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All-Star Game History
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The 17th annual Alabama-Mississippi All-Star Basketball Games March 23 will be played for the fifth time at Pelham Civic Complex. The doubleheader found a new home in 2003. The AHSAA and the Mississippi Association of Coaches, event co-sponsors since the its inception in 1991, worked out an agreement in January, 2003, with the City of Pelham and the Shelby County Commission to stage the all-star contests in March each year, beginning in 2003. The first 12 doubleheaders in the series were played the first week in June on a rotating basis between Florence and a site in Mississippi. After the 2002 game, the AHSAA Central Board of Control voted to discontinue the game until a new host site/sponsor showed an interest. Mayor Bobby Hayes of Pelham; Alex Dudchock, Shelby County manager; and Chris Hershey, Shelby County event planner, came up with the agreement to host the showcase doubleheader for graduated senior all-stars. This same group also hosts the AHSAA state volleyball and wrestling tournaments. Lynne Petro serves as event coordinator.
Although Mississippi
won both 2003 games, Alabama teams have had the upper hand in the series since 1997 by winning 12 of the last 19 games.
The Mississippi boys, snapping a two-game losing streak, won in 2006 to tie the series at 8-8.
The Mississipi girls, victorious the last two years, also evened their series at 8-all
with their win in 2006. The 35 points by Mississippi's Evette Porter in the 1994 girls game was the highest scoring performance in the event's history. Just as the overall series totals would indicate, there have been some tight battles. One more than half of the games have been decided by 10 points or less. The closest game in the boys' series was the 2004 Alabama win in an 87-86 thriller. Mississippi owns a pair of two point wins--a 73-71 victory in 1992 and the 82-80 win in 2003. Alabama won the closest girls' game, an 80-77 victory in 1995 when LaToya Webster's 18 points led a balanced scoring attack.
The
game has also produced memorable high-scoring moments. Alabama's
114-point total in 2004 was the highest single game output by a girls
team. The winning boys' teams have scored more than 100 points in five
of the 15 games. There were 234 points scored in the 1994 game, a 123-111
win by the Mississippi boys. 2002 (At Mississippi College, Clinton) GIRLS: Alabama 76, Mississippi
71 Chantrius Stone, a six-foot
center from Class 1A Woodland, was the surprise star as Alabama won its
second straight in the series and fifth in the last six games. She grabbed
a series record 21 rebounds and scored 11 points to earn MVP honors.
Mississippi stormed back from a 16-point deficit in the second half to
within two, 70-68, with a minute to play, but Alabama held on.
Livingston's Shani Jones, who had five thee-pointers, finished with 17
points for Alabama. Mississippi MVP Tosha Christmas of Provine had 22
points and 14 rebounds. BOYS: Mississippi 98, Alabama
67 Mississippi took command in the opening half with
some good three-point shooting and never looked back in a runaway win
before 2,150 fans. It marked their second straight victory and tied the
series at six wins each. Edrick Montgomery, a 6-7 forward who signed with
Jackson State, had 22 points and eight rebounds to earn MVP honors for the
winners. Daron Ray of LeFlore was Alabama's MVP with 12 points.
GIRLS: Alabama 87, Mississippi
76 The Alabama girls got clutch
performances from Lineville's Pam Garrett and Thompson's Monique Bivins to
get the win. The 6-2 Garrett, an Eastern Kentucky signee, was 7-of-7 from
the field and finished with 18 points to earn MVP honors. Bivins, an
Alabama signee, added 15 points. BOYS: Mississippi 87, Alabama
83: Solomon
Forbes scored a game-high 23 points as Mississippi overcame Alabama in a
wild finish. The win snapped a four-game losing streak for Mississippi.
Woodlawn's Stanley Vasser and Bob Jones' Thomas Viglianco each had 13
points. Alabama MVP Duane Erwin of Lee-Huntsville added 10 points and 11
rebounds.
GIRLS: Mississippi 87, Alabama
82: Mississippi played the odds by
going inside to strong 6-foot-2 Georgia signee Ebony Felder of Murrah. She
finished with 18 points to earn MVP honors as the hosts evened the girls
series at 5-5. Tiffany Presley of Fairfield, an Auburn walk-on, had 17
points and Sulligent's Lindsay Boyett, a Birmingham-Southern signee, had
11. For Alabama, the star may have been the smallest player. Tiffany
"Little Tiff" Frederick of Fairfield had 14 points as point guard.
