South Carolina standout and MaxPreps National Female Athlete of the Year shines as next generation of women's stars take stage in Houston.
A day after a watershed moment for women's basketball, the next generation of the game's greats took center stage at the McDonald's All American game.
Joyce Edwards of
Camden (S.C.) scored a game-high 19 points to lead the East to a 98-74 win over the West on Tuesday in Houston's Toyota Center.
The annual contest of the best high school seniors showed there's no letting off the gas as the 24 players selected for the 21st edition put on a clinic in Houston.
The East led from the onset, taking leads of 32-19 after the first quarter and building it to 50-34 at intermission. They led 73-56 after three quarter as the only suspense was whether they'd crack the century mark at the end of regulation.
Here are five takeaways from the McDonald's All American game.
Syla Swords of Long Island Lutheran helped the East to a 98-74 win over the West on Tuesday in the McDonald's All American game in Houston. Swords was one of three LuHi players named to the game along with Kate Koval and Kayleigh Heckel. (Photo: Darin Sicurello)
For the first time on the women's side three teammates took the court as No. 1
Long Island Lutheran (Brookville, N.Y.) saw
Syla Swords,
Kate Koval and
Kayleigh Heckel not only make the squad, but start.
The Crusaders' trio, who will look to guide them to a Chipotle Nationals title later this week, were a force throughout the contest. Swords scored 12 points while Heckel had nine and Koval eight. Beyond the scoring, however, their impression on the game was felt as the familiarity between the three seemed to help the East get in rhythm.
The game was played with high-level passing throughout, but two instances of knowing your high school teammate played into the LuHi girls' hands. After a Swords steal, she hit Koval in transition for an easy bucket. On another trip, Swords had the ball on the wing and placed a great entry pass into Koval, who found
Zamareya Jones of
North Pitt (Bethel, N.C.) for a wide-open 3-pointer as the defense collapsed.
• Dropping dimes: One of the most impressive things about Caitlin Clark's game, beyond the logo 3-pointers, is her ability to find teammates with amazing passes.
The highlight reel dish of the night, however, might have been between two future Michigan stars, Swords and
Olivia Olson of
Benilde-St. Margaret's (St. Louis Park, Minn.). As Olson brought the ball up and into the lane in transition, she shoveled a no-look pass to Swords around a collapsing defender.
• Sharpshooters: As the game becomes positionless, more players are honing their shooting skills. That was evident in the number of players firing 3-pointers.
Strong, the top recruit in the Class of 2024 who is down to a final three between UConn, Duke and North Carolina, showed out early with a pair of first-quarter triples and added a deep ball in the second period. Koval, the Notre Dame-bound center for LuHi, even stepped out with a top-of-the-key triple.
N.C. State commit Jones showed out as well from range. She hit a pair of fourth-quarter 3-pointers, including one from the Adidas logo.
Mikayla Blakes of
Rutgers Prep (Somerset, N.J.) also drained a pair from downtown for six of her 13 points.
Kennedy Smith of No. 2
Etiwanda (Calif.) had 15 points to lead the West, including 11 in the second half. She canned a trio of three-balls in the second half.
• Edwards takes over: The MaxPreps National Female Athlete of the Year showed why she was a highly-coveted recruit who chose to stay in-state and play for Dawn Staley at South Carolina. The Camden standout who earned all-state honors last year in basketball, volleyball and soccer scored eight points in the third period for the East. She hit from midrange, scored on putbacks, ran the floor and showcased an all-around game that will no doubt translate to the next level.
• Living up to the legacy: O'Neal, the youngest child of Shaquille O'Neal, had a standout performance on Tuesday with 12 points. Her father was a McDonald's All American in 1989 and was named co-MVP of that game along with Bobby Hurley. Me'Arah, headed to Florida, was 4 of 6 shooting with six rebounds, two steals and two assists.
2024 McDonald's All Americans
East rosterMikayla Blakes, Rutgers Prep (Somerset, N.J.)
5-10 | Guard | Vanderbilt
Kendall Dudley, Sidwell Friends (Washington, D.C.)
6-2 | Guard | UCLA
Joyce Edwards, Camden (S.C.)
6-2 | Forward | South Carolina
Kayleigh Heckel, Long Island Lutheran (Brookville, N.Y.)
5-9 | Guard | USC
Zamareya Jones, North Pitt (Bethel, N.C.)
5-7 | Guard | N.C. State
Kate Koval, Long Island Lutheran
6-4 | Center | Notre Dame
Maddy McDaniel, Bishop McNamara (Forestville, Md.)
5-9 | Guard | South Carolina
Olivia Olson, Benilde-St. Margaret's (St. Louis Park, Minn.)
6-1 | Guard | Michigan
Zania Socka, Sidwell Friends
6-3 | Forward | UCLA
Sarah Strong, Grace Christian (Sanford, N.C.)
6-2 | Forward | Uncommitted
Syla Swords, Long Island Lutheran
6-0 | Wing | Michigan
Berry Wallace, Pickerington Central (Pickerington, Ohio)
6-1 | Wing | Illinois
West roster
Imari Berry, Clarksville (Tenn.)
5-10 | Guard | Clemson
Jaloni Cambridge, Montverde Academy (Montverde, Fla.)
5-6 | Guard | Ohio State
Justice Carlton, Seven Lakes (Katy, Texas)
6-2 | Forward | Texas
Morgan Cheli, Archbishop Mitty (San Jose, Calif.)
6-2 | Guard | UConn
Avery Howell, Boise (Idaho)
5-11 | Guard | USC
Jordan Lee, St. Mary's (Stockton, Calif.)
6-0 | Wing | Texas
Alivia McGill, Hopkins (Minnetonka, Minn.)
5-9 | Guard | Florida
Me'Arah O'Neal, Episcopal (Bellaire, Texas)
6-3 | Center | Florida
Mackenly Randolph, Sierra Canyon (Chatsworth, Calif.)
6-0 | Forward | Uncommitted
Arianna Roberson, Clark (San Antonio, Texas)
6-4 | Forward | Duke
Kennedy Smith, Etiwanda (Calif.)
6-1 | Wing | USC
Allie Ziebell, Neenah (Wis.)
5-10 | Guard | UConn
