City, Suburbs split all-star games

Updated: April 25, 2011 2:00PM

The City All-Stars woke up just in time to save themselves from a double headache as they rallied to defeat the Suburban All-Stars 96-92 Saturday at Proviso West in the 37th annual City-Suburban All=Star Games nightcap.

In the opener, the Suburban Cinderella All-Stars beat the City Suburban All-Stars 97-90.

The Suburban All-Stars held leads after each of the first three quarters and built a 10-point lead, 75-65, with 6:53 remaining in the game.

University of Wisconsin-bound guard Keifer Sykes led a 19-4 run that put the City up 84-79 with 3:50 remaining. Sykes scored the first eight points of the run and 12 of the 19.

DeShawn Delaney of Carver and Rashawn McElrath made baskets down the stretch and grabbed key rebounds to hold off the Suburbs' last charge.

Sykes led all scorers with 21 points and added five steals. Delaney scored 20 points, grabbed 10 rebounds and blocked four shots. Chicago State bound-Ray McGrew had 10 points and nine rebounds.

"Coach (Ron Estridge) really jumped on us at halftime about playing with no emotion," Delaney said. "At first we were playing like it was just an all=star game and it didn't mean much. Then he told us we owed it to the history of the game to play (hard)."

Sykes said it took them a while to get on the same page.

"Once we got the right combinations in and we found what was working, we got loose," Sykes said. "We aren't that familiar with each other, so we really didn't know what to expect down the stretch. But we all knew everybody could play and we didn't want to lose two."

Quinton Chievous and Karrington Ward had 13 points apiece for the Suburban Allstars. Ryan Jackson had 12 and Jay Parker and Brian Greene Jr. finished with 10 points apiece.

"It would have been nice to win both games," Green said. "But we gave it everything we had and we came up short."

In the opener, Rich Central guard and University of Akron recruit Deji Ibitayo put on a show as he led all scorers with 31 points and grabbed eight rebounds.

Ibitayo scored 18 points in the first half as the Suburbs held a 49-44 lead at intermission.

The City never took a lead and trailed 70-67 going into the fourth quarter 70-67. The Suburbs built an 87-85 lead then took control of the game with a 13-3 run that was ignited by a windmill dunk by Ibitayo, who took off just inside of the free-throw line.

The next four baskets by the Suburbs were all dunks of similar variety as they put on a close-out show for the City.

Thornton big man Bernard Brame, who is headed to Iowa Western, finished with 19 points and Joe Edwards of St. Joseph added 13 points.

The City All-Stars were led by Simeon's Darien Walker, who had a team high 25 points. Also contributing were George Edwards with 17, Dominique Walls with 14 points and Northwestern-bound Michael Turner of U-High with 12.

Ibitayo said his teammates were motivated by the City's perception of them: "They call us soft, but I guess the softies won today."

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