National Highlight Reel: Aquille Carr scores record 57 points

He stands just 5-foot-7 and weighs only 155 pounds, but Aquille Carr is a true heavyweight on the basketball court.

The lightning-fast sophomore point guard exploded for a school-record 57 points as Patterson (Baltimore) routed Forest Park (Baltimore), 103-71, to win the Bill Miller Christmas Classic.

Carr, who averaged 25.5 points, eight assists and 5.3 steals as a freshman, has led the Clippers to an 8-0 record entering the new year. He was named the MaxPreps National Freshman of the Year last season.

* Six-foot senior guard John Wallace scored 51 points as Greece Athena (Rochester, N.Y.) outlasted Wilson (N.Y.), 96-93, in a four-overtime thriller. Thirty of his points came during the overtime periods.

* A new star was born during the annual City Securities Hall of Fame Classic at New Castle, Ind. He is Jonny Marlin, an unheralded 5-10 senior guard, who sparked Center Grove (Greenwood, Ind.) to an unexpected championship.

The Indiana-Purdue Fort Wayne recruit scored 20 points as the Trojans edged defending Class 3A state champion Washington (Ind.), 68-64. Then he poured in 31 points during a tremendous 88-82 double-overtime title-game victory against South (Bloomington, Ind.), which had won its last 53 regular-season games, the third-longest streak in state history.

MVP honors, however, went to South senior guard Darwin Davis, who scored 25 points in the finale and 27 during the morning's 65-62 victory over Warsaw in a matchup of the state's No. 2 and 3 teams. Both were unbeaten entering the day-long tournament. Senior point guard Nic Moore had 34 points for Warsaw.

* This is a season which never will be forgotten by Oviedo (Fla.) basketball coach Ed Kershner. Last week he tied the Florida state record with his 760th career victory in his 40th campaign. In March he will be inducted into the prestigious Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame (118 of his wins came in the Hoosier state before he moved to Florida in 1980).

* Micah Mason, a 6-2 junior guard, recently scored 44 and a school-record 51 points in back-to-back games for Highlands (Natrona Heights, Pa.). He's having an amazing year considering that he almost gave up basketball due to offseason surgery on both hips and one knee.

* University of Illinois signee Mycheal Henry scored 42 points as Orr (Chicago) nipped perennial power Detroit Country Day (Beverly Hills, Mich.), 71-67, in overtime. The 6-5, 220-pound senior also had 13 rebounds as he outplayed Country Day's 6-10, 230-pound Ohio State recruit Amir Williams – once dunking over him. Williams had 17 points.

* Ballard (Louisville, Ky.) won the LexCath Republic Bank Classic with two freshmen and one sophomore in the starting lineup.

* Horizon Christian (Tualatin, Ore.) junior star Jordan Tebbutt (6-5), who recently had a 41-point game, is considering transferring to Oak Hill Academy (Mouth of Wilson, Va.) next year, according to the Oregonian.

* Alabama's No. 1 Class 6A team, Homewood, nipped the No. 1 Class 5A team, Birmingham Wenonah, 70-68 after trailing by 17 points entering the fourth quarter to win the Metro Independent Tournament. Senior guard Marvin Whitt (5-10) sparked the furious rally by scoring 23 of his game-high 39 points in the final period and earning MVP honors.

* South Sioux City (Neb.) nipped Norris (Firth, Neb.), 76-74, as 6-0 junior guard Mike Gesell scored a career-high 41 points, which included a perfect 16-for-16 performance at the free throw line.

* Morgan Park (Chicago) senior star Wayne Blackshear (6-5) had 40 points and 11 rebounds during an 82-56 victory over Fenwick (Oak Park, Ill.).

* The Indianapolis Star reports that Lawrence North (Indianapolis, Ind.) senior center Michael Chandler (6-11) has made a commitment to Central Florida. He previously had announced for Louisville, then Xavier. The Star also stated that standout 6-4 North Central (Indianapolis, Ind.) junior D'Vauntes Smith-Rivera has decommitted from Xavier. He is averaging 30.2 points for the defending Class 4A state champs.

* The University of Southern California has received a commitment from 6-5 junior standout Katin Reinhardt of Mater Dei (Santa Ana, Calif.), according to the Orange County Register. He is averaging 18 points per game for a young team.

* Zagsblog reports that high-scoring 6-5 junior Ricardo Ledo of South Kent School (Conn.) has made a commitment to Providence College.

* Rick McConnell recently posted his 500th career victory as head coach at Dobson (Mesa, Ariz.). His father, Dick, holds the Arizona record with 774 victories.