From The Trussville Tribune staff reports
MONTGOMERY — Down at the half, the Alabama All-Star team was able to come from behind and defeat Mississippi 107-90 in the 29th annual Alabama-Mississippi All-Star basketball game held at Alabama State University’s Dunn-Oliver Acadome.
Both teams came in with 14 wins in the series, which began in 1991. Mississippi won last year’s game at Mississippi College in Clinton, Mississippi, and was riding a three-game winning streak coming into this year’s game.
That streak looked like it might extend to four games with Mississippi’s strong first-half finish to take a 47-39 lead in at halftime – chiefly on Jaylen Forbes’ three long-distance 3-pointers. The Florence guard had 11 points at the half. He finished the game with 20 points, including four treys and a 6-of-6 free-throw shooting effort for Mississippi.
Alabama outscored Mississippi 68-43 after intermission. Tucker scored 16 of his 18 points in the first half to keep Alabama, coached by Carver-Montgomery’s James “J.J.” Jackson and Mountain Brook’s Bucky McMillan, close. He earned Alabama MVP honors sinking 6-of-8 field goals, 2-of-2 3-pointers and 4-of-4 at the foul line. He also had two assists and three steals.
Robinson scored 12 points, had nine rebounds and four blocked shots, and Watford had 13 points and 12 rebounds. He had all 12 rebounds in the second half. LeFlore’s DeAntoni Gordon chipped in 14 points and JaLon Johnson of Hillcrest-Tuscaloosa had 10 points, while Jaykwon Walton of Carver-Montgomery, Desmond Williams of Brewbaker Tech and Brandon Nicholas of Mae Jemison each had eight points. Lee-Huntsville’s Kobe Brown added seven. Williams also had seven rebounds and three steals. Alabama out-rebounded Mississippi 60-54.
Mississippi, coached by Darren Chancellor of Florence and Bruce Robinson of Warren Central, got 20 points from Canton’s Brandon Weatherspoon, who also sank four 3-pointers. D. J. Washington of Greenville added 11 points and John Rawls of East Marion had eight points and a team-high nine rebounds. Guard Earl Smith of Lanier also had eight points and four assists.