Lodi, Elliot Christian taking part in annual hoops event

Six Lodi High boys and girls basketball players and a coach, plus an Elliot Christian High boys basketball player will represent their schools in Stockton on Friday.

The group will be playing in the San Joaquin County All-Stars basketball game; this is fourth year for the boys and third year for the girls. The two games will be played at Delta College. The girls’ game is scheduled to tip-off at 5:30 p.m. and the boys at 7:30 p.m.

Four of the six Lodi High basketball players are from the school’s girls basketball team; forward Brooke Aberle, guard Marissa Fabian and forwards Ellie Van Tassel and Veronica Alejandrez. Van Tassel and Aberle will be on Team Gold and Fabian and Alejandrez will be on Team Black. McNair High girls basketball coach Keith Collins will handle the Team Gold squad.

Aberle, who will be attending Washington State University in Pullman, Wash. this fall, played forward for the Flames the last three seasons. Last winter, Aberle averaged an even 12 points per game and 7.2 rebounds per game.

Van Tassel averaged 10.8 points and an even eight rebounds per game last winter for the Flames, also in the front court. This fall, Van Tassel will be attending George Mason University in Fairfax County, Va. and major in English.

Fabian, who will be attending the University of the Pacific and play on the college’s softball team, was a four-year starter at guard for the Flames. Last winter, she had a team-high 121 assists, averaged 10.7 points per game and 5.6 rebounds per game.

Alejandrez rounds out the list for the Lodi girls. Last winter, she averaged 3.7 points per game and also an even five boards per game.

For the boys’ game, former Lodi High center Marcell Roberts and guard Chase Shafter will be on the Team Black squad that will be coached by Chavez High’s Mac Harris and Delta College men’s basketball assistant coach Lee Bethaea. Elliot Christian High’s Nate Washington, also a guard, will also be on Team Black. The squad will have players from Chavez, Stagg and Brookside Christian.

Last winter, Roberts averaged an even eight points per game for the Flames. Shafter, who like Roberts was a starter, had 7.1 points per game last winter.

Washington averaged an even 19 points per game for the Eagles. This is the third all-star high school boys basketball game for Washington. He has also played in the Optimist High School All-Star Game, small schools, in April and the Central Valley AllStar Senior Showcase at Turlock High in March.

Lodi High assistant coach Ammer Johnson will handle Team Gold, coaching against his former players in Roberts and Shafter, plus Washington. Johnson and another member of the Delta College men’s basketball program will oversee players from Lincoln, St. Mary’s, Bear Creek, Manteca and Elk Grove high schools Elk Grove, Pleasant Grove and Monterey Trail.

Admission for the games is $5 for adults and $2 for children under 12.