By ALEC ETHEREDGE | Chief Editor

Two local basketball players will have the opportunity to play one last game as All-Stars.

Pelham’s Michael “MJ” Jones and Spain Park’s Colin Turner were named to the Alabama All-Star Team on Tuesday, February 22.

The two seniors will be two members of a 12-man All-Star team that will face Mississippi in the 32nd annual Alabama-Mississippi All-Star basketball game on Saturday, March 12.

The game, which will be played in Hinds, Mississippi at Mississippi College, will feature a boy versus girl matchup of top players from each state.

Jones, a senior at Pelham, spent four years in the county as a starter between two schools, including three at Montevallo. He then moved to Pelham to join Greg Dickinson, who coached Jones as a child and coached him his first two years at Montevallo.

One of County’s leading scorers in four years as a starter, Jones averaged nearly 25 points per game as a senior, while adding nearly four rebounds and assists in addition to three steals in every game.

He helped lead Pelham to the Sweet 16 for the third consecutive year this season, while the Panthers also won the region’s championship.

Turner, who still plays with Spain Park in the Final Four, has been a force at the post for the Jaguars for two years.

Last year, he averaged 10.8 points and 5.1 rebounds per game to help lead the Jaguars to the Final Four.

This year, he took on an even bigger role and averaged nearly a double-double while leading the Jags to the Final Four again.

Turner is currently committed to North Georgia for college basketball, while Jones still hasn’t decided where he’ll play at the next level with several offers to ponder.

The two local players will join a talented squad that includes Barry Dunning of McGill-Toolen, Kolby Horace of Spanish Fort, Rylan Houck of Oxford, Anthony Johnson of midfielder, Efrem Johnson, Jr. of Grissom, Jacari Lane of Lee -Huntsville, Martavious Russell from Sipsey Valley, Corey from Hueytown. Stephenson, Elijah Terry from Enterprise and Knute Wood from Brooks.

Thompson head coach Dru Powell will also join the three-man coaching staff as a team administrator.

Last year’s boys game was a thrilling battle until the end with Mississippi winning 93-91. Alabama holds a 16-15 advantage in the all-time series.