LONGVIEW – The Lower Columbia Area Senior All-Star Game did not disappoint for fans who made the trek to Myklebust Gymnasium on the campus of Lower Columbia College, Tuesday night. With schools from Adna to Mountain View represented, and even an Oregonian in the mix, the Red Team prevailed 87-83 in a game that featured several slam dunks and a whole heap of 3-point attempts from players who’ve been begging their coaches to let them cook for the last four years.
La Center’s Logan Rainey was the MVP of the White Team with a game-high 23 points to go with five rebounds and four assists. He shot 10 of 16 from the floor, with one make on four attempts from beyond the 3-point arc.
The MVP for the White Team was Jack Hughes of Ridgefield, who posted a double-double that included 20 points and 12 rebounds.
But it was the one-off nature of the event that kept fans entertained all evening. There were those breakaway slam dunks by Napavine’s Karsen Denault and Mark Morris’ Dalton Stevens, there were old teammates guarding one another and bringing a level of defense rarely seen in All-Star games, and then there was the most shocking sight of all – a Monarch wearing a headband.
That Monarch was Carson Bogner, and for those who’ve been paying attention over the last five decades, it was a shock to their antiquated systems to see a player in baby blue shoes rocking the extra flair over his ears. It was so jarring, that during the postgame handshake line fellow Monarch Nate Stephens attempted to rip the headband off his Bogner’s noggin.
And you’ll never believe who inspired the Notorious BOG to wear a headband in the first place.
“I used to wear one all the way up until I got to Mark Morris because they wouldn’t let me,” Bogner explained. “(Bill) Bakamus gave me my first ever one.”
That gateway headband was awarded as a prize at a midsummer Monarch/Red Devil basketball camp during Bogner’s formative years. So it was a full circle moment when he was able to walk across the parking lot and show off a little more personality than the Mark Morris program typically allows.
Bogner scored eight points and pulled down six points as a member of the winning Red side. And he came away particularly impressed with one of his temporary teammates.
“That Karsen (Denault) kid. He’s good. He’s bouncy,” Bogner said.
Denault finished the contest with 15 points, including that aforementioned breakaway slam, while grabbing seven rebounds and notching a pair of steals. And Judah Kelly of Morton-White Pass was particularly impressive in the first half on the way to nine points, three steals and three assists in the win. Kelly’s handles and quick release had several players from the Lower Columbia College men’s basketball team commenting courtside about how inauspiciously nice his game was.
That Red squad hit the half century mark before halftime and led 50-36 at the break. The White side made an inspired run to cut the gap but couldn’t climb all the way back in time to steal the win or force overtime.
In addition to his thunder dunk Mark Morris’ Stevens finished with 18 points, four rebounds and three assists for Team White. Tre’Von Hughes-Farmer of Mountain View added 16 points. Adna’s Gavan Muller added three points and four rebounds in the losing effort.
And while many of the players were familiar with one another, either as teammates or mortal enemies, there were others in attendance who were getting their first good look at most of the talent from the region. Take for instance Jack Strange of Naselle who scored four points and hauled in eight rebounds for the White team, while also laying eyes on most of the players on the court for the first time after a five-year career in the 1B ranks with the Comets.
“It was crazy. These guys have a lot of talent,” Strange said. “We come from such a small school that we never face anything like this at all… I’ve never really watched any of these guys. It was cool.”
