High school basketball: Standouts sparkle in all-star contests

OREM — It's the only time of the year that you get to play on the same team with your biggest rivals, and you find yourself not only playing with some of the best players in the state but against them as well. It's the girls' state all-star games.

And these weren't just your run-of-the-mill all-star games, with people playing selfishly and trying to put up their own shots every time down the court. These games featured actual defense and some beautiful passing, even some nice playmaking. And, most importantly, intensity, scrambling to the floor and last-second game-winning shots made an appearance as well.

In the 5A All-Star game, the West squad led for much of the game, with the East making comeback after comeback. It just so happened that the East's final comeback came at just the right time to pull out a 79-78 victory.

With the West leading 76-74 and under a minute to go, American Fork's Cydne Mason nailed a 3-pointer, her 11th point of the game, to give the East a 77-76 lead. But that wasn't even close to being the end of the fireworks.

Riverton's Dani Lockhart drove in for a go-ahead layup with a mere seven seconds left in the contest, retaking a 78-77 lead for the West stars. But seven seconds were plenty for Mason and American Fork teammate Kaycee Mansfield. Mason dished the ball to Mansfield under the basket with two seconds left, and Mansfield sank the game-winning layup. A last-second half-court shot from Riverton's Alle Finch bounced wide off the backboard, giving the East team the victory.

"I just found myself open on the baseline and knew Cyd would get me the ball. I'd missed a layup earlier in the game, so I just wanted to hit that one, and I was so happy when it fell," said Mansfield after the game.

"I especially liked playing with three of the girls I'd played with for the last four years and people I'd played against and finally have them on my team for one game. It was fun," added Mansfield.

Mansfield finished with 13 points, and her American Fork teammates all played well too. Mason had 11 points, Haley Holmstead added 17 and Nikki Ybarra added five in addition to her usually tough defense. The American Fork girls played on the same side as Megan Smith of Region 4 rival Lone Peak for the first time, and Smith wound up scoring more than anyone else on the all-star court as she really found herself in a zone and poured in 19 points to help the East win.

"I knew it was my last game wearing a Lone Peak uniform, and so I just gave it everything I had. I love playing with the American Fork girls. They play a fast pace, and I like to play that way," said Smith.