High school basketball: Kiki Rice leads East to girls McDonald's All American Game win

After a two-year hiatus due to COVID-19, the girls McDonald's All America game returned with firepower at Wintrust Arena in Chicago as the East defeated the West 95-75 in the second highest winning score in the 19-game history.

A pair of future UCLA Bruins starred for both teams and earned MVP honors — Kiki Rice of the nation's No. 1 team Sidwell Friends (Washington, District of Columbia) for the East and Gabriela Jaquez of Camarillo (Calif.) for the West.

Both players finished with 17 points to lead their respective teams. Rice, a 5-foot-11 point guard, added five assists and four rebounds for the East, which never trailed and scored 29 points in the second quarter to take complete command. Rice scored on a variety of shots, including three driving baskets that required difficult shots over much taller defenders. "We just focused on our defensive intensity," Rice told an ESPN2 audience. "We came out hard and focused and having a good start. I think we did a good job of executing our game plan."

Talaysia Cooper of East Clarendon (Turbeville, S.C.) and Ta'Niya Latson of American Heritage (Plantation, Fla.) added 15 points apiece for the East and Chance Gray of Winton Woods (Cincinnati) contributed 14. Cooper is headed to South Carolina, Latson to Florida State and Gray to Oregon.

Georgia-bound Janiah Barker of Montverde Academy (Montverde, Fla.) added 12 points and six rebounds for the East, which forced 21 turnovers and had 16 steals, including five by Stanford-signee Indya Nivar of Apex Friendship (Apex, N.C.).

Gray made four 3-pointers and Cooper added three from beyond the arc. In all, the East sank 14 3-pointers to six for the West, while scoring at least 22 points in each quarter. The East shot better on 3s (40 percent) than overall from the field (37 percent).

Jaquez, who gave Rice a big embrace after the game, tried to keep the West in the game with 15 of her game-high totals in the middle three quarters. She also grabbed a game-high nine rebounds. 

She got help from future Oregon State forward Timea Gardiner of Fremont (Plain City, Utah), Baylor-bound Darianna Littlepage-Buggs of Classen SAS (Oklahoma City) and LSU-signee Flau'jae Johnson of Sprayberry (Marietta, Ga.), who combined for 24 points for the West.