Bob Jones' Cook sparks North win
The Bob Jones senior-to-be finished with a team-high 15 points in the North’s 86-45 victory over the South.
Cook, a standout at Bob Jones, was named the North’s most valuable player after the win - the same honor she received in the Final Four in March in Birmingham. She hit all seven of her shots from the field in the win. She scored the North’s first seven points.
“Our coaches told us that we needed to come out strong and we were able to do that,” said Cook. “The team just got the ball to me in the right situations early.”
The North team scored the final eight points of the opening quarter to take a commanding 24-4 advantage.
“Our defensive play was a big part of our quick start,” said point guard Jala Harris, an all-state player from Bob Jones. “We were hitting our shots and we were able to get the big lead.”
The all-star game also put Cook and Harris on the same team with Adrienne Webb and Danielle Vaughn, who play for rival Sparkman during the prep season.
“It was fun to play on the same team with people we’ll play against during the season,” Cook said. “It was just a great experience to play in the all-star game and we had a lot of fun.”
Danielle Johnson of Hillcrest-Tuscaloosa added 14 points, while Webb and Talladega’s Jessica Merritt finished with 12 and 11 points respectively.
Vaughn scored three points in the win and finished with a team-high eight rebounds.
The North, who now leads the series 10-2, jumped out to a 20-point lead in the first quarter and coasted to the victory.
Boys’ game
North 55, South 46
Madison Academy guard Kerron Johnson finished with a flurry when his North teammates needed him the most.
Johnson, the Class 3A state tournament’s most valuable player after leading the Mustangs to the championship in March, scored 17 points in 21 minutes of playing time to lead the North to a 55-46 win over the South all-stars.
The North’s most valuable player scored 13 points in the second half and sparked a North team that trailed 38-36 going into the final quarter.
Johnson hit five of his shots from the field and was 7-of-11 from the free throw line in the win.
