South all-stars sweep North

The South boys and girls were too much for the North in the fifth annual Idaho High School All-Star Basketball games for seniors Saturday afternoon.

The South girls, taking advantage of size, opened an early lead and never relented in an 80-57 victory at North Idaho College’s Rolly Williams Court.

The talent-rich South boys followed by overwhelming the North 109-66.

Boys

The North led, but it was brief.

Coeur d’Alene’s Andrew Prohaska scored in the key to put the North up 2-0.

Then the South ran off 11 straight points and the blowout was on.

All 12 South players scored in the first half. Ben Searle of two-time 4A state champ Burley made a 3-pointer with 21 seconds left before halftime to extend the South’s lead to 55-31.

A 3-pointer by Ryan Armbruster of Sandpoint seconds later meant that the North made the first and last baskets of the first 20 minutes. It’s what the South did in between and for most of the second half that the North couldn’t counter.

As Lake City coach Jim Thacker looked at a sheet of paper with the first-half statistics, he quipped, “We’ve got them right where we want them.”

Six South players – half the team – scored in double figures. Timberline’s 6-foot-4 jumping jack B.J. Shearry, who won the slam-dunk contest, led with a game-high 17 points. He also had 10 rebounds, four dunks, four blocked shots and four steals. He was named the game’s most valuable player.

Also scoring in double figures were Searle with 13, Burley teammates Colton Moon (12) and Jordan Hosteen (10), Mitch Brunnel of Eagle (12) and Jace Balls of Madison (10). University of Mississippi-bound Will Bogan, who made 16 3-pointers in 45 seconds to win the 3-point contest, had eight points to go with four assists and two steals in 16 minutes.

“They’re athletic, they’re good, they’re big,” said Coeur d’Alene’s Nate Clinton, who overcame a 1-for-6 shooting start in the first half to finish with a team-high 12 points and six assists. Clinton was the lone North player to reach double figures.

The teams that usually win all-star games are the ones with the most talent and the ones that shoot the best. That certainly summed up the South.

The South made 41 of 90 shots, including 13 of 34 from 3-point range. The North made just 26 of 95 and 7 of 36 3-pointers.

“They had a little too much talent for us. It was more than we could handle,” Thacker said. “We didn’t have enough offense to keep up with them. We were a little bit overmatched. But it was fun for these kids. They treated us great. I want to thank all the sponsors for this event. It’s really a great event for the kids.”

For Burley coach Jack Bagley, the game was one more opportunity for him to coach three of his players off a team that won 46 straight the past two years.

“This is just icing on the cake,” Bagley said. “It was fun coaching a great South all-star team. A lot of these kids are going to go on and play at the next level. It’s a humbling experience to be able to coach these guys. There was a lot of talent out there. There are some good kids in this state and it showed today.”

The South leads the series 3-2.

Girls

It took the South just 5 minutes to open a 10-point margin.

Still, the North fought back within four points at 18-14 with 12:10 remaining in the first half.

The North was still within eyesight of the South with about 4 minutes to go in the opening half. But an 8-2 surge allowed the South to take a 38-26 lead at halftime.

In the second half, the margin never got under double digits.

Katie Sanders of Centennial led the South with a game-high 20 points and eight rebounds. She was named the MVP. Kassie Law of Borah added 16 points and eight rebounds.

“It’s not really about who wins and loses, it’s about having fun,” Sanders said. “It’s an honor to be selected for this.”

Autumn Greene of Lewiston led the North with 14 points, 10 rebounds and three steals. Jenny McVeigh of Post Falls chipped in 10 points, six rebounds, two steals and two assists.

The South leads the series 4-1.