ORANGE COUNTY GIRLS’ BASKETBALL ALL-STAR GAME : North Holds Off South in a Spirited Show : High schools: Brea’s Anton, who had 28 points, and Rancho Alamitos’ James, with eight assists, pace 89-84 victory.

Who said the Orange County North-South girls’ basketball all-star game is just for show?

In an intense and physical game, in which bodies were regularly hammered to the floor, the North prevailed over the South, 89-84, in front of about 1,200 Saturday at Cypress College. It was the fourth consecutive victory for the North, which now trails in the series, 8-7.

The North rallied behind the shooting of Brea-Olinda guard Jody Anton and the floor leadership of Rancho Alamitos guard Shannon James, particularly in the first half.

Anton, The Times Orange County girls’ player of the year this past season, scored a game-high 28 points in 25 minutes of play and James had a game-high eight assists and 11 points. Anton’s points were the second-highest in an all-star game. The record of 35 was scored in 1983 by Corona del Mar’s Heather Estey.

Anton was voted the game’s most valuable player.

“If there has been a better (girls’) player in Orange County in the last 10 years, when I’ve been coaching, I haven’t seen her,” North Coach Bob Becker of Rancho Alamitos said of Anton.

The North took control of the first half midway through the 20-minute period after Woodbridge forward Belinda Taub had put the South ahead, 16-15, on a layup with 12 minutes to play before the half.

Fullerton forward Sommer McLane, who finished with 14 points, scored for the North on the front end of a one-plus-one seconds later to even the score, 16-16. That started a 14-0 run by the North that ended when Newport Harbor center Maureen McLaren scored on an offensive rebound for the South at the 7:51 mark to cut the North lead to 29-18.

McLane converted two free throws just before the half to stretch the North lead, 51-42.

“We were kind of tight in the first half, but we did a lot of things right,” Becker said.

The South, however, rallied midway through the second half when it appeared as if the North was well on its way to a comfortable victory.

Trailing, 69-64, with 9:34 remaining, the South used a layup by Edison guard Melanie Iwamasa and seven consecutive points by Tustin center Christine Garner to take a 73-69 lead, their biggest of the game. Garner finished with a team-high 22 points and a game-high 11 rebounds in 27 minutes of play.

But the North stormed back with 10 consecutive points--the first six by Troy forward Dede Logemann--to reclaim the lead, 79-73. The North never trailed again.

Iwamasa was the second-leading scorer for the South with 13 points, and McLaren finished with 13 points and 10 rebounds. Logemann finished with nine points and La Habra’s 6-foot-5 center, Zrinka Kristich, had nine rebounds for the North.

Though his South team couldn’t break the North’s winning streak, Coach Pete Bonny of Marina took solace in the final score.

“We didn’t get blown out by 15 or 20 points like everyone said we would,” Bonny said.