the night, passing the ball between his legs mid-air and jamming the ball home with one hand.
The crowd approved of both players’ dunks, but the title was awarded to Simpson.
