Gaston crew helps make West respectable in All-Star loss

GREENSBORO - Entering the East-West All-Star Game Monday at the Greensboro Coliseum, West head coach Marty Hatchell knew his team had a tough road ahead.

After all, the East All-Stars boasted a team of three future ACC players, including the top player in the state, Ty Walker.

"People were saying that we were the underdog," said Hatchell, Ashbrook's head coach. "They were scouted as being about 12 points better than us."

Despite the prognosis of a double-digit loss, the West hung with the favorite for the entire game.

The East, with Wake Forest's Walker, UNC's Justin Watts, and N.C. State's C.J. Williams, triumphed over the West 97-93.

Hunter Huss' Jamere Pagan and Cherryville's duo of Justin Johnson and Cameron Lovelace represented Gaston County for the West.

Pagan began the game hot with five points in under a minute during the first quarter. But it was Johnson's 11 points in the first half that paced the West. Johnson, Cherryville's all-time leader in scoring and rebounding, led the West in scoring along with Winston-Salem Prep's Marcus Wright.

"I wasn't surprised (by Johnson)," said Hatchell. "He played like he usually does."

To accompany his 11 points, Johnson had 10 rebounds to make a double-double before the second half. The East's top rebounded at only five boards at the midway point.

"It was the flow of the game and I knew what I had to do," said Johnson.

Lovelace got on the board with 3:50 remaining in the third to get the West to within four after his team was tied at 47 with the East at halftime.

But the West folded in the final period, scoring just four points in the opening six minutes of the fourth. That cold streak ultimately hurt them as they drew to within one point with a minute to play but could not get over the hump.

"We made a great run and tied it and had a few chances to win," said Hatchell. "We had a wide open three that would have given us that lead that went in and out."

Johnson, who played only 15 minutes, finished with 11 points and 11 rebounds, joining Virginia Tech recruit Victor Davila as the only players with double-doubles.

Lovelace chipped in five points and Pagan represented Huss with seven points and three rebounds.

The East's Bo Ingram from Kinston received MVP honors after posting 24 points.

East 32 15 27 25 - 97
West 27 20 23 23 - 93