Corbin Ray started Monday night's Texas High School Coaches Association boys basketball all-star game with a flourish.

Abel Galliguez almost helped the South team come back from a surprising deficit.

Unfortunately for Katy Taylor's Ray and Fort Bend Dulles' Galliguez, neither ended up victorious.

The North team, comprised mostly of players from the Metroplex, stormed back from a double-digit first-half deficit and defeated the South 109-103 at Bill Greehey Arena at St. Mary's University in San Antonio.

The 5-foot-7 Galliguez started at point guard and 6-8 Ray was at center for the South, which also featured Terry Bembry from Fort Bend Bush and James Blasczyk from Friendswood.

Ray and Blasczyk likely will face off in coming years; Ray will play basketball at Texas Tech and Blasczyk committed to Texas A&M.

Ray scored the South's first four points, making a driving layup off the opening tip and draining a putback for a 4-0 lead 48 seconds in. He finished with 12 points and six rebounds, seven offensive.

He was the focus of attention, both from fans and the media, entering the game. Ray, voted Most Valuable Player in District 18-5A last year, averaged 12 points, nine rebounds and three blocks a game.

The South led 49-45 at halftime, but the North used a 14-0 run late in the quarter to go ahead 72-65. D'Andre Williams, an Odessa College commit from Palo Duro, powered the run by scoring all of his 19 points in the second half.

Galliguez, a John Brown University commit, tried to get a run started early in the fourth, sandwiching a 2-pointer and a long 3 around an assist to make it 85-76 with about seven minutes left.

The North quickly recovered to take a 93-76 lead, but Galliguez wasn't finished. He hit a 3-pointer to make it 97-90 with 2:36 left, and drained another NBA-range trey at the 1:04 mark to bring the South to 101-98.

They got no closer.

San Antonio Taft's Julian Boyd, who had 27 points and 18 rebounds, was named the South's MVP.

Galliguez, who was 5-of-10 shooting, added two rebounds and two steals.

End notes

Ray participated in the three-point contest at halftime, making five. Winner Scott Straley from The Colony, playing for the North, made 11. Ray shot 41 percent from outside last year. ... The game will be replayed at noon Tuesday on FSN Houston/Southwest.

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