3 Sea Hawks Compete in Area All-Star Game

A collection of the best boys and girls' basketball players put their skills on display at West Torrance High School in the South Bay Athletic Club All-Star Game on Thursday night.

When the action tipped, Brandon Boyd and Martyre Demarco suited up for the red team and Jacquise Bates competed for the blue team.

The two teams got one practice in to familiarize themselves with each other.

"We had one practice and scrimmaged. We beat them good, too, so we talked a little trash this week," Boyd joked.

Not surprisingly, the boy's game was dominated by three-pointers and attempted alley-oops, with defense taking a back seat.

Bates knocked down a corner three for the blue team putting them ahead at 20-16, and while it was his only make of the night, he did distribute the ball often in a game that eclipsed the 100-point mark.

"This was a great experience playing with the best out of the South Bay.  Especially for me, since I transferred, it's fun to play with these guys that I have never seen before," Bates said.

Inglewood's Rhon Mitchell set up Brandon Jawato of El Segundo beautifully for a slam in the second for the red team at 38-34.

Boyd, who scored six points, showed off his ball-handling prowess, navigating the fast break and going behind the back to find Bishop Montgomery's Kyle Reid for an easy two in transition, keeping red in front at 41-36 in the second quarter.

In the second half, El Segundo's David Howard and Jawato sank back-to-back threes for the red team to gain a 67-58 advantage.

From there, Mitchell would rattle the rim with one of his several dunks of the night on his way to a team-best 23 points.

Demarco began the fourth with a nifty reverse lay-in.

Demarco's teammate on the red team, North Torrance's Darren Hechanova, exploded for 12 of his 20 points of the night, helping to regain the lead they had watched slip away.

Julius Bilibrew of Inglewood went to work with just under three minutes to play with a pair of trey's to pull the blue team to within two at 98-96. 

Billibrew was key to the blue team's attack all night, scoring a game-high 27 points.

Peninsula point guard Andrew Menard deferred for most of the night, but came up with two huge three pointers down the stretch for the blue team, with the second just beating the buzzer and tying the score at 109.

"I knew his was going in, I had my hands up immediately.  That's Peninsula for you--clutch," Bates said.

The red team would outscore blue 6-3 in a two-minute overtime session, winning 115-112 with the final points of the night coming from the line as Demarco made one of two.

"I should have made both, but I got the first at least," Demarco said.
Boyd, who has starred at Redondo Union in track and football in addition to his exploits on the hardwood, looks to continue playing basketball after graduation.

"It's easier on my knees, and I love to the game so I will see how this summer goes … I think I can make some more progress," Boyd said. "I'm at about 80 percent right now. I have a lot of room to gain strength and elevation."

Bates is currently undecided on schools—Grand Canyon University of New Mexico and Chico State are possibilities—but he does know he wants to study business finance.

Demarco, who had transferred from Arizona, is considering the University of Minnesota and Northeastern University, but may go the prep-school route for a year also.