SOUTH 117, NORTH 99
No carrying on, but loss little fun
MHS star contributes 10 points in North defeat

BY JUSTIN JACKSON The Dominion Post

CHARLESTON — The look of frustration on Craig Carey’s face Friday explained the North’s 117-99 loss to the South in the annual allstar basketball game just as easily as the North’s 28 turnovers.
If looks could indeed kill, it would have had Carey locked up for the better part of the next 20 to 30 years.
“Believe it or not, it was actually a lot of fun out there,” Carey, a standout at Morgantown High and the youngest son of WVU women’s basketball coach Mike Carey, said after the game, in which he finished with 10 points.
Yeah, and Siberian huskies love to spend time at the beach.
“Actually, he probably did have some fun out there tonight,” said Bridgeport’s Bryant Irwin, a friend of Carey’s while his family lived in Bridgeport before moving to Morgantown, when he was in the eighth grade. “He always has this focused look, no matter what he does. He’s very serious on the court and he’s very soft-spoken, but he was having fun out there even though we lost.”
If that’s true, then somebody needs to make sure snowballs aren’t whizzing out from down under (not Australia, either), because a Carey having fun in a losing effort is like the local algebra teacher getting a date with Jessica Alba — it’s just not going to happen.
True, all-star games are supposed to be fun, but ...
“If the Carey family were pitching pennies, they would compete until the very end,” said North coach Bill Bennett, of Robert C. Byrd. “I’ve known that family for a number of years and I’ve worked some camps with Craig’s father, and believe me, they want to win at anything they do. Craig is a very determined young man.”
“I try not to show any emotion on the floor,” Carey said. “It’s never fun losing. That’s an attitude that runs in our family. It’s the way we were raised. My grandfather was very competitive. We’ve always been like that.”
This game was competitive until early in the second half. Leading, 53-51, at halftime, the South went on a 14-1 run to take a 76-65 lead with 14 minutes remaining in the game. From there, the South’s overall athleticism and the scoring of Nitro standout Brett McClanahan, who will continue his career at Akron, took over. McClanahan hit six 3-pointers and finished with 23 points.
“It just seemed like when we got a little tired, they just kept on running,” Carey said. “One of the great things about this experience is it gives you a chance to see for yourself how good or over-hyped all these players are who you hear about during the season.
“These guys aren’t over-hyped. They’re the real deal, especially McClanahan. He’s a lot quicker than I thought he would be.”
The South now holds a 22-4 advantage in the all-time series and has won five of the past six games, meaning not too many players from the North have ever had much fun in this game.
“It’s still a lot of fun, because it gives you a chance to hang out with the best players this state has to offer,” said Carey, who plans on attending WVU next year and spend the school year getting stronger to see what might be available after that. “It’s a good experience for everyone involved.” Irwin, who was the state’s Player of the Year this past season and will continue his career at St. Joseph’s, led the North with a gamehigh 27 points. Weir High’s Pete Brogdon finished with 14 and Wheeling Central’s Shane Phillips added 12. Irwin was named the North’s MVP, while McClanahan was the MVP for the South.
NORTH Brogdon 4 3-4 14, Collins 3 0-2 6, Carey 5 0-3 10, Gravelle 3 0-0 6, Irwin 13 0-1 27, Morris 4 0-0 10, Mullins 1 0-0 3, Phillips 4 2-2 12, Summers 2 4-5 8, Ward 1 0-0 3. Totals 40 10-17 99. SOUTH Alston 0 0-0 0, Ashley 2 0-0 4, Baisden 2 0-0 5, Goard 6 3-7 15, Gunnoe 2 2-2 6, McClanahan 8 1-2 23, Ponder 4 0-0 8, Parkulo 5 0-0 11, Scott 2 2-2 7, Tunstalle 8 0-0 16, Witten 5 3-6 14, Willard 3 0-0 8. Totals 47 11-19 117. Halftime: North, 53-51. 3-point goals: North 9 (Brogdon 3, Morris 2, Phillips 2, Irwin 1, Mullins 1). South 12 (McClanahan 6, Willard 2, Baisden 1, Parkulo 1, Scott 1, Witten 1). Rebounds: North 62 (Collins 10), South 67 (Ponder 16). Dunk champion: Damien Tunstalle, Woodrow Wilson. 3-point champion: Shane Phillips, Wheeling Central. Free throw champion: Phillips.

Todd Flint/The Dominion Post file photo Morgantown High’s Craig Carey: “I try not to show any emotion on the floor. It’s never fun losing.