Columbia County is well-represented at hoops event
The fourth annual CSRA Middle and High School All-Star basketball games will be April 19, and Columbia County will have more participants than ever.
This year's event also will change venues. The past three years the games have been played at the Academy of Richmond County, but this year the festivities will be at Augusta State University's Christenberry Field House on Wrightsboro Road.
The schedule is as follows: girls middle school, 1:30 p.m.; boys middle school, 3:30 p.m.; girls high school, 5:30 p.m.; boys high school, 7:30 p.m.
The high school games will be broadcast on tape delay on Comcast (cable channel 4).
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Twenty-five Columbia County athletes have been selected to participate, including 19 middle-schoolers, which bodes well for the basketball future in the county.
Having such a large number of middle-school all-stars could mean the local high school programs will be on the upswing in the next few years.
In particular, it's exciting to see 10 middle-school girls from Columbia County on the all-star roster.
Here's a list of Columbia County's all-star selections.
Middle-school girls
Greenbrier Middle: Michelle Swiec, Kelsey Sheron, Brooke Jackson and Stephanie Schultz.
Lakeside Middle: Brittney Brooker.
Evans Middle: Tiphani Grimes, Lauren Middleton and Kelly Segraves.
Riverside Middle: Tiffany Blackburn and Zori Drew.
Middle-school boys
Evans Middle: Josh McDaniel, Steven Hardy, Tad Holder and Brandon Durr.
Columbia Middle: Brendan Gray.
Lakeside Middle: Jermale Bennett and Isaac Hurst.
Riverside Middle: Blake Brandenburg and Alan Lanier.
Girls high school
Lakeside: Toya Coard and Molly McFerran.
Greenbrier: Katie Sutherland.
Augusta Prep: Rebecca Smith.
Boys high school
Evans: John Harris.
Greenbrier: Eric Marshall.
Congratulations to all the area all-stars. This is a great events, and those participating will remember the action April 19 for the rest of their lives.
For any information regarding the all-star games, please call 868-0543.