Forty-eight seventh and eighth graders from Manteca Unified’s Acorn League will showcase their talents in the 8th annual Maryann Wallace Pangburn All-Star Classic this Saturday at Sierra High.

The boys all-stars will tip off the event at 1 p.m. with the girls following immediately after. 

Last year’s games were thrillers. Woodward graduate Rashawn Ballard had 15 points and eight rebounds to lead the Division I team to a 65-56 victory, but not after the Division II squad cut an 18-point deficit down to two late in the fourth quarter. 

In the girls contest, Nia Boston of August Knodt poured in 21 points in a 56-53 win for Division II. Boston and Ballard were named the Most Valuable Players. Boston played on the Weston Ranch High varsity team as a freshman this season, while Ballard competed for the Lathrop High sophomore team.

On Saturday, each game will consist of two 20-minute halves and will be officiated under high school rules. MVP trophies will be presented by Pangburn’s family. Derrick Burnett (Lincoln, League 1 girls), Ed Fang (Nile Garden, League 2 girls), Chris Graham (August Knodt, League 2 boys) and Chris Brunn (Woodward, League 1 boys) will coach the all-star teams.

Justin and Ally Beglau of Golden West School are the first brother-sister tandem to participate in the game. Other notables are two-time all-star selections Jaslyn Woods (Lincoln), Kyaira Jacobs (Woodward), Jannier Ismerio (New Haven), Daniel Whaley (Mossdale) and Ryan Borgerson (Stella Brockman).

The game is named in honor of Wallace Pangburn, a former Manteca Unified teacher at Sequoia and Woodward schools who lost her battle with brain cancer in 2008. A two-sport standout at Manteca High, where she graduated from in 1989, Wallace Pangburn played volleyball at Delta College, earned her bachelor’s degree from UC Davis and a teaching credential at Stanislaus State.