FAYETTEVILLE — The Arkansas High School Coaches Association All-Star week has been a one-sided affair so far, and the East girls basketball team made sure it stayed that way.
The East scored first Thursday night and led the rest of the game, pulling away in the fourth period to earn an 82-72 victory over the West at Walton Arena. The teams played five periods: four seven-minute periods and a final eight-minute period.
After winning five of the first seven All-Star events played earlier this week, including a doubleheader sweep in softball Wednesday, the East took a 6-2 lead with its girls basketball victory.
Markisha Hawkins, who played for East Coach Daryl Fimple at North Little Rock, scored 10 points and had two steals and was named MVP of the game. Hawkins also was matched up against Arkansas signee Chrisstasia Walter of Texarkana and helped hold Walter scoreless over the first three periods.
“Markisha, she was my kid at North Little Rock, and she’s just a gamer,” Fimple said. “She just makes things happen. She played the point some tonight, and she did a good job defending the Walters kid.”
Hawkins scored the final points of a 20-2 run with 52 seconds left in the fourth period, following a steal with a layup to give the East its largest lead at 62-43.
“I had fun going and playing with everybody I played with,” said Hawkins, who will continue her career at Tyler (Texas) Junior College. “There wasn’t any competition. We just came out to have fun and win.”
Nashia James of Watson Chapel, who was named Most Outstanding Player for the West, hit back-to-back field goals to help close the gap to 72-64 with 2:58 left in the game, but the West could get no closer.
Lindsey Burgener ofWonderview and Whitney Donahue of Clinton scored a game-high 12 points for the East. Burgener went 2 for 2 from three-point range, 2 for 2 from the free-throw line and 4 for 6 from the field and was named the East’s Most Outstanding Player.
Lauren Harrison of Searcy pulled down nine rebounds, and East teammate Asiah Scriber of Lonoke, a UALR signee, finished with five points.
“They’re All-Stars for a reason,” Fimple said. “They came from great programs and great high school coaches. We really had some kids that are going to have good college careers.”
Fimple, who served as an assistant in last year’s All-Star game, said his team’s cohesion was the difference.
“They got to know each other, and they all got along,” Fimple said. “I’ve never seen an All-Star team pass as well as this one.”
Shelbi Cottingham of Prescott led the West with 10 points and hit 2 of 3 threepoint attempts. No one else scored more then eight points for the West.
“We fought and battled with them all night,” West Coach Robert Tucker said. “They were big, and their athleticism just kind of wore us down. With their team speed, we had a hard time getting back in transition. I don’t know what the rebounding ratio was, but we didn’t crash the boards as hard as we needed to.
“We hung in there, battled through that 20-2 run and made a run to get back. They wore us down a little bit when they started pressing.” EAST (82) Turner 3 2-7 8, Harrison 1 2-4 4, Hawkins 4 2-4 10, Groning 1 0-0 3, Celsor 2 4-4 9, Burgener 4 2-2 12, Donahue 4 4-6 12, Moix 1 1-2 3, Ferguson 1 0-0 3, Young 1 1-2 3, Sharp 1 1-4 3, Jackson 2 2-2 6, Morris 2 0-1 4, Scribner 1 0-0 2. Totals 28 21-38 82.
WEST (72) Cottingham 3 2-2 10, Kilburn 1 6-8 8, Walter 2 2-2 6, Atnip 0 1-4 1, Childers 2 0-0 4, Shipley 1 5-6 7, Sisson 1 0-0 2, Clokey 1 0-0 3, Phelps 2 2-2 8, McCauley 2 0-0 6, James 3 0-0 6, Castleman 2 0-0 4, Smith 1 1-2 3, Holman 1 1-2 3, Tucker 0 1-4 1. Totals 22 21-30 72.
East ................16 13 11 22 20 - 82 West ...............11 15 11 9 26 - 72 Three-point goals - East 5 (Burgener 2, Groning, Celsor, Ferguson), West 7 (Cottingham 2, Phelps 2, McCauley 2, Clokey). Team fouls - East 25, West 23.
Sports, Pages 22 on 06/25/2010