It was a vintage Public League flurry in the furious final four minutes of Saturday’s Wendy’s All-Star Shootout.
A partisan crowd of 3,000 at DePaul’s Athletic Center roared as Westinghouse’s Jamarcus Ellis and Hyde Park’s Stefhon Hannah rallied Team Chicago from a six-point deficit to a tie before losing to Team New York 106-103 in the final seconds.
Ellis had two baskets, two rebounds, an assist and a steal while Hannah contributed five points to forge a 103-103 tie.
That’s when coach Bob Oliva of legendary Christ the King had New York spread the floor with a five-guard alignment. After holding the ball for 1 minute 16 seconds, Team New York found Keith Benjamin open in the deep corner, and his three-pointer with four seconds left provided the victory margin.
Hannah drove upcourt and launched a 27-footer at the final horn that barely missed.
“I told our coach (Vince Carter of Von Steuben) I wanted to take the last shot,” said Hannah, whose 15 points tied Ellis for team scoring honors. “It was either me or Ellis. I tried to get close to the three-point line, but I couldn’t really see the rim.”
Benjamin (12 points) and fellow Pittsburgh signee Ronald Ramon (23 points) should improve the inconsistent outside shooting the Panthers displayed in the NCAA tournament. Benjamin, a 6-foot-2-inch guard, hit 5 of 9 jump shots while Ramon made 5 of 8 three-pointers, including three in a row during a 1:13 stretch in the second half.
“I’m actually better when I’m shooting a deeper three-pointer,” said Benjamin, who was surprised at the final score. “This is a real game where everybody is playing defense, not like [some other all-star games].
“Stefhon Hannah is a nice guard, and that Ollie Bailey (Farragut) is a really good player. I’m looking forward to facing him again in the Big East when he plays for Rutgers.”
The 6-8 Bailey scored all 14 of his points in the first half, overpowering New York’s interior defense and teaming with 6-9 Shaun Pruitt of West Aurora (10 points, nine rebounds) to draw three early fouls on 6-11 Providence recruit Randall Hanke.
“It was tough out there, but when I play my physical style, there’s nobody who can stop me,” Bailey said. “I’m working to expand my game for the Big East, but I always know I can go inside and score.”
Von Steuben’s Demetrius Evans, the game’s flashiest dunker, finished with 14 points while Simeon’s Calvin Brock wound up with 11.
Brock is visiting DePaul this weekend and, after a trip to Illinois next weekend, will announce his decision. The 6-6 All-State choice said DePaul coach Dave Leitao’s being considered for other coaching positions will help determine his choice.
“He’s the main reason I’m considering DePaul,” Brock said. “I don’t think [Illini coach Bruce] Weber is going anywhere.”
