BY CLIFF SMELLEY
Two Bradford County High School seniors and one from Keystone Heights High School got to experience basketball again this season as they played in The Prep Zone All-Star Showcase, which was held April 13 at Alachua’s Legacy Park Multipurpose Center.
The event consisted of two all-star girls teams and three boys teams. The East boys team consisted of Bradford’s Mattox Burgin and Damarion Hankerson and Keystone’s Garrison Teague.
Hankerson finished with a two-game total of 15 points, four rebounds and two steals. Teague had nine points, 15 rebounds, one block and two assists, while Burgin had six points, four rebounds, a steal and an assist.
The East team, which also consisted of, First Assembly Christian players Danny Pascuma and Ta’Bryant Wooden, Lake Weir’s Amari Kiner and Vanguard’s D’Mareon Manning and Johnardo Turner, went 0-2 against the North and West teams.
Vanguard’s Travis Licht coached the East team.
Hankerson sank a three-point basket that left his team trailing by one point with 2:55 to play in its second game, but the North team outscored the East 7-4 the rest of the way for a 67-63 win.
The North team took a quick 6-0 lead on three-pointers by Kade McCaskill of Dixie County, but Hankerson then made a long-range shot of his own to put his team on the board.
Teague corralled a loose ball and scored on a layup to put the East up 11-10. Later, with the East trailing 15-14, Hankerson made a three-pointer to put his team up by two.
It was 19-17 in favor of the East in the final seconds of the first quarter when good defense by Hankerson caused a North player to lose the ball on his way to the basket for a layup. Branford’s Wyatt Persyns came up with the loose ball and scored for the North, making it a 19-19 game entering the second quarter.
Consecutive baskets by Baker County’s Jaeveon Reed helped the North take a 26-21 lead. The North then missed two straight field-goal attempts, which were rebounded by Burgin and Teague. Another missed shot was rebounded by Teague, who threw the ball downcourt to Burgin, who scored to make it 26-23.
The East, which got three-pointers from Kiner and Manning, held a 31-28 lead when Burgin came up with a steal. He passed the ball to Teague for a layup and a five-point lead.
Burgin and Teague later swapped roles, with Burgin getting a layup off a Teague assist to send the East into halftime leading 35-30.
It was 41-40 in favor of the East in the third quarter when Hankerson stole the ball and was fouled on a drive to the basket. He made one of his free-throw attempts.
After a three-point basket by McCaskill put the North ahead 45-44, Burgin grabbed an offensive rebound and was fouled on his putback attempt. He sank both free throws to put his team back on top.
The game was tied in the fourth quarter when the North scored four consecutive points to go up 60-56. Hankerson made his third three-pointer of the game to make it 60-59 with less than three minutes to play.
Turner came up with a steal for the East, but missed a layup attempt. Baker County’s Dawson Norman grabbed the rebound for the North and dribbled the length of the court for a successful layup. McCaskill, who led all players with 27 points, then made his seventh three-pointer of the game to put the North ahead 65-59.
Four free throws by Kiner brought the East to within two points, but the team would never be able to regain the lead.
Hankerson finished with 10 points and two steals, while Burgin had six points, two rebounds, an assist and a steal. Teague had four points, nine rebounds and an assist.
The East team’s first game of the tournament was a 78-56 loss to a West team that was led by four players from Class 1A state-champion Williston.
Teague made an impact at the start. He recorded the assist on a three-pointer by Wooden and then scored on a rebound putback to put his team ahead 5-4.
Burgin and Teague each had two rebounds in the first quarter, which ended with the East leading 18-16. Manning and Wooden combined for 14 points, with 12 of those coming on three-pointers.
The second quarter began with Hankerson grabbing an offensive rebound and sinking a short jump shot.
Hankerson and Teague each had a defensive rebound before the West team finally got on the board in the second quarter with a basket by Williston’s Javon Brown. That was the start of a 19-0 run as the West outscored the East 25-5 overall in taking a 41-23 halftime lead.
Williston’s Brown, Kyler Lamb and Reggie White scored all but five of the West team’s second-quarter points.
Teague blocked a shot and scored three points in the third quarter. His drive to the basket late left his team trailing 58-40. He later grabbed an offensive rebound and was fouled on his ensuing shot attempt. He made one free throw to make it a 15-point game going into the final quarter.
Hankerson had a defensive rebound and a three-pointer early in the fourth quarter. He and Teague each finished with five points. Teague and Hankerson had six and four rebounds, respectively, with Teague adding a blocked shot and an assist.
Burgin had two rebounds.
The West team easily went 2-0. It opened tournament play with a 74-63 win over the North.
