ITEM PHOTO BY KATIE MORRISON
Agganis South’s Joey Fama, left, of St. Mary’s is fouled by the North’s Peter Pappas of Ipswich on his way to the basket.
By JOSHUA KUMMINS
LYNN — The best high school basketball players from in and around the North Shore came together for the 12th Agganis All-Star boys basketball game Monday night at Classical High.
The South squad came out with an 82-72 victory over the North, but the results were secondary to the fun the players had in what was the final high school game of their careers.
“It was a blast,” said Swampscott’s Dave Born, head coach of the victorious South team. “They put on a good show for the crowd and played unselfish basketball. We just wanted to go up and down and play aggressive.”
Born’s team did just that, scoring the game’s first nine points thanks to some impressive defense.
Salem was well-represented with four players on the squad, including Jhonel Roberts, who scored nine points in the first half to help build an eventual 38-35 halftime lead.
Another member of the Witches, Kelven Perpetuo, connected with Roberts twice during the opening 9-0 run. Perpetuo came up with a quick steal and a rebound in the early going, feeding Roberts for easy baskets on both occasions.
St. John’s Prep guard Spencer Danforth came up big at a key point in the game, sinking a pair of threes and a free throw to lift the North to a slim lead late in the first half.
The South team stormed ahead at the beginning of the second as well, going on a 14-4 run to put the game out of reach.
Classical’s Jakeel Brown stole the show early in the back half. He got the crowd excited and gave the South some insurance with pair of three-pointers.
“It was so much fun, especially since it’s my home court and my last time playing here,” said Brown, the lone Lynn Public Schools representative in the game. “My whole plan was to come back to my home gym and score as much as I (could). It’s an All-Star game, so you’re supposed to get excited for it.”
St. Mary’s guard Joe Fama scored four points, all in the second half, to help the South to its first Agganis boys basketball win since 2013.
Although he was on the passing end of several baskets to the Salem foursome, Fama enjoyed taking the court one final time.
“It was good to come back out and play one last time in Lynn,” Fama said. “I was out there with the four Salem kids so I was letting them do their thing, but I got a couple shots in.”
Roberts led the way with 24 points, including four three-pointers, en route to earning Most Valuable Player honors for the winning side.
“Those Salem kids, I loved the way they play and communicate and get after it defensively,” said Born. “I tried to keep the teammates together. They know each other and it’s a lot of fun.”
Danforth was named MVP for the North team, posting 16 points.
Joshua Kummins can be reached at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @JoshuaKummins.
