ORANGE COUNTY ALL-STAR BASKETBALL GAMES : BOYS : Top Players Put on a Show in South’s 116-108 Victory

In a game filled with breakaway dunks and scoring spurts, the South used its depth and rebounding strength for a 116-108 victory over the North in the 26th Orange County All-Star boys’ basketball game Saturday at Saddleback College.

The South outscored the North, 17-4, midway through the second half to take a 93-76 lead and was never seriously threatened afterward.

Forward Thomas Clayton of Tustin completed the run with a three-point play with 7:42 remaining to give the South a 17-point lead. Clayton, who was named the game’s most valuable player, had 16 points, nine rebounds and two blocked shots. Forward John Molle of Irvine and guard Chauncey Woolridge of Santa Ana each had 21 points for the South.

Woolridge didn’t start but made four baskets in the second half and then scored on a fast-break dunk with 2:50 left to play that pushed the South ahead, 107-92.

“We were a little deeper and Chauncey threw in about five shots in a row,” said South Coach Tom McCluskey of Tustin. “I thought it was a fun game. There were some exciting plays by both teams and just about everybody played well.”

There was no doubt who was the most exciting player. Loara guard Tes Whitlock entertained the crowd with his long-range three-pointers, hitting a couple from 30 feet away. Whitlock went scoreless until the final two minutes of the first half and then scored 13 points within 90 seconds to give the North a 56-55 halftime lead.

Whitlock, who has signed with Arizona State, finished with 27 points. His most notable shot came just before halftime when he hit a three-pointer as he fell out of bounds. Whitlock was nine for 17 and hit all five of his free throws, but said he had problems getting into the flow of the game.

“It was hard developing any consistency because of all the substituting,” Whitlock said. “You’d play for five minutes, sit for 10 minutes and then play for five minutes. I had problems getting into a groove and then it when I did, it was halftime.”

McCluskey said his assistants kept telling him to double-team Whitlock, but game rules stipulate that teams must play man-to-man defense.

“The people came out here to see Tes put on a show, so I figured we’d play him straight up and see what happens,” McCluskey said. “We held him scoreless for 18 minutes, and then he caught fire.”

But it was Woolridge who had the hot hand in the second half, hitting five of eight shots for 13 of his 21 points. Clayton also had 13 points in the second half.

“We had a spurt where we didn’t rebound well and they hit everything,” said North Coach Richard Smith of Servite. “A game like this comes down to which team is shooting. But I was really pleased. All the kids gave a good effort.”

The victory climaxed a banner season for McCluskey, who won Southern Section and State titles in leading Tustin to a 30-4 record.

“This game was a little different,” McCluskey said. “I didn’t have to worry about defense. The whole idea was to have some fun, and I think everybody had a good time.”