ST. LOUIS - Paul Pierce scored the most points, and Ron Mercer might've had the biggest name, but Kevin Garnett stole the show in yesterday's McDonald's All American High School Basketball game.
Garnett of Chicago's Farragut Academy scored 18 points and grabbed 11 rebounds, leading the West to a 126-115 victory over the East.
The East's Wayne Turner, who has orally committed to UK, scored 9 points and dished out 3 assists, but made just 4-of-11 shots. Turner was 1-for-2 from three-point range.
But the highlight was Garnett, a 6-foot-11 center who has yet to decide where - or if - he will play college ball. He earned the Wooden Award as the game's most valuable player. The award is named after former UCLA basketball coach John Wooden, who watched the game from courtside.
Wooden was joined on the sidelines by a host of NBA scouts who came to watch Garnett in action. Garnett could become the first player since Shawn Kemp to go straight from high school to the NBA.
"I didn't put any pressure on myself," Garnett said. "I am not going out there to put on a show. If they like what they see, fine. If they don't, I am not going to change anything. I'm just going to work harder."
The West's Pierce of Inglewood (Calif.) High scored a game-high 28 points. He was one of eight players in double figures for the West. Mercer, a Nashville native who played at Virginia's Oak Hill Academy, scored 19 points to lead the East.
UK still is recruiting Mercer, who hit 7-of-9 shots, including all four of his three-point attempts. Another undecided player still considering UK, 6-11 Randell Jackson, scored 13 points and collected 5 rebounds.
Pierce was one of three West players whose uniform was either misplaced or stolen prior to the game. That forced the West team to duplicate numbers, adding confusion to an already fast-paced game.
Trailing 63-56 at halftime, the East cut the deficit to 77-73 when Shareef Abdur-Rahim of Wheeler High School in Marietta, Ga., scored from inside. But that was as close as the East would come.
B.J. McKie of Irmo, S.C., hit a 3-pointer, making it 80-73. After a basket by Albert White of Inkster, Mich., McKie was fouled and made two free throws, giving the West an 84-75 lead with 11:45 left.
An 11-3 run, highlighted by a 3-pointer by Garnett, gave the West a 100-84 lead.
By winning, the West tied the series 9-9.
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