For Hudson, game had special meaning

From: The News Journal - Wilmington,DE,USA - Mar 20, 2005

By BUDDY HURLOCK / The News Journal

03/20/2005

NEWARK -- Of all the Delaware senior girls basketball players who enjoyed the spotlight Saturday, Dante Hudson assuredly enjoyed it most.

Hudson attends the Delaware School for the Deaf in Ogletown and scored more than 2,600 points while playing five years of varsity basketball. But Hudson, through Blue Hawks coach Sharon Graney, who interpreted, said one challenge always was missing: playing against the state's top competition.

"I thought it was really fun. It was really my first experience at this level, so I was really excited I got to do it," said Hudson, who played for the Blue team, a 70-58 winner in the Blue-Gold senior all-star girls basketball game at the Carpenter Center.

The teams consisted of this season's top senior players as selected by the state's head coaches. Delcastle's Thom Quann coached the Blue team.

"At practice the other night, we didn't know what to expect," Quann said of Hudson, a 5-foot-9 forward. "I had never seen her play but I had heard a lot about her. When we saw what she did with the girls at practice, she took everybody in the gym to the basket.

"She was pretty much what we thought [former 76ers forward] Charles Barkley was like. I think it was more than appropriate that she was here, and I wish her all the best. She's a great kid. We loved having her."

Hudson had five points in almost 19 minutes as 20-minute halves were used. Her Blue teammates included Ursuline's Sarah Williams (16 points), who was named Saturday to the All-State team, plus Concord's Amelia Simmons (12 points, nine rebounds), Glasgow's Monique Babes and Tower Hill's Kristin Phillips.

Simmons, Babes and Phillips each made second team All-State.

"I'll really remember the chance to play with players at that level," said Hudson, who this fall will attend Gallaudet University, which serves deaf and hard of hearing students in Washington, D.C.

Hudson has a progressive hearing loss and first attended Delaware School for the Deaf in eighth grade. She hopes to play basketball at Gallaudet.

Said Simmons: "It was fun. She was just like everybody else. I thought it would be different playing with her, but it wasn't."

Simmons made two foul shots for a 25-24 Blue lead with 4:25 left in the first half and Blue never trailed again. Hudson's 3-point play just before halftime made it 41-29.

Gold got as close as 46-45 on Pabnesia Zachary's jumper with 10:52 left in the game. Blue then went on a 11-4 run during which Williams and Phillips combined for seven points.

Contact Buddy Hurlock at 324-2807 or bhurlock@delawareonline.com.

Blue 41 29 -- 70

Gold 31 27 -- 58

BLUE - Babes 4 0-0 8, Nerlinger 0 1-2 1, O'Connor 1 2-2 4, Williams 5 6-10 16, Ford 3 1-4 7, Clifton 0 2-2 2, Malabet 1 0-0 2, McNair 0 1-4 1, Neeman 0 1-4 1, Phillips 1 4-7 6, McCrea 0 0-0 0, Hudson 1 3-5 5, Moon 2 0-0 5, Vodvarka 0 0-0 0, Simmons 3 4-4 12. Totals 21 25-44 70.

GOLD - Williams 1 1-4 3, Sivels 1 1-4 3, Barrett 1 2-2 4, Hurst 2 4-9 8, Younger 1 1-4 3, Crouse 0 1-2 1, Coverdale 2 0-0 5, Methvin 2 1-4 5, Shockley 0 0-0 0, Zachary 2 2-2 6, Hudson 0 0-0 0, M.Johnson 1 1-3 3, T.Johnson 3 3-4 9, Robinson 0 0-0 0, Lee 1 1-3 3. Totals 19 19-40 58.

3-point goals-B 3 (Simmons 2, Moon), G 1 (Coverdale).

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