Larenzo Jerkins, Joanie Quinn headline 37th annual All-Star Labor Classic

The gym at Holy Family University was buzzing with excitement Sunday afternoon as hundreds gathered for the 37th annual All-Star Labor Classic, a high school basketball showcase that featured some of the city’s and suburbs’ top boys’ and girls’ players.

At the end of the doubleheader, Larenzo Jerkins, a senior forward at Neumann Goretti, was mobbed on the court by his City teammates.

“They don’t give out an MVP trophy?” Jerkins jokingly asked as he shrugged his shoulders.

The West Chester University-bound Jerkins starred with his performance: 18 points, seven rebounds, four assists, and two blocks.

He generated the loudest applause of the day with a three-pointer from the half-court logo, but it was his clutch play later in the game that catapulted his team in thrilling fashion. With City trailing the Suburbs by two with less than a minute remaining, Jerkins sized up his opposition from the top of the arc before he drove to his left. The Suburb boys crashed the paint with extra defenders, and Jerkins zipped a pass to the right corner and into the hands of a wide-open Anthony Lilly (Father Judge), who drained the go-ahead three-pointer.

The City Boys held on to win, 96-95.

“I already knew I had some points, so I didn’t want to be selfish,” Jerkins said. “When I saw the [Suburbs] clogged up, I knew somebody is going to be open. I saw [Lilly] with the green light, so I just threw it right to him.

“It was beautiful to see this type of environment. I haven’t played in a bit because of an ankle injury, but to come out and see the faces of guys I’ve been competing with this whole time … we’re here to celebrate everyone’s accomplishments. It was fun.”

After he transferred from Chester, Jerkins averaged 15.9 points, 10.5 rebounds, 2.1 assists, 1.9 steals, and 1.5 blocks during his senior season. Neumann Goretti fell to Scranton Prep, 76-75, in the quarterfinal round of the PIAA Class 4A playoffs, despite Jerkins’ team-high 25 points.

Jerkins, who plans to major in psychology, said his biggest point of emphasis was proving to evaluators that he possessed versatility in his skill set. With his commitment to West Chester, Jerkins has opted to stay close to home for now, although he plans to reevaluate his options again around this time next year.

“I get to spend an extra year staying close and cherishing the relationships with my family,” Jerkins said. “Because if I did go D-I, I would be redshirting for sure, just to catch up with my skill level and IQ with everything.

“I’m looking forward to becoming more intelligent and falling more in love with the game of basketball. I know these days is where it’s going to start counting and it will go a long way into factoring whether or not I go pro down the line and whatever comes after West Chester. It’s going to be more competitive, and I’ve got to excel. I need to prove that I’m not just an average player.”

» READ MORE: Neumann Goretti’s Larenzo Jerkins had to sit out last season. Now he wants to make a difference.

Cardinal O’Hara senior Joanie Quinn entered Sunday with one plan in mind.

“Let it fly,” she told herself.

The La Salle-bound shooting guard cashed in on her own promise as Quinn opened the girls’ game with her long three-pointer to give her City team early momentum.

The City Girls defeated the Suburbs, 49-46, and Quinn finished as the game’s leading scorer with 11 points. She also had three assists and four rebounds.

“It’s so fun to play with the people I’ve played against and with over the past few years,” Quinn said. “I came here and just wanted to shoot. I’ve got to get used to the college three-point line, so why not start now?”

Quinn is next in line to join a rich family lineage at La Salle. Her mother, Joanie Gallagher, said the family consists of more than two dozen La Salle alumni.

Gallagher played college basketball at Boston College. While she aspired to attend La Salle, she never received an offer from the program. She described it as a full-circle moment for her daughter to be attending her “dream school.”

“I’m so proud of her efforts,” Gallagher said. “She’s always been a kid that grinds and works so hard. She has so many ties to La Salle. She always wanted to play in the Big 5 and stay close to home. I wanted to stay local … but I’m glad that she’s going to fulfill that dream.”

Her childhood home will be about a 30-minute drive from her new dorm room in North Philadelphia, but Quinn won’t need to look far to find family. An aunt, Kathleen Kamper, is a history professor at La Salle.

“I’m really happy that I’m going to be so close to home,” Quinn said. “It’s going to be a big change because it’s high school to college; there’s a lot of big change with speed, especially defensively. I also want to extend my own range and get into shape.”

Quinn served as a pivotal player for Cardinal O’Hara, which toppled Spring-Ford, 42-26, to win the PIAA Class 6A title. Quinn led all scorers in the championship game with 16, including 14 in the second half.

» READ MORE: Cardinal O’Hara earns third PIAA girls’ title in four years after defeating Spring-Ford

Quinn, who is undecided between pursuing her degree in English or political science, hopes her success translates at the next level.

“I think my biggest adversity in high school was lack of confidence,” she said. “I didn’t play much my freshman or sophomore year. So I knew if I wanted to play in college, I had to have a good junior and senior year. Going from not really playing to leading and shooting a lot to leading us in scoring, it helped a lot with my confidence.

“I’m about to close out high school and I loved every single moment. I’m looking forward to the next thing. Hopefully I love La Salle as much as I love high school. I’m really excited.”