McDonald’s All American basketball game produces good moments for Duke, UNC fans
Duke fans must have liked what they saw from Blue Devil commit Cooper Flagg.
And North Carolina commit Ian Jackson gave Tar Heel followers plenty to smile about.
But it was a trio of Big Ten commits who stole the show Tuesday night, as the East rallied for an 88-86 victory against the West in the 47th McDonald’s All American boys’ all-star game.
Earlier Tuesday, two-time Ms. N.C. Basketball Sarah Strong earned most valuable player honors in leading the East over the West 98-74 in the girls’ all-star game at the Toyota Center in Houston.
The annual meeting of top high school seniors produced the usual number of offensive highlight reel plays. But the boys’ contest seemed to have an unusually high level of defensive intensity for an all-star game.
The winning points came with 38 seconds remaining, on a tip-in by Kentucky commit Boogie Bland. The game’s final shot, with one second left, was a 3-pointer from Texas-bound Tre Johnson. His shot bounced off the back of the rim.
So here are some highlights from the boys’ game:
Cooper Flagg report: Flagg, a 6-foot-9 forward and the nation’s No. 1 recruit this year, had a slow start but finished with eight points, six rebounds, three assists, a spectacular block, and a number of smart defensive plays.
Flagg and fellow Duke commit Isaiah Evans, of North Mecklenburg, connected on several scoring plays Sunday in a scrimmage between the East and West, but the two future Blue Devils weren’t as successful Tuesday night.
Evans went scoreless, going 0-for-6 from the floor.
Ian Jackson steps up: Jackson, a 6-5 guard who will play with the Tar Heels, scored 21 points. He played a big role in the East’s comeback, scoring 12 of his points in the fourth quarter.
Those Big Ten recruits: A pair of Rutgers commits, Dylan Harper and Ace Bailey, and Maryland commit Derik Queen were the game’s standouts. Harper finished with 22 points, six rebounds, and five assists. Bailey was held to six points, but he played lock-down defense on Flagg. Queen led the East with a game-high 23 points.
Harper and Queen shared most valuable player honors in the game.
East battles back: The West led 21-16 after the first quarter, 44-37 at halftine and was up 42-25 wioth 3:58 remaining in the half. Fland, who has committed to Kentucky, ignited the East’s rally with a pair of 3-pointers.
The East finally pulled ahead 55-54 late in the game on a dunk by the Flagg. That capped an 8-0 East run.
The West battled back and led by as much as 74-68 with 6:39 remaining, but the East rallied again once again and pulled in front, 77-76, on a 3-pointer by Jackson.
Carolinas’ flavor in girls’ game: There was a strong Carolinas’ presence in the girls’ game.
Strong, who played at Grace Christian School, shared most valuable player honors with Joyce Edwards, from Camden, S.C.
Strong, who remains uncommitted, finished with 11 points and 12 rebounds. Edwards, who has committed to South Carolina, finished with 19 points.
North Pitt’s Zam Jones, an N.C. State commit, finished with 13 points.
The East surged to a 32-19 first-quarter lead and was up 50-34 at the half.
