El Camino Real’s Montana University-bound Eddie Egan’s 20 points for the boy’s City Section fueled a startling comeback victory over the Southern Section, and Serra’s Cheyenne Givens’ 18 points staved off a late rally against the City Section at the 20th annual Collision All Star Game presented by Wooter Apparel on April 14 at Harbor College in Wilmington.
The Southern Section boys led by 11 at half time, 53-42, and sustained its led until six minutes in the game when Egan and Van Nuys Division II City Player of the Year, Tyree Winburn, caught fire against at Southern Section boys squad which had seven Division I recruits, pulled even and then away for a 101-94 victory.
Winburn finished with 14 points, but it was Egan’s long-distance firepower that proved to be the difference, he connected on five three-pointers and for his efforts earned the Most Valuable Player award.
Fairfax’s Jamal Hartwell II added 15, Narbonne’s Malik Muhammad scored 13, and Crenshaw’s Kevin Ebiriekwe had 12 to lead the City scoring attack.
Culver City and University of Illinois recruit Tevian Jones led the Southern boys with 18 points, while Dominguez and Cal State Fullerton signee Wayne Arnold finished with 15, Pasadena and UNLV bound Bryce Hamilton chipped in with 12, and Cantwell Scared Heart and University of Texas El Paso commit Avery Martinez had 10 points.
Mater Dei’s Spencer Freedman, who did not play because of a hip injury, accepted the Jim Harrick Life Time Achievement Award for storied Mater Dei coach Gary McKnight, and was also honored with the Mary & Albert Lavin Scholar Athlete Award. Freedman will be attending Stanford.
The City trimmed the Southern Section lead in the series to 11-9.
Taft coach, Derrick Taylor, won his third Collision All Star Game in defeating Tom Lewis, who coached this season at Saddleback Valley Christian High School and was the 1985 CIF-SS basketball player of the year at Mater Dei High. Lewis was replacing his former coach Gary McKnight.
Prior to the boys taking the court, the dominant Southern Section girls led by nine major college recruits was cruising over their City rivals, romping to a 22-8 lead after one quarter and 39-27 at the half until the City girls came alive in the fourth quarter.
Legacy’s and California State Dominguez bound City Division II Player of the Year Arianna Harper exploded for 20 points and had the City on the fringe of a monumental upset, until Givens restored other in the final two minutes of the game.
Givens scored 13 fourth quarter points to hold off the City rivals, 86-76, to capture their 17th victory in the series. The City’s last win came in 2011.
The performance by Givens led the unsigned senior to the MVP award over such teammates as Sierra Canyon’s Ryann Payne (TCU), Serra’s Lauryn Pointer (UC Riverside), Lynwood’s Miracle Saxon (UC Davis), West Torrance’s Haley Jones (Air Force Academy), St Anthony’s Semaj Smith (Arizona) and Robet Academy’s Andrea Aquino (Oregon State) and Duarte’s Patricia Morris (Oregon State).
For the Southern Section girls Smith’s 10 points was the only other girl to finish in double figures.
Serra’s McKinsey Hadley, who led the Lady Cavaliers to the CIF State title and was selected as Cal High State Coach of the Year won his second Collision All Star Game for the Southern Section. Ronald Estrada of Legacy High School in South Gate was the City Girls coach.
Eagle Rock’s Ashley Bernal, who has a 4.3 grade point average, was honored the Mary & Albert Lavin Scholar Athlete Award.
Before the girls game, Long Beach Poly girl’s basketball coach, Carl Buggs, received the Jim Harrick Lifetime Achievement Award by former Pepperdine and UCLA coach Jim Harrick. Buggs has won six state Championships, seven Southern California Regional titles and five CIF-Southern Section Division I crowns in his 19 years at Long Beach Poly. His Poly record of 525 wins with only 95 loses is among the best for either a girls or boys coach.
