All-Stars Put On Pretty Good Show

For players, basketball all-star games are all about showing your skills and showing off for the fans. So all in all, the first Double Pump Classic was a pretty good show Saturday night at Cal State Dominguez Hills.

Acrobatic dunks, no-look passes, and creative ball-handling highlighted the game as the North team defeated the South, 128-121, in front of announced crowd of 4,600.

Center Jason Collins of North Hollywood Harvard-Westlake led the North with 29 points and 14 rebounds. Collins also was named most valuable player. Guard Billy Knight of Westchester led all scorers with 35 points, making 13 of 20 shots from the field, including six of nine three-pointers.

Orange County and Mater Dei, in particular, was well represented in the game. Mater Dei guard Kevin Augustine, center Mike Vukovich, and forward Tom Lippold played for the South. Former Mater Dei standout forward Schea Cotton, now at Bellflower St. John Bosco, also played for the South and Monarch Coach Gary McKnight coached the team.

Cotton scored 17 points, Augustine had 11 points and five assists, Lippold had two points and three rebounds, and Vukovich had two points and a rebound. Woodbridge forward Brandon Beeson played for the North, scoring 21 points and getting seven rebounds.

“We all know each other and we’ve grown up together,” Augustine said. “So this is a great way to go out, for all the guys to play together for one last time. Now, we all have bigger challenges to move on to down the road.”

Cotton did not play this season because of a left shoulder injury. He said this game was very important to him.

“I was real excited,” Cotton said. “I was kind of anxious in the first half, words can’t really describe it, but I settled down in the second half and got my rhythm.”

In the girls’ game, the South defeated the North, 107-60. Ocean View’s Jennifer Tuiolosega--The Times county player of year--had 12 points and two assists for the North. Woodbridge’s Krissy Duperron had one point.