Gray Rallies City to Wild Win : Cleveland High Guard Outshines an All-Star Cast With 25 Points

Michael Gray scored 25 points to lead the City Section to a 136-121 victory over the Southern Section in the inaugural Greater San Fernando Valley all-star basketball game Friday night before 800 at Cal State Northridge.

The City team overcame a 10-point first-quarter deficit, outscoring the Southern Section, 38-23, in the second quarter to take a lead it never relinquished.

The Southern Section girls’ team beat the City, 71-66, as Thousand Oaks’ Lina Mascarenas, Barbara Tanner and Cindy Wiley combined for 30 points and 23 rebounds.

The boys’ City team looked like it had already won the game during pregame warmups. While the Southern Section practiced layups off the backboard glass, the City team slammed jam after thunderous jam, seemingly in preparation for the halftime slam dunk contest.

But while the City may have been ready for halftime, the Southern Section was ready for the game. The Southern Section jumped out to a 28-17 lead midway through the 12-minute first quarter behind accurate shooting from its starting five (8 of 11 on field-goal attempts), including three three-point shots.

But the City rallied in the second quarter behind Gray, a 6-0 guard from Cleveland, and San Fernando’s Tory Stephens. Gray scored 12 points, including two three-point shot, and Stephens added eight points.

Leading, 65-60, at halftime, the City started the second half on a 6-3 run, then saw the Southern Section climb back to within one point, 87-86.

Cleveland’s Richard Branham made a basket and Stephens hit back-to-back shots to put the City ahead for good, however.

Mascarenas and Antelope Valley’s Joelle Longobardi tied for game-high honors with 21 points to lead the girls’ Southern Section team.

Mascarenas, a 6-foot senior guard, scored nine points in the fourth quarter as the Southern Section outscored the City, 28-14.

“We saw the trophies,” Mascarenas said. “The coach said, ‘Do you want those?’ ”

The Southern Section did, although the team had to overcome a 52-43 third-quarter deficit to get them. The three Lancers combined for 16 points and 8 rebounds in the decisive fourth quarter.