Alabama switched out guards Antoine Pettway, Tavares Childs and Johnny Mitchell to keep the pressure on Mississippi. That opened the door for 6-5 shooting guard Asa Woods of Dora, who earned MVP honors with 19 points. Provine's 6-8 Justin Reed kept it close with 26 points and 13 rebounds. Pettway, a Wilcox-Central guard and Alabama signee, sealed the game going 6-of-6 at the foul line late.
GIRLS: Alabama 95, Mississippi
85: The star-studded Alabama team
struggled early against a fiesty Mississippi team. Alabama came in with
six Division I-A signees on its 12-girl roster. University of Tennessee
signees Gwen Jackson and Tasheika Morris combined for 50 points. Jackson,
a 6-3 forward from Eufaula, earned MVP honors with 26 points, 10 rebounds,
10 steals and 10 blocked shots in what has been the best performance ever
in the classic by an Alabama player. Morris, from Butler, added 24 points.
LaToya Thomas, a Mississippi State signee, sparked Mississippi with 18
points. Austin
6-foot-4 forward Okechi Egbe was an unlikely hero, earning MVP honors by
sinking 7-of-10 shots from the field to finish with 16 points. The
Tennessee-Martin signee outshined 6-10 Marvin Stone of Grissom and 6-9
Erwin Dudley of R.C. Hatch. Stone, a Kentucky signee, was dominant with 15
points and seven rebounds in just 17 minutes of play. Dudley, an Alabama
signee, had 12 points. LSU signee Ronald Dupree had 15 for Mississippi.
GIRLS: Alabama 105,
Mississippi 84: It was bombs away for Alabama
as Butler shooting guard Von Kirk, Cincinnati signee, earned MVP honors by
sinking five 3-point goals en route to 18 points. UAB signee and future
WNBA star Deanna Jackson of T.R. Miller had 17 points and 12 rebounds
inside for Alabama. Mississippi countered with super quick Ole Miss signee
Takela Corbit, a 5-foot-3 guard, who had 18 points. Alabama
dominated the high-scoring contest played at Clinton from the get-go
thanks to future ACC standout Chris Williams of Minor. Williams, who
signed with Virginia, was crowned MVP with 14 points, blocked five shots
and a Classic record 17 rebounds. He teamed with his own high school point
guard, Arkansas signee T.J. Cleveland, to sink any hopes of a Mississippi
comeback. Cleveland had nine points and five assists.
GIRLS: Alabama 60, Mississippi
54: In the lowest scoring game on
record, Alabama used a strong guard combination anchored by Yalika Barnes
of Carver-Montgomery, to win. Barnes was named MVP with 22 points, five
rebounds and five steals. April Brown led Mississippi with 14 points.
For the
third time in four years, Alabama's boys scored more than 100 points. This
team, considered the best collectively in the tournament's first seven
years, dominated from the opening tip at UNA's Flowers Hall. West End's
LeAndrew Bass, who signed with UAB, was voted MVP after scoring 20 points.
Mountain Brook's 6-8 forward Tyrus Boswell, a Mississippi State signee and
future Harlem Globetrotter, had nine. Tang Hamilton, another Mississippi
State signee, led Mississippi with 24 points. GIRLS: Mississippi 88, Alabama
72: Mississippi's defensive
pressure was just too much for Alabama as the visitors blew a 38-36
halftime lead after becoming unraveled in the final 20 minutes. Alabama's
MVP, center Gretchen Carter of Decatur, had 25 points and 15 rebounds.
Sulligent guard Nicole Carruth added 18. For Mississippi, Michelle Tangle
was selected MVP after all 16 points in the second half.
A crowd
of 2,750 flocked to Mississippi College's A.E. Wood Coliseum to see
Mississippi turn back and strong second-half comeback by Alabama. The win
kept Mississippi perfect on its home court at 3-0. Alabama tied the game
at 92 all when Greenville's Desmond Walker scored on a putback with 2:47
to play. A more balanced Mississippi lineup shot well down the stretch to
seal the win. Mississippi MVP Brian Woods of Piney Woods led seven players
in double figures with 13. For Alabama, Jeff Davis' Roderick Murray had 19
points to claim MVP honors.
GIRLS: Alabama 80, Mississippi
77: Alabama scored the last eight
points of the game and held a 17-6 advantage over the final two minutes.
LaTrish Jones of J.O. Johnson, a Crimson Tide signee, sealed the win with
two free throws with seven seconds left. The play was set up by a steal
and pass from Heather Mayes, Alabama's Miss Basketball and a Western
Kentucky signee who scored a career record 4,149 points at Fyffe. Mayes
finished with 10 points, Jones had eight and Alabama MVP Latoya Webster of
Central-Florence had 18 points and 10 rebounds. A crowd
of 2,816 at Florence saw Alabama's squad end a three-year drought. Alabama
MVP Brian Williams of Jeff Davis, who shot 0-of-9 in the first half, came
back to score 13 points and placed more emphasis on defense to key the
win. The University of Alabama signee got the ball inside to 6-9 big man
Greg Stolt of Grissom, who had 9 of his 11 points in the second half.
