Winning tradition continues on Auctioneer's court

There were plenty of fireworks on display during the July 4th weekend, but the Mullins High School alumni basketball extravaganza might have been the most explosive event around.

Dozens of former prep hoop stars came to the gym in support of the Auctioneer’s varsity head coach Mark Gerald. The annual competition featured a women’s game and three men’s contests, highlighting 38 years of Mullins basketball tradition.

Martina Smith, Shanay Goldring, Samantha Smith, Ann Hughes, Emma Hamilton and the Lady Aucs veterans held their own against the young ladies that represented the squad during the 2008 season, including Brittany McFarland and Ashley Godbold.

Former all-star Martina Smith was a highlight in the game, making back-to-back three-point shots. However, a pre-game trade sent Jessica Gerald and Shakeya McClintock to the 2008 team to add depth to that team’s roster. That move was like a boost of vitamin B12 for the younger group as they earned the victory.

The men’s games kicked off with the classes of 1970-78 against 1979-85.

In a very close contest, the veterans pulled away with a 53-52 win. The second men’s game wasn’t quite as close, as the 1992-1996 squad bombed away with a 76-49 victory over the 1986-1991 team. Led by Eric Gerald, Shawn Nelson, Ced Smith, Curtis Williams, Sean Robinson and Corey Mullins, the team didn’t lack for scoring.

Kendrick “K-Rock” Wilson and Greg Lewis also brought their offensive game to the floor. Mullins earned a state championship in 1985, along with another men’s title in 1997, followed by a women’s state crown in 1999.

If anything can be said about Mullins, it is that the town loves basketball and that earning a uniform is as highly competitive as in any game around. Nelson said he’d like to see basketball alumni from Mullins and Marion high schools get together for a friendly game.

“Everybody comes home for this. They could mix it up, if they want to and do more games, like this … that’ll keep us off Shawn and the rest of them … I’m tired of playing them anyway,” Smith said, joking about wanting to bypass his team’s latest competition.

Trailblazers in the game, Albert Lewis, Jerry Smith, Junior Nelson, Tracy Simmons, Ronnie Godbolt and Roberto Pee will be seeking revenge in next year’s match up for the 1986-1991 group. John Davis, Mark Graham, Chris Brantley, Andre Weeks and Lynn McFarland round out the full squad.

The highlight game of the night had to be the end of the show between the classes of 1997-2003 against the classes of 2004-2008.

“The Finisher,” Lenzor Williams, led the 2004-2008 squad to a hot start, with a slew of thunderous dunks. Jeffery McFarland, Tim Frazier, Antwan Woodberry, Andrew Crawford, Montrice Whittington and Mike Pringle formed a formidable group.

However, a jumper nailed by Ken Ford to bring his 1997-2003 team back to 24-23 with 3:51 remaining in the first half was the signal that the game was going down to the wire. Joined by Jarod Gerald, Demetrius Sanders, Anthony Clark, Marcus Leggett, John Paul Sellars, Shawn Troy, Alex White, Tim “Trey” Troy, Dexter Reeves and NBA star Raymond Felton, the team evened things up at 64-64 with 5:43 left in the game.

“This is like home to me. Too. I stayed here most of the times, even when living in Latta,” Felton said, playing alongside his “Terminator” teammates from his days of playing AAU basketball. “It brought back memories, us playing with Raymond. I’m just glad we were able to all be here with family and play,” the coach’s son, Jarod, said, adding that the support his dad gets is a show of support of the Auctioneer’s basketball tradition.

The youngsters struck back quickly, reclaiming their lead and answering Felton’s tying bucket with consecutive three-point baskets from Crawford and Pringle. Shawn Troy later dished off two assists to Felton, starting a run for his team. With under two minutes remaining, Sanders added back to back shots from behind the arc to even the game at 79-79, before McFarland dropped off a bounce pass to Williams for the go ahead basket.

Felton took the lead for his team, with another three-pointer, setting the 82-81 score. That was answered with a three-pointer from Woodberry, which was in turn answered by another trey from a “scorching” Sanders. This gave his team an 85-84 advantage with 8.3 seconds remaining the game.

“It’s a good experience for the kids to see, and a fun game to play in,” Sanders said. The game-changing performance went to Whittington and his game-winning drive to the hoop for the 86-85 final.

“The whole thing is about raising money for scholarship funds … and basketball is real big in Mullins … getting everyone’s attention and inviting them to come around,” Shawn Troy said about the annual celebration.

Coach Gerald’s alumni basketball extravaganza is a weekend event that many look forward to, with many traveling from across the state and nation to attend. The games show support for their coach, for education and helps to raise money for resources needed within the MHS athletic program.

“It’s a great event for the community and I’m glad to be a part of it. Although we lost, I still had a great time,” Clark said. The celebration also features a golf tournament and picnic featuring “grill master” Dallas Platt.