Rainwater Pelts South From the Outside, 87-71

Buena High teammates Stephanie Rainwater and Mary Klemm combined for 41 points to lead the North to an 87-71 victory over the South in the Ventura County All-Star basketball game Friday at Ventura High.

Rainwater scored 12 points in the second half to hold off a third-quarter charge by the South. The 5-foot, 10-inch forward made 6 of 7 second-half shots, including five in a row, after missing 6 of 11 in the first half. She finished with 22 points. Thousand Oaks center Barbara Tanner scored a game-high 25 points for the South. The 6-2 Tanner had her way inside, where she owned a 4-inch height advantage over the tallest North player.

“I thought our kids really played tough considering our size,” North Coach Joe Vaughan said. “It was their inside versus our outside and fast break.”

While the South’s inside game helped close a 14-point second-quarter deficit to 61-57 early in the fourth quarter, the North ran away in the final seven minutes.

The South, which had only six players available, finally buckled under the pressure of Klemm’s ballhandling and the North’s fast break.

“I think that one less player began to take its toll,” South Coach Chuck Brown said. “Toward the end of the last quarter, we really started to look tired.”