All Star Game Doesn't Disappoint

Staples World: June 28, 2008

DBA Holds Annual All-Star Game

Story by Heeber Nee Vite

The weather was semi-cloudy. The conditions were semi-sloppy. The gameplay wasn’t semi-anything. It was spectacular.

On the evening of Friday, June 27, 2008, the 19th annual (1st for Staples) DBA All-Star Game was played on 3249 Fox Farm Road. The players didn’t disappoint. Sure there were a few true stars missing due to personal reasons, and the lowly Ben Enney had to fill in…but the game didn’t lack entertainment.

On the court for Team Staples West were standouts Jeff Brever, Jace Thompson, Ben Enney, and Brad Quast. The opposing squad included Chad Brever, Colton Thompson, Derek “Baby” Wolhowe, and Christian Ornelas.

It didn’t take long for Staples West to get going. Thompson, Brever and Quast decided to light it up from downtown early. As Quast put it: “It’s easy playing with seasoned veterans, because they know how to find the open man. I can pitch a tent behind the 3-point line, and one of these guys will hit me for the open shot. I just got into a rhythm and decided to let ‘er fly.” And “let ‘er fly” he did. Quast hit a total of 9 three-point buckets throughout the night. It’s not as if he had to carry his team though. Jace Thompson hit 7 from downtown, while finishing with 31 points, and Jeff Brever hit 6 three-balls, and dished out 14 assists.

Sure Team Staples East dug themselves a hole, but they found a way to get out of it. The score was 26-12 when a much needed timeout was called. “We just needed a bit of a breather, calmed our nerves a bit, talked gameplan, and went out and played some quality basketball: Staples East syle,” said the red-headed wonder Derek Wolhowe after the game. Sparked by Ornelas’ hustle, Wolhowe’s shooting, Thompson’s blocked shots, and Brever’s ability to penetrate, Team East tied the game up at 53 a piece heading into the break.

The second half could have been titled “Individual Battles.” Brever vs. Brever, Quast vs. Thompson, but the most heated (surprisingly) turned out to be Enney vs. Ornelas. “I crossed him over, got by him and wanted to pound the ball into the hoop. It turns out the only thing that got pounded was my nose.” Those were the words of wounded Christian Ornelas after clumsy Enney clobbered him in the face. There was enough blood to paint the court red, but worse yet, Team East needed a ballplayer. They called upon up and coming star Kyle Jansson. He played a heck of a ballgame.

Like a see-saw, the game went back and forth, back and forth. At the end of regulation, Team East drew up a play to tie the game at the horn. A hard back screen was set for the “Baby” and he tipped it in the cylinder right as time expired. He had never been happier. However, Team Staples West pulled away in OT to capture it’s 3rd victory in a row. There were no All-Star Game MVP awards handed out, as everyone who played was a MVP to somebody.

Little man gets up: Jace Thompson soars for 2.