BY TIM HAYES

Bristol Herald Courier

CASTLEWOOD — Tennis Simon got a bloody nose, a busted lip and a swollen eye on Saturday night.

The George Wythe High School senior also got a victory and a plaque during the second annual Southwest Virginia boys’ basketball All-Star Game at Castlewood High School.

Simon won the slam dunk contest and scored 17 points in helping the White team claim a 105-97 victory over the Blue squad in the high-scoring event.

Simon knocked heads with an opposing player and also got inadvertently hit in the face while going up for a dunk in the second half. However, it was nothing serious for the Virginia High School Coaches Association’s Group A, Division 2 player of the year.

"It was fun," Simon said.

It was no big surprise that Simon was on the winning side. He won 100 games during his career at George Wythe, capped by a state championship last month.

He showcased his versatility on Saturday against a Blue team that included his GW teammates Ethan Mills and Brandon Davis.

"It was crazy playing against those guys," Simon said. "Playing against somebody just as quick as me and as fast as me in those guys. I hadn’t really seen that this year."

Simon beat out Gate City’s Matt Bays at halftime of the game to claim the dunk contest and his best dunk came on a unique alley-oop from Mills.

Lee High’s Gary Stafford claimed most valuable player honors after scoring a game-high 21 points, 14 of which came in the second half.

His brother, Bobby Stafford, won the MVP award at last year’s inaugural event. Gary Stafford attended that game to watch his brother score 17 points and dish out nine assists for the Blue Team.

On Saturday, he was the one that shined.

"I had to try to match him," Stafford said. "It was fun playing with a lot of great players like [Castlewood’s Patrick] Fisher and Tennis is the best in the state."

Stafford will join his brother at Emory & Henry College next season.

Fisher added 14 points for the White team, while Northwood’s Zach Roberts and Twin Springs’ Tyler Estep also finished with 14 points.

Davis of George Wythe and Clintwood’s Evan Vanover each scored 17 points to lead the White team.

BLUE (97)

Mills (George Wythe) 5 0-0 11, Hackney (Gate City) 5 4-4 15, Salyer (Gate City) 5 0-0 13, Davis (George Wythe) 7 1-3 17, Marion (Virginia High) 2 2-2 6, Vanover (Clintwood) 8 0-0 17, Bays (Gate City) 4 4-4 13, Rife (Twin Valley) 2 0-0 5. Totals 38 11-13 97.

WHITE (105)

Simon (George Wythe) 6 3-4 17, Fisher (Castlewood) 6 1-2 14, Stafford (Lee High) 8 3-4 21, Padgett (St. Paul) 3 0-4 6, Hall (Twin Springs) 6 0-0 12, Roberts (Northwood) 5 3-3 14, Caudill (J.I. Burton) 4 0-0 8, Williams (St. Paul) 0 0-0 0, Estep (Twin Springs) 7 0-0 14. Totals 45 10-17 105.

Halftime Score – White 57, Blue 48. 3-point goals – Blue 9 (Salyer 3, Mills, Hackney, Davis, Vanover, Bays, Rife), White 7 (Simon 2, Stafford 2, Fisher, Simon). Total fouls – Blue 14, White 12. Fouled out – none. 3-point shootout winner – Hackney. Slam Dunk contest winner – Simon.

GIRLS

Blue 58, White 51

In the inaugural Southwest Virginia girls All-Star game, J.I. Burton’s Ashley Hunter and J.J. Kelly’s Kalen Collins lifted the Blue team to a victory.

Hunter scored a game-high 18 points, many of which came on stickbacks inside. Meanwhile, Collins finished with 13 points and made a key layup late in the second half after the White team had cut the Blue team’s lead to three points.

"It was fun meeting everybody," Collins said. "I think everyone of us was out of shape. It was really fun. I thought it was good."

It’s been an eventful season for Collins. She averaged 13.4 points, 9.8 rebounds and 2.4 assists per game in helping lead Kelly to the Lonesome Pine District regular-season and tournament titles.

She’ll sign a letter of intent with King College next week to continue her hoops career.

"They came and watched me play when we played Powell Valley at home," Collins said. "I talked to [King assistant coach Jennifer Testa] and I went up there for a visit. I think it’s the best fit for me."

Hunter made the most of her opportunity to play in the game. She also got reacquainted with many of her old foes as six of the 12 players in the game were from the LPD.

"It was fun to play with somebody different. I already knew what a lot of the players liked to do," Hunter said. "I just kind of went out there and played. Basketball is something I really love, so I work on it every day. I’m always working on my game."

Pound’s Kayla Balthis (15 points) and Lee High’s Rachel Wynn (13 points) led the way for the White team.

BLUE (58)

Collins (J.J. Kelly) 5 3-4 13, Cvetnich (Clintwood) 4 1-1 9, Horner (Gate City) 2 2-4 8, Lane (Twin Springs) 3 0-0 7, W. McConnell (Twin Springs) 2 0-0 4, Hunter (J.I. Burton) 6 6-8 18. Totals 22 12-17 59.

WHITE (51)

Brummette (J.J. Kelly) 1 0-0 3, Copeland (Lee High) 3 2-4 8, Hall (St. Paul) 3 1-2 8, Harding (Powell Valley) 0 4-6 4, Wynn (Lee High) 4 4-8 13, Balthis (Pound) 4 4-4 15. Totals 15 15-24 51.

Halftime score – Blue 14, White 12. 3-point goals – Blue 3 (Horner 2, Lane), White 6 (Balthis 3, Brummette, Hall, Wynn). Total fouls – Blue 14, White 12. Fouled out – none. 3-point shootout winner – Hunter.

thayes@bristolnews.com | (276) 645-2570