Orange County Boys’ All-Star Basketball Game : North Has Fun but Also a Win, 95-90 : Brea-Olinda’s Walker Leads 2nd-Half Rally and Is Named MVP

Saturday night’s Orange County high school boys’ all-star game was designed for a wide-open brand of basketball, conducive to players who like to run-and-gun and have loads of fun.

Played before an estimated 2,000 fans at Orange Coast College’s Peterson Gymnasium, the game featured a 30-second shot clock and a three-point field goal, and the teams were only allowed to play man-to-man defense.

No zones. No stalls. Just pure basketball.

But in the end, winning was the name of the game. That’s what happens when you get a group of the county’s best and certainly most competitive players together on the same court.

The game was extremely physical, with bodies banging under the basket and players diving across the floor. The South team, coached by Greg Coombs of Santa Ana, used a full-court press after every basket.

Everyone played in the first half, but both North Coach Ray Rodriguez of Valencia High and Coombs kept their best players in the game during the final six minutes, when the score was close.

They seemed more interested in winning time than having a good time.

Thanks to Brea-Olinda’s Kevin Walker, Mater Dei’s Stuart Thomas and Orange’s David Roth, the North team got that winning feeling, defeating the South, 95-90, after trailing for most of the game.

Walker, a 6-foot 10-inch center headed for UCLA on a basketball scholarship, scored 26 points and grabbed 12 rebounds to earn honors as the game’s most valuable player.

He scored eight straight points midway through the second half to bring the North back from an eight-point deficit to a 72-72 tie with 8:34 remaining.

Roth, who will attend Chapman College next fall, and Thomas, who is headed for Stanford, took over in the final minutes, combining for the North’s final 14 points. Thomas scored four baskets from inside and made two free throws, and Roth made a follow shot and a tip-in.

The South, which led by as many as 12 points in the first half and was in total control until the North began to take advantage of its height advantage inside, received an outstanding individual performance from Saddleback’s Bryant Walton, who scored a game-high 27 points, had seven rebounds and four steals, and electrified the audience with two slam-dunks.

“You always go out to win, mostly because of your pride,” Walker said. “I had been looking forward to this game all year.”

Added Rodriguez: “For these guys, playing intense is fun. I told them to have a good time, but it’s a lot more fun winning. “

It appeared the South was on its way to an upset, thanks to its tenacious defense and excellent outside shooting. The South shot 51% from the floor (41 of 81) behind Walton, forwards Tim Knowles of Mission Viejo (12 points) and Alonzo Jamison of Santa Valley (10), and guards Nathan Call of Capistrano Valley (10) and Jeff Fryer of Corona del Mar (9).

But 6-9 forwards Thomas and Katella’s Bob Erbst began exerting themselves more in the second half, and the smaller South team couldn’t hold its lead. Thomas finished with 17 points and Erbst added 10.

The North also benefited from its accuracy at the free-throw line, where it made 30 of 35 shots. Roth finished with 13 points, and the North team also received solid performances from Western forward Troy Joseph (11 points) and Valencia guard Kevin Jones (8 points).

NORTH (95)--Snow 5, Joseph 11, Peabody 5, Jones 8, Roth 13, Erbst 10, Walker 26, Thomas 17.

SOUTH (90)--Call 10, Johnson 6, Fryer 9, Ammann 3, Turner 1, Walton 27, Knowles 12, Trask 4, Jamison 10, Naess 8.

Halftime--South, 46-40