Brantley's Adrian Person had a team-high 14 points. Maurice Carter was
Mississippi's MVP with 17 points.
GIRLS: Mississippi 92, Alabama
84: Louisville, Miss., center
Evette Porter scored a Classic record 35 points as Mississippi won for the
third time in four years. Porter, a Mississippi State signee, had 25 in
the second half. Sumter County's Sharon Thompson, another Mississippi
State signee, was chosen Alabama MVP scoring 23 points.
Mississippi's 6-foot-9 Jerod Ward was a one-man
scoring machine as he scored seven points in seven seconds en route to 27
for the game played at Clinton, Miss. The University of Michigan signee
also had five monster dunks as Mississippi set a Classic record for most
points scored. Alabama, down 100-71 with 9:31 left, pulled to 108-102 with
3:05 left, a 31-8 run. It was too much to overcome, however. Rod Willie, a
Lee-Huntsville product and UAB signee, was chosen MVP scoring 26 points.
GIRLS: Alabama 73, Mississippi 66:
Alabama's girls got their
first win of the series despite trailing for 32 of the 40 minutes. Coach
Larry Sinyard of Lauderdale County, Alabama's head coach, opted for
full-court pressure the entire game and it paid off. Wenonah's Chiquitta
Hill scored all nine of her points in the final six minutes thanks to that
press. Cherokee County's Leah Monteith, Miss Basketball in 1993 and a
future Crimson Tide star, keyed the defensive effort with five steals.
Georgia Tech signee Tiffany Martin of Grissom was Alabama's MVP. She had
seven points, six rebounds and five steals. For Mississippi, Pashen
Thompson scored 14. Mississippi's star-studded lineup included future NBA
star Antonio McDyess of Quitman and Pearl guard Eric Washington. Both went
to college at Alabama. In this game, it was Mississippi State signee Erick
Dampier who stepped to the forefront when the 6-10 McDyess fouled out
early in the second half. The 6-11 Dampier had 17 points and 12 rebounds
in the win. UAB signee Chad Jones of Vestavia Hills scored 16 for Alabama
in the game played before 2,800 at Flowers Hall on the UNA campus in
Florence.
GIRLS: Mississippi 74, Alabama
61 Yolanda Watkins of Decatur
came in as the most decorated Alabama girl all-star ever and shined inside
with 19 rebounds. The Parade Magazine national player of the year was only
4-of-19 shooting however and ended with 10 points. LaCharlotte Smith
scored 19 points, Katrecia Craig 14 and Latoya Weaver 10 for Mississippi.
Mississippi's player of the year, Yolanda Moore of Port Gibson, finished
with 9 points and 10 rebounds. Brewer guard Christy Thomaskutty, a Tulane
signee, was Alabama's MVP with 11 points. In the
most exciting game of the 12-year series, Mississippi won at Clinton in
front of 3,700 fans, 73-71, as future Georgetown and NBA standout,
6-foot-11 Othella Harrington of Murrah, scored 31 points and cleared 14
rebounds. He found an odd match in South Lamar guard Darryl Wilson, a
Mississippi State signee and Alabama's MVP, had 24 points. His drives into
the lane forced Mississippi to take Harrington out at times to preserve
his fouls. Wilson was 12-of-17 at the foul line.
GIRLS: Mississippi 82, Alabama
66: Mississippi dominated the
first game of the series but Alabama was the eventual winner. Mississippi
MVP Neisa Johnson of Clinton, a future Tide All-American, had 24 points.
Forward Terra Sheriff added 20 points and 10 rebounds. Alabama's prize
guard Tonya Tice was smothered by the quick Mississippi defense and got
little help from the rest of the squad. She finished with 9 points.
Marlakia Jones, Alabama's MVP, had 23 points. Series record: Boys: 6-6.
Girls: Alabama has 7-5 edge. Point guard Hasson Sanders of
Central-Tuscaloosa picked the taller Mississippi team apart as Alabama
routed the visitors in the first game of the series. A crowd of 2,740
watched at Flowers Hall in Florence as Sanders, playing for his dad,
Alabama head coach Roosevelt Sanders, earned MVP honors scoring 16 points.
He was 8-of-8 at the foul line. For Mississippi, Reginald Garrett of
Northwest Rankin had 15 points.
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