Bogie's Sly keys south all-stars

By JEREMY WRITT
Published April 9, 2005

LARGO - Enoris Sly was not the the high scorer at the Pinellas County all-star game. His south county teammate, Marquis Ford (St. Petersburg) held that honor, finishing with 19 points.

Sly (Boca Ciega) did not have the most dunks. His north county opponent, A.J. Comi (Seminole), who finished second in the dunk contest, did the majority of the rim shaking. Sly's 13 points were just four more than Mario Telfair (Lakewood) scored during a five-minute stretch in the second half. Trevor Lee (Clearwater) had the best start, scoring 10 of his 12s in the first half.

Sly was not the biggest or fastest, or the highest jumper Friday night, but he was the most clutch.

"I knew this could be my last game out here playing with these guys, so I just came out here to have fun," Sly said.

North county led 78-76 with 2:14 left in the second when slam dunk champion Saj El-Amin (Dunedin) was called for a charge. Telfair tied it for the third time on the ensuing possession, but Devin Collins (Seminole) hit a deep 3 to regain the lead. Hustling back on defense, Collins stole the ball and made an outlet pass to Lee, who fed Comi perfectly for a dunk.

Ford hit two free throws but south county still trailed 83-80.

Lakewood Coach Danny Wright called a timeout with 25 seconds to go. Showing why his Spartans won the state title this year, Wright instructed his squad to run a play he called No. 6. They ran it to perfection and Sly nailed a 3-pointer from the corner with less than 10 seconds to go in regulation.

Sly's crunch-time heroics continued in overtime. He hit three big free throws after Telfair converted the first of his two overtime attempts to make the score 87-83. Collins hit a desperation 3 at the buzzer, but it was not enough.

"It's always difficult," Sly said of performing under pressure. "The main thing is to just have fun and that's what my dad told me to come out here and do. I just want to thank him for being a mentor to me."

Not surprisingly, Sly was the 3-point shootout winner, hitting 12 3s in 60 seconds.

Darius Hart (Clearwater) scored 16 to lead the north.

[Last modified April 9, 2005, 07:10:29]