From the class of indecision, there was little question who was going to win the 38th McDonald's All-American Game Wednesday at the United Center in Chicago.
Uncommitted Cheick Diallo holds up MVP trophy
after leading the East to a 111-91 win in the
38th-annual McDonald's All-American Game.
Photo by John Rowland
Down early and at the start of the second half, the East All-Stars used a 30-10 run in the second half to post an emphatic 111-91 win over the West. Uncommitted
Cheick Diallo led five players in double figures with 18 points and 10 rebounds to earn MVP honors, while Marquette-bound
Diamond Stone and LSU signee
Antonio Blakeney added 14 apiece for the winners.
Arizona-bound
Allonzo Trier had 17 points and
Brandon Ingram added 15 points for the West, which made just 36 of 96 shots (37.5 percent).
"I just wanted to thank my teammates for giving me the ball," said the 6-foot-9, 230-pound Diallo from
Our Savior New American (Centereach, N.Y.). "It's an All-Star game and a team game. … I'm just thankful to be here."
See slideshow of the 2015 McDonald's All American GamesDiallo represented eight players — an unusually high number — who have yet to make their college choices, including
Jaylen Brown (nine points, six rebounds) and
Thomas Bryant (nine points) on the East.
The West featured
Malik Newman, (one point, five assists),
Ivan Rabb (10 points, six rebounds),
Caleb Swanigan, (two points, five rebounds) and
Stephen Zimmerman (six points, six rebounds), who are also uncommitted.
The East was a big favorite not only because it featured the top two recruits, LSU-bound
Ben Simmons (seven points, 10 rebounds) and Brown, but because it won Tuesday's scrimmage by more than 20 points and led by 30 early in the second half.
2015 McDonald's All-American Game boys rosterOn Wednesday, the West took leads of 11-4 and 14-8 before a 6-0 run on buckets from Blakeney, Bacon and Simmons tied the game at 14.
Arizona-bound Allonzo Trier led the West with
17 points.
Photo by John Rowland
The game see-sawed from there before Rabb scored back-to-back hoops to give the West a 25-23 advantage before the East ripped off a 13-1 run.
The West once again responded with its most impressive run, a 10-0 streak that featured emphatic dunks from Zimmerman and
Carlton Bragg (nine points). A dunk by Bragg at the buzzer left the score at 49-46 East heading into the second half.
While the West relied on size, the East eventually wore its opponent down in transition. Diallo typified the East's hustle with a number of putbacks off the break. He had six offensive rebounds.
Florida State-bound Bacon had 12 points and Kentucky-bound
Isaiah Briscoe added 11 for the East. South Carolina signee
Perry Dozier, Jr. added 14 for the West.
The East prevailed despite making just 1 of 16 attempts on 3-pointers. The West was just 6-for-16.
East 111, West 91
EASTJaylen Brown 4-8 1-7 9, Ben Simmons 3-8 1-4 7, Diamond Stone 7-9 0-0 14, Isaiah Brisco 3-7 5-6 11, Antonio Blakeney 6-14 2-4 14, Jawun Evans 1-8 4-4 6, Cheick Diallo 8-14 2-2 18, Dedric Lawson 1-5 0-0 2, Thomas Bryant 4-5 1-1 9, Dwayne Bacon 5-14 2-3 12, Luke Kennard 4-7 0-0 9. Totals 46-99 18-31 111.
WESTIvan Rabb 5-7 0-0 10, Brandon Ingram 6-11 3-4 15, Caleb Swanigan 1-5 0-0 2, Malik Newman 0-7 1-2 1, PJ Dozier 6-11 0-0 14, Malachi Richardson 0-6 0-0 0, Jalen Brunson 2-7 1-2 6, Allonzo Trier 6-18 3-3 17, Deyonta Davis 3-5 0-1 6, Carlton Bragg 3-7 2-4 9, Stephen Zimmerman 3-8 0-0 6, Chase Jeter 1-4 3-4 5. Totals 36-96 13-20 91.
East 49 62 — 111
West 46 45 — 91
3-point shooting: East 1-16 (Kennard), West 6-26 (Dozier 2, Trier 2, Brunson, Bragg).
Rebounds: East 65 (Diallo 10, Simmons 10), West 58 (Davis 9).
Assists: East 21 (Evans 4), West 16 (Newman 5).
Turnovers: East 13, West 17.
Cheick Diallo earned McDonald's MVP after scoring 18 points and posting 10 rebounds while leading the East to victory.
Photo by Chris Stonebraker
Ivan Rabb grabs Jaylen Brown Wednesday during the McDonald's All-American game.
Photo by John Rowland
