LYNN — If you like scoring and three-pointers then Monday’s Agganis boys basketball All-Star Game was one to watch. Team North made 17 three-pointers, but it wasn’t enough to stop Team South, as South won 100-94.
The game was close throughout and some individuals took the opportunity to showcase their scoring abilities one last time in a high school setting.
For Team North, Watertown’s Jeff Herbin scored a game-high 28 points including seven three-pointers. Although his team came up short, he walked away with MVP honors. North Andover’s Zach Wolinski’s 21 points and Malden Catholic’s Bo Moody’s 17 paced the North.
Team South was led by MVP Stephan Barnes of Waltham with 21 points. Team South’s points came as a collective as Peabody’s duo Anthony Forte (15 points) and Raphael Laurent (14) chipped in with double figures. While Lynn Tech’s big man, Ederick Gonzalez scored 16 points, and Bishop Fenwick’s James Meklis scored 10 to help fuel the South.
Team North led by one (85-84) with 5:15 left. That’s when both teams started to lock in on both ends of the court.
“I told the team that I don’t like to lose. As I was watching the game I saw the kids who looked like they didn’t want to lose either so that’s who I had out there to end the game,” South head coach Corey Bingham said. “It’s all about having fun and appreciating Harry Agganis. Without him, a lot of us wouldn’t be doing this. It’s a great feeling to be here.”
Laurent started to take matters into his own hands, scoring five quick points to give Team South a four-point cushion (93-89) with 2:10 left.
“My mindset was to just take care of the ball and play defense and to get a bucket wherever I can,” Laurent said.
With a few seconds left and up four, Laurent was sent to the free throw line where he buried both free throws to close the game 100-94.
Laurent, who will be playing at the next level at UMass-Boston, ended the game on the court with teammate Forte and talked about how special it was to play one more game with him.
“It felt good. It was probably the last time I’ll ever play with him. It was good to get a win,” Laurent said.
Both coaches, Bingham and Beverly’s Matt Karakoudas are alumni of the Agganis games having played in it when they were in high school. Bingham talked about how special it was to go from playing in the games to now coaching it.
“It’s like a time capsule. You go from playing to now coaching, it’s a great feeling. You see players on your team that you coached from the beginning to the end, it’s a bittersweet moment. It’s the last time coaching them, but it’s a good thing to see them go on and become men and achieve things in life. It’s a blessed feeling to be with my coaching staff, my players, and most importantly these great players across the North Shore,” Bingham said.
Lynn Tech had two players featuring in the All-Star game, Gonzalez and Jayden Welch. Both players Bingham praised highly and talked about how much he’ll miss them next season.
For Gonzalez, he spoke about how much Bingham meant to him.
“It was amazing to play for him one more time. He means everything to me. I’ve been with him since sophomore year and he and the coaching staff have made me into the player I am today,” Gonzalez said. “I’m very appreciative of them for always being there for me.”
