Rustin's Cory Blake Plays in All-Star Game

PHILADELPHIA -- Cory Blake scored more than 1,000 points during his time at West Chester Rustin, earning a place among the area's best scholastic athletes.

So it was no surprise to see the Golden Knights' small forward, who led his team to a Ches-Mont American League championship and the first state playoff win in school history, combine with an elite group of teenaged basketball stars to raise money for charity.

Blake's Suburban team outlasted the City team, 114-111, in a game that featured many players who are headed to Division 1 programs this fall, including Georgetown, Pitt, Drexel, LaSalle and Rider.

Blake contributed six points and two rebounds in 15 minutes of court time. Rustin head coach Keith Cochran also served as one of Suburban's four coaches.

The annual event, now in its 24th year, brings together the area's top male and female high-school athletes to raise money for United Cerebral Palsy and high school athletes. Sponsored by Philadelphia's Organized Labor, the monies collected help fund programs and services for people with disabilities in the five-county Philadelphia area.

While Blake's basket was mathematically necessary for the three-point win, it faded into the background of an afternoon of long-range fireworks and powerful jams, with Georgetown-bound Jabril Trawick provided most of the entertainment.

The West Philly product starred for Abington Friends and stood above a sea of All-Stars. The 6-foot-5 shooting guard, who averaged 22.1 points and seven rebounds a game during his senior year, had four acrobatic slams, including three in a row at one point in the second half, accounting for the majority of his 14 points.

"The 360 was impressive," Marple-Newtown guard Kurt Johnson said, ranking his favorite.

"I've seen that a lot," added Abington Friends' Kenneth Johnson, Trawick's high-school teammate. "He's a force."

Trawick also pounded through a windmill dunk in the first half. The future Hoya said he was partial to a through-the-legs dunk that he connected on during pre-game warm-ups.

Drawing louder cheers with each slam, Trawick even received praise for one that he missed, when he came in too high and clanged the ball off the rim.

"I was getting tired by that point," he said. "But that was the most fun I've ever had at an All-Star game."

Blake wrapped up his high-school career on March 16 by scoring 11 points in Rustin's 75-56 second-round loss to eventual state champion Chester. The Golden Knights went 25-5 overall, including a 19-game winning streak from Dec. 30 through Feb. 22.

The Knights won their first state playoff game with a 55-39 victory over District 3's Cedar Cliff in the opening round.

After the Chester defeat, Cochran reflected on his experiences with players Cory Blake, Latrell Shelton, Zach Butcher, Anthony Nash and Cordario Taylor.

"I thanked them for all the effort they gave and for letting me coach them," Cochran told the Daily Local News. "They had a lot of success and they will be remembered for all of that winning."