Derik Queen's post domination in East victory among five takeaways from McDonald's All American Game

Co-MVP Derik Queen of Montverde Academy (Montverde, Fla.) proved why he's the most dominant post player in high school basketball as the five-star Maryland signee produced 23 points, eight rebounds, five assists and three steals on Tuesday in the 88-86 victory for the East in the McDonald's All American Game.

Boogie Fland of Archbishop Stepinac (White Plains, N.Y.) scored the game-winning layup on a putback after a teammate's miss with 50 seconds remaining to break an 86-all tie. Fland finished with 17 points, five rebounds and three assists in the game and was a key cog in multiple runs on the second unit.

After an 8-0 run gave the East a 55-54 lead with approximately four minutes to go in the third quarter, the West reserves closed the quarter strong as a contested 3-pointer from Donnie Freeman of IMG Academy (Bradenton, Fla.) beat the third-quarter buzzer to give the West a 69-66 lead after three quarters. Here are the five biggest takeaways from the McDonald's All American game.

• The Harper Show: Dylan Harper was in complete control of the East offense throughout his 24-plus minutes of action. He controlled point guard duties for his side to perfection as he posted zero turnovers and shot an efficient 9 of 16 from the field while posting a plus/minus of +11. Harper continued his impressive play against high-level competition as the wide-framed guard and proved why he should make an immediate impact the day he steps on the Rutgers campus.

• Queen of the Court: As mentioned in the opening, Derik Queen proved why he's the most dominant post presence in high school basketball as the skilled big man converted tough basket after tough basket over strong contests by smaller defenders. Queen has arguably been the best player on a 30-0 Montverde Academy squad this season and was unstoppable in the paint in the McDonald's game. With the reliance on a strong post game at the college level, look for Queen to flourish for the Terps next season.

• Boogie Down Bronx: Along with scoring the game-winning basket with just under one minute remaining, Boogie Fland was a key piece in helping the East stay within striking distance. Fland was the most reliable player off the bench for the East and was the most impactful player in multiple runs for the reserves. He played with the first unit for the majority of the second half to help his side complete the impressive comeback victory.

• Top Prospects Offensive Struggles: Both of the top two prospects in the Class of 2024 saw there fair share of struggles putting the ball in the basket in the contest. Top-ranked prospect Cooper Flagg of Montverde Academy finished with eight points, six rebounds and three assists on 3 of 9 from the field and 1 of 4 from 3-point range. No. 2-ranked senior Ace Bailey of McEachern (Powder Springs, Ga.) tallied six points, five rebounds and two assists while shooting 2 of 7 from the field and 0 of 3 from range. Although the body of work for both players is strong, the struggles scoring in the half court were evident each of the highly regarded prospects Tuesday night.

• Defensive Showdown: In one of the lowest scoring McDonald's All-American Games in recent memory, both teams locked up on the defensive end to hold their opponent under 90 points in the typically high-scoring all-star showcase. Outside of a few transition dunks, many of the shot attempts came in the half-court sets with strong contests. Both teams appeared to be locked in on the defensive end and eager to prove that this game was more than just another high-flying all-star game that would see 300 points combined like many recent NBA all-star games. Easy buckets were hard to come by in Houston.