Blakemore to play in all-star game Saturday
BY JEREME HUBBARD

PHOTO: LYNN LITTLEJOHN Cambry Blakemore takes a break during a district basketball game in 2008. Blakemore will play in the Azalea Orthopedics All-Star game at 5 p.m. Saturday at the Patriot Center on the campus of UT-Tyler.

Rusk senior basketball player Cambry Blakemore has been selected to play in the 2008 Azalea Orthopedics All-Star basketball game. The game will be played on Saturday, April 12, at the Patriot Center on the campus of the University of Texas at Tyler.

Blakemore was nominated by Rusk Lady Eagle basketball coach Josh Faucett, based on not only her ability but her leadership.

"Cambry was one of our captains this year and bounced back from injuries early in the season to help get our program their first district win in over three seasons," Faucett said. "She is one of the best pure shooters, male or female, that I've ever seen."

As a sophomore, Blakemore was a second team all-district selection. She received an academic all-district selection as a junior and as a senior she was selected to the honorable mention all-district team. She has been a part of the Rusk Lady Eagles varsity team since her freshman year.

The Azalea Orthopedics All-Star game is in its fifth year of existence, but this is only the second year for there to be a girls' game. The game is limited to seniors in east Texas and to be considered one must be nominated by his or her coach.

Coaches are asked to nominate players who perform well on the court. The selection committee then goes through the nominations and selects players for the game. The committee selects an East and West team for the game, and Blakemore will be competing on the West team, coached by Greg Gay of Bullard.

The doors will open for the game at 4:30 p.m., and tip off for the girls game will be at 5:00 p.m. The boys game will follow with tip off set for 7:00 p.m. Tickets are $6 for adults and $3 for children 10 and under.

All proceeds from the event benefit the Bethesda Clinic, a non-profit organization that provides quality health care to the working uninsured in Smith County.