The future stars of Manteca Unified’s high school basketball programs shined on Saturday in the 11th annual Maryann Wallace Pangburn 7th/8th-grade All-Star Games held at Manteca High.
The North claimed both contests, starting with the girls, 51-44. The back-and-forth boys game ended at, 71-67.
The North teams were comprised of students from Joshua Cowell, Golden West, Stella Brockman, Nile Garden, Veritas, Brock Elliott, Walter Woodward, New Haven, Sequoia and Shasta. Representing the South are Great Valley, Neil Fafley, George McParland, Joseph Widmer, Lathrop, August Knodt, Mossdale, French Camp, Lincoln and Komure.
Emma Gilmore of Brock Elliott hit the dagger 3-pointer with 51 seconds remaining to help seal the win for the North girls team. She was named MVP after scoring 11 points while anchoring the North defensively with steals and blocked shots.
Stella Brockman’s Brea Vieira added 15 points for the North and made four 3s. South All-Star Jada Ikharo (Lincoln) ended with a game-high 16 points and nine rebounds, while Riana Dela Cruz (Mossdale) had 15 points.
Lincoln standout Micha Crawford amassed 21 points and 15 rebounds en route to being named boys MVP. He also set a new all-star record with five made free throws in the game, which was decided in the final seconds when Darrion Lilly (George Komure) intercepted a pass.
Izaias White (Mossdale) contributed 16 points and five rebounds for the North, while Eli Silva (Joseph Widmer) scored 12 points.
The South’s twin-towers tandem of 6-foot-1 Santiago Sanders (Sequoia) and 6-0 Zach Grabowski (New Haven) tallied 13 points apiece.