It’s high school basketball with college flair as Six-County All-Star Classic returns to MJC

Some of the best local high school basketball players experienced the college-athlete life Saturday, April 29, at the 26th Six-County All Star Game.

More than 40 of the area’s most decorated seniors from the CCAL, TVL, VOL and other of the Valley’s leagues took the court one final time at Modesto Junior College. The game returned to the campus for the first time since before the pandemic.

It is the 24th time the game has been played at MJC.

“This is the 24th year here and I love having it here,” said game director Bobby Cole. “It’s a good atmosphere and the kids are getting the opportunity to get a little taste of college.”

A local star athlete, Cole is a product of Modesto Junior College and is a member of the MJC Athletics Hall of Fame. During the 1967-68 season, he finished sixth in the state in scoring (24.6 ppg) and averaged over 10 rebounds a game, according to the MJC athletics website.

“I’m a local athlete from Modesto, but we didn’t have this type of game,” he said. “I went to junior college here and had a successful career and I was able to move on to a four-year school. I would highly recommend that our athletes take a better look at junior college basketball.”

Both of Saturday’s games were competitive throughout.

The Red girls team jumped out to an early 12-1 lead by the end of the first quarter, but the Blue team turned up the defensive pressure in the second, tying the game at 12. Blue held a narrow 19-17 lead at halftime.

Both sides traded runs in the second half, but the Blue team’s full-court pressure wore down the Red team.

“We were supposed to be pressing in the first quarter, too, but that extra 10 feet kind of deterred everybody,” said Atwater High head coach and Red team co-coach JR Davis. “But then after that, once we were good, they just got after it.”

The Blue team held a 20-16 lead after the first quarter of the boys game, but that turned into a two-point deficit by halftime.

Riverbank guard Diego Felix provided a spark off the bench for the Red team. He hit his first three shots, which included two NBA-range three-point attempts and a contested shot from inside the arc for eight quick points. Central Catholic’s Malachi Miller was consistent throughout, scoring most of his points from two-point range, including a number of crowd-pleasing dunks.

“Most areas don’t have this,” said Enochs High head coach and Blue team co-coach Craig Bernardi. “You can’t replicate what they do here. Bobby Cole does a great job and I wish we’d see this more around different areas where they really glorify the kids and the work they’re putting in.”

The week provided a unique dynamic where high school rivals had the opportunity to get to know each other off the court. The athletes had practices Tuesday and Wednesday at Davis High, attended a dinner at Redwood Cafe and took the court together Saturday night for the game.

“I learned that some things are just on the court,” said El Capitan’s Mya Farr. “We’re friends for sure.”

Farr, who scored all eight of her points in the fourth quarter and took home girls game MVP honors, provided a defensive spark for the Blue team, which won 48-46. She teamed up with Hilmar’s Emily Cogswell and Riverbank’s Livi Fernandez, forcing the Red team into turnovers and turning their opponents’ missed shots into transition points.

Cogswell and Fernandez spent their varsity careers battling for a Trans-Valley League title. Saturday night, they finally were on the same side.

“I think both of them really just welcomed the opportunity to play with somebody else who plays as aggressively and defensive-minded as they do,” said Hilmar head coach and co-coach of the Blue team Luciana Naldi. “They both think very similarly in terms of how aggressive they go after the ball, how they go for steals, and then as soon as the turnover happens, they both really sprint the floor to try to score. I think that they were more alike in their playing styles than they realized when we were going against each other.”

Central Catholic’s Malachi Miller and Downey’s Lloyd French were on opposing sides Saturday night but still found the time during the week to meet up and add extra stakes to the game. Playing at MJC gave both a small taste of what they will experience next year when they suit up for college teams, Miller at the University of Redlands and French at Stan State.

“We actually bet on who was gonna win MVP,” said Miller, who led his Blue team to a 79-69 win with 17 points and took home slam dunk contest and boys game MVP honors. “I thought he would get it. They had some ballers on their team, we had some ballers on our team and it was just fun to play out on a college court.”

2023 6 County All Star Basketball Classic Awards

Girls Game MVP: Mya Farr, El Capitan High School

Three Point Champion: Emilie Snyder, Turlock High School

Boys Game MVP: Malachi Miller, Central Catholic High School

Slam Dunk Champion: Malachi Miller, Central Catholic High School