MARION – Playing in a game that featured very little defense, Mason Plumlee made sure there was plenty of offensive highlights. Participating in the ACC Barnstorming Tour’s game at Marion High School’s Bill Green Arena Monday night, Plumlee scored a tour-record 61 points, leading the ACC stars to a 167-161 win over a team of standouts from teams in Indiana. “These games are fun,” said Plumlee, who grew up in Warsaw and who was an All-American this season for coach Mike Krzyzewski and the Duke Blue Devils. “It’s fun to come out and see the fans and just have fun with the other players. We play against these guys during the season, and to play them in a game like this is always fun.” Angelo Sharpless, who plays for Elizabeth City State University, scored 37 points as a member of the ACC stars, while North Carolina State’s Scott Wood, a Marion High School grad, scored 30 points. The stars from Indiana were led by a trio of Indiana Hoosiers. Derek Elston scored 43 points, while Jordy Hulls added 33 points and Christian Watford finished with 23. “We put these games together as a way to say thank you to the fans,” said tour organizer Michael Sumner. “We give some of the proceeds to the Boys & Girls Club, and we give to the Ronald McDonald House. Not only is it exciting for the fans to see the players, it’s also for a good cause.” The tour, now in its 35th season, made a stop last year at Grace College’s Orthopaedic Capital Center, as former Duke player and Warsaw native Miles Plumlee and former North Carolina star Tyler Zeller stole the show. Monday night, Mason Plumlee and Sharpless stole the show with an array of thunderous dunks. The 6-foot-4 Sharpless wowed the crowd by winning the dunk contest at halftime as he leaped over the 6-11 Plumlee. Wood won the three-point shooting contest. According to Sumner, Plumlee is the first player in the 35-year history of the tour to score 60 points. Plumlee’s 61 points broke the previous record set by the late Len Bias. “Mason put on a show tonight,” said Sumner. “We’ve had some pretty big names in these games. Len Bias scored 51 points in a game. Michael Jordan scored 48. Mason is the first to score 60.”
