West Takes Boys Basketball All-Star Game

by Seneca Contomanolis
scontomanolis@digitalsports.com

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HAMPTON --- For Jared King it just came down to doing what he has always done.

King hit two clutch fouls shots with 20 seconds left in the game as the West came back to defeat the East 92-90 in the Virginia High School Coaches Association boys basketball all-star game on Tuesday.

“I was just confident,” Pulaski’s King said. “I shot about 85 percent throughout my whole high school career so it was just another free throw.”

Nick Barbour (George Washington) was named the West’s Most Valuable Player after scoring 19 of his 24 points in the second half at the Hampton Coliseum.

Barbour hit five three pointers, including three in a fourth quarter in which he scored 12 points.

William Weaver Jr. of Bethel scored nine points and was selected as the East’s MVP.

After being up by as many as 13 points in the second quarter, the West trailed 83-73 with 4:50 remaining in the contest.

But the West rallied behind Barbour and a dunk by Josh McGill (Basset) brought them to within one point with a minute left.

The East ran the clock down on their possession but turned the ball over with 20 seconds remaining.

King was fouled before the West could even throw the ball in and he sunk his two free throws to give the West a 91-90 lead, their first since the third quarter.

After the East turned the ball back over to the West, Barbour was fouled and made one of two foul shots to give the West a two-point cushion with six seconds left.

The East had a good look at a trey at the buzzer but the desperation shot came up short.

The West closed the game on a 19-7 run.

“They really played well,” Prince George’s Andre Williamson said. “I wanted to win, but it was close. We should have taken better advantage but they won, they played well.

The East played well, too, but mostly in a third quarter in which they outscored the West 30-19.

Darius Conley (Warwick) led the East with 17 points while Williamson and Nicholas Wright (Nansemond River) each had 10.

Luke Hancock (Hidden Valley) scored 17 points for the West, Tennis Simon (George Wythe) had 13 and Michael McGeough (G.W. Danville) added 12.

King, headed to the University of Virginia to play baseball, was happy just to be a part of the all-star game.

“It’s great,” King said. “There are a lot of good kids out here, a lot of kids going to some major Division I schools. This really caps off my high school basketball career.”

East   20 22 30 18 – 90
West  24 23 19 26 – 92
East: Crew 2, Brown 8, Johnson 8, Rhoads 4, Jones 13, Weaver 9, Rassoull 9, Williamson 10, Conley 17, Wright 19. Totals: 38 11-16 90. 3-point goals: Brown 2, Jones.
West: King 7, Ware 6, Barbour 24, Simon 13, McGill 5, McGeough 12, English 8, Puller 0, Hancock 17. Totals: 24 14-20 92. 3-point goals: Barbour 5, Hancock 3, Fisher, Simon.