ORANGE COUNTY ALL-STAR BASKETBALL : Parity Winds Up Winning the Boys’ Game : North Takes a 122-108 Victory; South’s Johnson Voted the Top Player

Expanded rosters, longer quarters and a new boundary were supposed to enliven the 24th Orange County All-Star basketball game, but when it over was, it was difficult selecting the game’s most valuable player.

In a game of parity in which only a few of the participants shined, the North defeated the South, 122-108, Sunday night in front of 2,001 in UC Irvine’s Bren Center.

The North took control early in the third quarter when guard Dylan Rigdon made six consecutive free throws for a 74-63 lead. The victory trimmed the South’s series lead to 13-11.

Many of the fans were heading for the exits at the end of the third quarter with the North leading, 83-70. Rigdon, who will continue his career at UC Irvine in the fall, scored 10 points in the third quarter.

The South stayed close in the first half by making 51% of its field goal attempts despite 23 turnovers. The South led after one quarter, 23-20, when guard Kenny Cross stole a pass and scored on a driving layin with five seconds remaining.

Cross, virtually an unknown commodity from Southern California Christian, was the most athletic player in the game. He scored 17 points and missed only two shots.

South forward Khari Johnson was named the game’s most valuable player after scoring a game-high 25 points. North center Tim Tillman of Savanna and forward Malru Dottin of Saddleback also received strong consideration for the award.

Tillman, who plans to play football this fall at Fullerton College, was a force inside. The 240-pound center scored 16 points, had seven rebounds and missed only two shot attempts. Dottin led the North with 18 points, including eight points in the pivotal third quarter.

“The game opened up in the third quarter and that was to our advantage,” said Pat Quinn, the North’s coach. “They threw the ball away four or five times to start the third quarter and that was the ballgame.”

South Coach Steve Keith of Irvine used his patented passing game that had produced 203 victories in 12 seasons at Glendale and Irvine high schools, but the offense sputtered with 40 turnovers.

“Where we thought we had trouble, we had trouble,” Keith said. “Our ballhandling was poor and our perimeter shooting wasn’t very good. We were wondering who would take advantage of the matchups, and it was pretty clear the North won that one.”

The South’s starting guards--Bryan Allred of Irvine and Bill Mazurie of Capistrano Valley--were a combined 8 of 27 from the field with nine turnovers. Not exactly all-star performances.

Johnson, who will attend UC Irvine in the fall, was 8 of 13 from the field and 9 of 13 from the free-throw line. He was also the game’s leading rebounder with 12.

“I was just pleased to be here,” Johnson said. “The MVP trophy is something extra. I thought I got to show a little more versatility in this game. It was a lot of fun.”

Every player in the North lineup scored, including Sunny Hills forward Marcus Hopkins, who limped onto the court late in the game; he recently had arthroscopic surgery on his knee.

North 122, South 108

NORTH--Marshall 16, Dottin 18, Pettengill 13, Weaver 6, Zamora 4, Morris 4, Curtis 3, Bach 2, Thompson 6, Campbell 2, Ferguson 2, Rigdon 13, Frohn 13, Hopkins 2, Tillman 16.

SOUTH--Johnson 25, Cross 17, Poulos 2, Pietsch 7, Luke 2, Mazurie 16, Allred 4, Spratt 4, Molle 8, Chamberlain 13, Mumaw 8, Lloyd 2.

North 20 28 35 39 -- 122 South 23 23 24 38 -- 108