High School Sports
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Lucas, Florida recruit, lifts West girls to 78-73 victory
Journal Photo by Traci White
Secily Ray of the West beats Shatara Jackson to a loose ball.
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Published: July 22, 2008
GREENSBORO
Trumae Lucas wasn't about to let the last high-school game of her career end in defeat, especially in her hometown.
Lucas, who starred at Greensboro Grimsley and will play next year at Florida, was named the Most Valuable Player as the West beat the East 78-73 last night in the East-West All-Star Game at the Greensboro Coliseum.
Lucas did a little bit of everything at the key moments and finished with 21 points, seven rebounds, two assists and a steal in leading the West to its 15th win in the annual series.
Lucas received special permission from her coaches at Florida to play in the game. She was already attending summer school classes in Gainesville and flew to Greensboro on Friday to participate in practices.
"I got a text (message) from one of my coaches today and she just told me to make sure I represented and good luck," Lucas said. "They were very supportive of me playing here tonight, and I didn't want to let them down."
She didn't.
The West opened the fourth quarter with a 65-56 lead, but sloppy play and missed opportunities led to a 9-0 run for the East that tied the game at 65 with 6:49 left. A short jumper by Lucas with 6:32 left were the first points of the quarter for the West girls and put them back ahead 67-65. It was a lead they would never lose.
After the East girls cut it to 73-71 with less than a minute to play, they stole the inbounds pass and looked for the potential tying shot.
But Lucas stripped the ball away and fed Cameron Sealey for a layup with 25 seconds left and a 75-71 lead.
After two free throws by Shamia Brown of the East cut the lead to 75-73, Lucas made the front end of a one-and one to push the lead to three with 13.9 seconds left.
After a timeout to set up the potential tying shot, Shatara Jackson got off an attempt from the left wing that fell right into the waiting arms of Lucas, who was fouled with 3.6 seconds left.
Lucas made both free throws for the final margin and talked about what it meant to wrap up her career in her hometown.
"I think we all got caught up in the end-of-game jitters," Lucas said. "We just got it together there at the end to pull it out. But it's always exciting to play at home and to win. There were a bunch of people here to support me tonight. It's a nice way to end my career."
Whitley Culler of North Surry, a three-time member of the Journal's All-Northwest team, was thrilled for the opportunity to play with some of the elite players in North Carolina in her final prep game.
Culler, who will play at Lenoir-Rhyne next year, finished with four points, four rebounds, and two assists in the winning effort.
"I got to play with some of the best players in the state, girls that are going to Wake Forest and Florida and that's not something many players get to do," Culler said. "I think I had about 15 people here tonight to watch. All my family, Coach (Shane) Slate (her coach at North Surry). It's been great. Just a great experience."
Secily Ray of Thomasville, who will play for Wake Forest next year, got a sneak peak at where she will be playing ACC Tournament games during her college career.
Ray, who finished with 13 points and 11 rebounds for the West, played a big role in a key third-quarter run in which she scored seven straight points that built a 57-54 lead.
"I made a lot of new friends and enjoyed playing with everyone," Ray said. "Now I've got four years to play in the ACC Tournament. I think I'm ready for that now."
Sealey, who played at East Gaston and will be a roommate with Culler at Lenoir-Rhyne, finished with 15 points and Krystin Fields, also of Grimsley, added 10 for the West.
Brown, who played at Hoke County, led the East with 18 points and 12 rebounds, while Kristen Hanzer of Raleigh Wakefield chipped in 16 points and 11 rebounds.
East 13 26 17 17 -- 73
West 21 19 25 13 -- 78
East: Cotton 3, Brown 18, Hanzer 16, Menendez 7, Best 7, McRae 7, Jackson 6, Sinclair 7, McKoy 2
West: Lucas 21, Sealey 15, Ray 13, Fields 10, Washington 6, Belcher 4, Culler 4, McMinn
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