West finishes off prestigious game with an 11-2 run to steal a high-scoring game in Atlanta.
Video: 2018 Powerade Jam Fest Champion - Zion Williamson
See the viral sensation go off ahead of the McDonald's All-American game.
One highly-regarded Florida guard looked destined to win the top prize at the 41st McDonald's All-American Game Wednesday at the Phillips Arena in Atlanta.
Naismith National Player of the Year
R.J. Barrett, of
Montverde Academy (Montverde, Fla.), told a national television audience on ESPN that it was a dream of his to win the MVP award at the prestigious event which pits the best high school players in the country. He did his part, scoring 24 points on 10 of 14 shooting.
But it was another Florida guard,
Nassir Little, of
Orlando Christian Prep (Orlando, Fla.), who did a little more, leading the West to a 131-128 victory in one of the highest scoring games in the history of the games.
Little, a 6-5 guard, scored 28 points, coming within three points of the McDonald's record of 31 points set by in 1999 by Jonathan Bender, a 141-128 West win in the highest scoring game in the history of the event.
Game MVP Nassir Little goes in for two of his game-high 28 points.
Photo courtesy of McDonald's
Little said he wasn't so focused on winning the game's MVP award. It was more about energy.
"I
think I showed a little bit of everything," he said. "I showed energy. I
showed excitement. I wanted to come out and show I could do enough to
entertain the fans."
The showdown between Little and Barrett could be a sign of things to come. Little is signed to North Carolina; Barrett to Duke.
"This is an individual game but the goal of the game is to win the game," Little told the ESPN audience. "At the end we focused on defense and got some key stops."
There weren't many in this one. Both teams had a variety of stars, including the West's
Jordan Brown, of
Prolific Prep Academy (Napa, Calif.), who had 26 points on 13 of 19 shots and added a team-high eight rebounds. The uncommitted standout from Sacramento had a pair of dunks down the stretch to help key an 11-2 run to close the game.
Other big performances from the West came from
Reggie Perry of
Thomasville (Ga.), who had 15 points and seven rebounds,
Quentin Grimes, of
College Park (The Woodlands, Texas), with 14 points, and
Darius Bazley, of
Princeton (Cincinnati, Ohio) and
Cameron Reddish, of
Westtown (West Chester, Pa.) with 11 each. Reddish added nine of his team's impressive 38 assists.
For the East,
Romeo Langford, of
New Albany (Ind.) had 19 points,
Nazreon Reid, of
Roselle Catholic (Roselle, N.J.) added 15 points and seven rebounds, and
David McCormack, of
Oak Hill Academy (Mouth of Wilson, Va.) contributed 14 points and a game-high 10 rebounds.
Darius Garland, of
Brentwood Academy (Brentwood, Tenn.) had just two points but handed out a game-high 11 assists.
The East lost despite outrebounding the West 62-42.
Slam dunk champion
Zion Williamson of
Spartanburg Day (Spartanburg, S.C.) had eight points and five rebounds in 17 minutes. He left with six minutes left in the game with an injured hand and did not return.
Jordan Brown (21) had 26 points and eight rebounds for the West.
Photo courtesy of McDonald's
RJ Barrett scored a team-high 26 shots and missed just four shots for the East.
Photo courtesy of McDonald's
Keldon Johnson with one of many spectacular dunks Wednesday in the West's 131-128 victory in the 41st annual McDonald's All-American Game.
Photo courtesy of McDonald's
