Troy’s Christon earns MVP honors in West’s win
CONWAY — Exavian Christon of Hot Springs capped an illustrious high school career with one final highlight in the Arkansas High School Coaches Association All-Star basketball game Thursday night at Farris Center.
Christon tallied 11 points, three rebounds, two assists and one block in a 110-98 win for the West, earning the game’s most-valuable-player award.
“It means a lot, because I know there was a lot of talent on my team and there was a lot of talent on the opposite team, Christon said. “For me to be MVP meant a whole lot; this is what I live for.”
Christon and El Dorado’s Czar Perry proved a lethal backcourt combination. Named the West outstanding player, Perry led all scorers with 18 points and dished out a team-high four assists.
“I feel like we fed off each other tonight and all week in practices,” said Christon. “It just translated to the game. He would attack one time and get to the rack; then I’d come back down and do the same thing. We really complemented each other well.”
Both teams flashed their potent offenses in the first quarter with neither gaining more than a five-point lead. Benton’s Weston Riddick scored eight points, including two shots from behind the arc, as the West held a 19-14 advantage.
Entering the game for the first time at the start of the second quarter, Christon wasted no time making his presence felt. The Louisiana Tech signee scored eight of the team’s first 10 points, burying consecutive three-pointers to give the West a 10-point lead.
“When I came out and hit those two right off the bat, I knew it was on from there,” Christon said. “The West hasn’t won in like seven or eight years, so we all had it in our minds to come out the way that we did.”
Not to be outdone, Jonesboro’s Ben Harvey had nine points in the second period, but the West maintained a 39-33 lead.
“That’s what Ben does; those of us that have been around him, we’ve come to expect that out of him,” said Jonesboro coach Wes Swift, serving as the East head coach. “He’s just a hard worker; all of these guys have been. I hate that we couldn’t send them out with a win.”
With Earle’s BJ Murray and Jonesboro’s Marquis Eaton combining for 10 points, the East led by as much as five in the third quarter before Charleston’s Brandon Fenner beat the buzzer with a three-pointer to put the West ahead 53-51. “When you have guys that can shoot as well as Brandon and the rest of these guys, it makes my job as a coach pretty easy,” said Charleston coach BJ Ross, serving as the West head coach. “We gave them the green light tonight and it led to a lot of easy points for us.”
Led by Fenner with four treys on five attempts, the West converted on 14 of its 30 shots from behind the arc.
Both teams traded runs in the fourth quarter. An 8-0 run gave the East an early 5953 lead, but the West struck right back with a
13-0 run and settled in at 73-66 entering the final frame.
Fort Smith Northside’s Tevin Brewer fought valiantly with 10 points in the last eight minutes, but the West would not be outdone. Fenner and Perry combined for
19 points in the final quarter and the West converted on six of seven shots from the foul line to seal the win.
Brewer finished with 10 points and a game-high six assists to earn East outstanding-player honors. Eaton, Harvey, Murray, Marion’s Shawn Doss and Jahcoree Ealy of Guy Perkins also scored in double figures for the East.
Fenner, Riddick, Bentonville’s Jordan Hemphill and Farmington’s Matthew Wilson joined Christon and Perry in double figures for the West.
Representing Hot Springs for the last time, Christon was proud to give Trojan fans a lasting memory.
“Representing my city means the world to me,” he said. “That’s where I grew up and where I put the time in at the gym. I’m just happy that I could come out, do my thing and succeed.”