How the West won

VICTORVILLE • Jamaal Franklin didn’t get to finish his senior season with the Serrano boys basketball team, but he finished his high school career on a high note Saturday night.

Franklin scored a game-high 27 points despite limited minutes and was named the MVP as the West beat the East 92-63 in the 15th Annual High Desert All-Star Basketball game at Silverado High School.

The West also won the girls game 56-42, with Silverado’s Clarnisha Williams scoring 13 points to take MVP honors.

Franklin, who missed the final five games of the season for disciplinary reasons but was later reinstated, either scored or assisted on 12 consecutive points in the first period.

The highlights included a pair of authoritative dunks, a reverse layup and a pass to Barstow’s Earl Jefferson, who finished with a bucket in the post. The biggest crowd-pleaser was a two-on-zero fast break, with Silverado’s Kintin Scott bouncing the ball off the backboard so Franklin could finish with a thunderous jam.

“It’s way different (from a regular game),” said Franklin, a forward/guard who’s verbally committed to San Diego State. “The dunks I was doing and the way I was horsing around, playing around with a smile on my face, it’s way different.”

The West may have been flashier, but the East kept it close with solid play. Sultana’s Leonard Lamp hit a 3-pointer to make it 21-21 late in the first quarter, and Lamp tied it again at 25-25 early in the second off a fastbreak assist from Hesperia’s Sergio Lugo.

Even with Franklin on the bench for the entire second quarter, the West’s depth helped it build a 40-36 lead at the break. The West went up 62-51 at the end of the third quarter, and a reverse jam by Franklin made it 76-53 with 5:39 left. Franklin sat out from that point on.

The East was missing some firepower; Apple Valley’s Absalom Smith and Granite Hills’ Kevin Flagg were unable to attend. Apple Valley’s Kimani Lane led the East with 16 points, while Hesperia’s A.J. Mathis scored 10.

Jefferson (16 points), Scott (13 points), Franklin, Lane and Mathis were named the players of the game.

Franklin easily beat Mathis in the slam dunk contest, and Scott hit 14 3s to win the 3-point contest.

Hesperia Christian’s Lauren Miller hit 10 shots to win the girls 3-point contest, beating Anna Masinova of Granite Hills by one.

The girls game was tied 14-14 early in the second quarter before the West went on a 7-0 run. Five of those points came from Serrano’s Christa Bowers, who hit a 3-pointer followed by a 2-pointer to give the West a 21-14 advantage with 5 minutes, 3 seconds to go in the half.

The East closed the gap again, making it 21-20 with under 3 minutes left in the half, but the West ended the second quarter with a 6-0 run that Silverado’s Amy Stevens capped with a drive in the lane for two.

The West put the game away in the third, pulling ahead 43-26 thanks to a combination of speed and aggressive defense.

The East’s Kimberly Bastian (Apple Valley Christian) and Miller hit back-to-back 3-pointers to make it 49-37 with under 3 minutes to go in the game, but that was as close as the East would get.

Williams, Miller (10 points), Silverado’s Tranesha Evans-Williams (10 points), Bastian (seven points) and Bowers (seven points) were named players of the game.

Roughly 300 people watched an event that was more about enjoyment than the scoreboard.

“These kids compete so hard against each other all year long,” said Silverado coach Pat Brannon, who hosted the event. “Then they come out here for the all-star game, and it’s all about fun.”

Kris Reilly is the sports editor of the Press Dispatch. He can be reached at 951-6274 or at kreilly@vvdailypress.com.