Locals find out they fit in with all-stars

HUNTINGTON BEACH ? The style of play in the boys’ and girls’ Orange County high school all-star basketball games was as diametric as it was ideal for Newport-Mesa representatives Haywood Wright and Scott Knox.

Wright, a 6-foot-1 post from Sage Hill School, appeared comfortably cast in the defensive struggle won by her South squad, 45-44, at Ocean View High.

Conversely, the breakneck pace of the boys’ game ? a 134-130 overtime win for the North ? seemed to suit Knox, a 6-2 sharpshooter from Costa Mesa High.

Wright, the two-time Daily Pilot Newport-Mesa Player of the Year bound for Yale, started for the South, which rallied from a 20-16 halftime deficit in the lowest-scoring contest in the game’s 27-year history. She had four points, on making two of six field-goal attempts. But she also collected five rebounds, two blocked shots and three pass deflections, including one in the final seconds that sealed the victory.

Knox, who helped the Mustangs earn a league title for the second time in school history as a senior, netted all three of his three-point attempts in the second quarter to account for his nine points.

The Cal State Hayward-bound standout, who earned first-team All-CIF Southern Section laurels in his fourth varsity season, added three rebounds and finished three of six from the field.

Wright, who consistently elevated her game when playing against opponents as tall or taller ? a rare occasion for the Academy League-based Lightning ? welcomed the challenge of competing against the North, which featured five players at least 6-0.

“It was fun,” Wright said. “[The North] had a lot of big girls who were very talented.”

Wright said the physical, aggressive defensive pressure put on by both teams, suited her just fine.

“I love defense, so this was great,” she said.

On the key sequence at the finish, Wright found herself on the left wing, out by the three-point line, trying to defend 6-1 Troy High standout Rheya Neabors, who was facing the basket with time running down. Wright, her arms spread and raised to pose as big a defensive obstacle as she could, smothered Neabors, who appeared to be attempting a pass, rather than a shot, as the clock approached 0:00. Whether it was a pass or a shot, Wright got a hand on it, deflecting its path as the buzzer sounded to end the game.

The boys’ game appeared as if it would never end, as the two teams pushed the pace relentlessly throughout.

It was 74-74 at halftime and 123-123 after four regulation 12-minute periods. A three-minute overtime ensued and the North used four points from Jason Toney (El Dorado) and three from Stanford-bound Landry Fields (the CIF Southern Section Division I Player of the Year from Los Alamitos High) to earn the victory.

Fields, who had 13 of his team-high 17 points in the opening half, shared North Most Valuable Player laurels with Toney, who had nine of his 14 points after intermission.

The South produced no fewer than three MVPs, as Danny Campbell (Mater Dei), Brad Sweezy (Ocean View) and David Foster (El Toro) were all recognized.

Campbell finished with a game-high 23 points. He had 18 of those by halftime, after connecting on all six of his field-goal tries, including five three-pointers. Campbell hit a three-pointer with 1:21 left in regulation to tie the score at 121-121.

Sweezy, who set the tone for the uptempo extravaganza by dunking an alley-oop pass for the game’s first basket just 23 seconds into the contest, had 16 points. He is bound for Loyola Marymount University.

Foster, a 7-2 center bound for the University of Utah, amassed 15 rebounds and four blocks to go with his eight points.

Villa Park’s Lauren Sahli (10 points and nine rebounds) and Foothill’s Lauren Bagley (13 points and nine boards) were named South and North MVPs, respectively, in the girls’ game.

The girls’ game also featured three players who plan to play next season at Orange Coast College.

Katie Kissee (Villa Park) had two points and four rebounds, while fellow future Pirates Brittany Taylor (Santa Margarita) and Rachael Maulit (Marina) contributed four and three rebounds, respectively for the South.

dpt-allstar30.IMG0GraphicInfoAI1QFU3R20060430AI1QFU3RNo Captiondpt-allstar30.IMGGraphicInfoAI1QFU3P20060430AI1QFU3PNo Captiondpt.30-as-hoops-3-CPhotoInfoER1QFTQ420060430iyipikncMARK DUSTIN / DAILY PILOT(LA)Costa Mesa’s Scott Knox shoots a jumper during pregame warmups. dpt.30-as-hoops-1-CPhotoInfoER1QFTIH20060430iyipfwncMARK DUSTIN / DAILY PILOT(LA)Sage Hill’s Haywood Wright, right, grabs a rebound in Saturday’s game.