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Posted on Sat, Apr 23, 2011 : 5:39 p.m.

2011 All-Washtenaw County boys basketball team

By Pete Cunningham

Two repeat honorees from Huron High School are part of AnnArbor.com's boys basketball All-Washtenaw County Dream Team:

boysdreamteam.jpg

AnnArbor.com file photos

DREAM TEAM

James Kelly (sr., F/C), Pioneer: At 6-foot, 7-inches tall, Kelly stood alone among his peers in terms of pure athleticism. His strength, height and jumping ability made him a force down low on both ends of the court. He averaged three blocks and his presence made teams alter their entire offense. He also averaged 16 points, nine rebounds, 2.5 steals and shot 59 percent from the field. He was a Class A all-state honorable mention and will play next year at either Owens Community College or Eastern Arizona College.

Dave LaMore (sr., C), Dexter: LaMore averaged 14.5 points, 8.6 rebounds and 2.2 blocks per game. Hacking the 6-9 LaMore -- a 48.8 percent shooter from the field -- wasn’t an effective strategy as he was 79 of 105 (75.2 percent) from the free-throw line. He had two of his best games of the year against Dexter’s toughest opponents with 29 points against Huron and 23 against Ypsilanti. LaMore will continue his playing career at Cornell.

A.J. Mathew (sr., G), Huron: Huron’s leader on and off the court, the four-year starting point guard led the River Rats to a third consecutive district championship. Mathew averaged 13 points, 3.1 assists, 4.2 rebounds and one steal for the 21-2 River Rats. For his career, he finished with a 3:1 assist-to-turnover ratio and is the third Huron player to eclipse 1,000 career points with 1,129. He was a Class A all-state special mention and AnnArbor.com Player of the Year for the second year in a row. He will play at Toledo.

Tristan Simmons (jr., G), Ypsilanti: Simmons started the season with a 31-point performance against Wyandotte Roosevelt and never looked back. The Dream Team’s lone non-senior, Simmons averaged 18.6 points for the 22-2 Phoenix and led them to their first district championship since 2006. Simmons has a diversity to his game that allows him to get his points the hard way -- by driving the lane and finishing at the hoop -- when his outside shot isn’t falling.

Dante Williams (sr., G), Huron: Coach Waleed Samaha calls Williams, the “most unassuming star” he’s ever coached. Williams could have played the No. 2 guard position and, with his jump shot and ability to drive, scored more points. With team goals in mind, Williams rotated between the two, three and four spots for the River Rats. He averaged 9.6 points, 4.9 rebounds and 1.2 steals, modest numbers, but he -- along with Huron’s top eight regulars -- did not play in the fourth quarter of 11 games. Was an all-state honorable mention for the second year in a row and will play collegiately at Oakland.

CLASS A FIRST TEAM

Kyle Baker (sr., F/C), Huron: A relentless defender and rebounder, Baker averaged 4.4 blocks, two steals and 7.3 rebounds for Huron to go along with his 6.4 points per game. At 6-5, he was often undersized in the post, but never outworked. Said Samaha, “I believe, and many coaches concur, that while A.J. and Dante may be our best players, Kyle is our most valuable player.”

David Hendrickson (sr., G), Saline: A pure scorer, Hendrickson averaged 16.2 points for the Hornets and three times had games of more than 30 points.

Mike Lewis (jr., F), Huron: A strong presence in the key for the River Rats, Lewis averaged 12 points and 5.5 rebounds. As more a focal point of Huron’s offense next year, he should be a very dangerous player.

Matt Muchmore (sr., G), Dexter: He averaged 12.7 points, 3.1 assists and four rebounds while running the point for the Dreadnaughts. He was a 33.3 percent (27 of 81) shooter from 3-point range and made 73 percent (70 of 96) from the free-throw line.

Theron Wilson (jr., G), Skyline: Wilson put Skyline on his back and on the map, leading the Eagles to a 12-11 record and a Class A district final in its first full year of varsity competition. He averaged 18.3 points while shooting 49.8 percent from the field. With an improved free throw percentage (61.4), he should be among the county's leading scorers next season.

CLASS A HONORABLE MENTION

Aerion Allen, Ypsilanti

Mamouda Ba, Ypsilanti

Reece Dils, Saline

Jarius Mann, Skyline

Jeremiah Strode, Pioneer

CLASS B-C-D FIRST TEAM

Andre Duffin (jr. G), Milan: Duffin averaged 15 points on 45 percent shooting and was a 79 percent free throw shooter for the Big Reds. He had a season-high 22 points in a 51-50 win over Onsted in the first round of districts.

Charlie McCalla (sr., G), Chelsea: He led the balanced Bulldogs in scoring with an 11-point average while shooting 42 percent from 3-point range (51 made). He will play at Hope College.

Luther Page (sr., F), Father Gabriel Richard: After struggling to find his identity with the Irish as a junior transfer, Page led the Irish in scoring (14.4 points) and rebounding (8.6). He had nine double doubles on the season in an extremely competitive Detroit Catholic High School League.

Sami Shalabi (sr., C/F), Central Academy: Averaged 21.6 points and more than 10 rebounds while leading Central Academy to its first-ever district title. The 6-5 senior had 40 consecutive double doubles, dating back to his sophomore year, and also averaged just under six assists and five blocks per game. He was an all-state special mention in Class D.

Josh Blades (sr., F/G), Manchester: Blades led Manchester in scoring (15.9 points per game), rebounds (10), steals (1.1), blocks (1.1) and was second in assists (2.5) and the Flying Dutchmen won their first district championship since 2004. He had 10 double doubles, and one triple double, in a 55-51 win over Sand Creek.

CLASS B-C-D HONORABLE MENTION

Shadi Farha, Eastern Washtenaw Multicultural Academy

Matt Jong, Greenhills

Myles Lockridge, Father Gabriel Richard

Patrick Roberts, Chelsea

Darren Washington, Father Gabriel Richard