A standout performance by Connecticut signee Christyn Williams led the West team to victory in the girls McDonald’s All-American game at Philips Arena on Wednesday night.
Williams, a 5-foot-11 guard from Little Rock, Ark., scored 22 points with 12 rebounds – both game highs – for the victorious West team. Williams is rated the top prospect in the senior class and also was recently named the Gatorade national player of the year. Her scoring total, on 9-for-16 shooting (4-for-5 from 3-point range) tied for the third highest total in the 17-year history of the girls All-American game.
Playing before an ESPN2 audience, Williams showed off an all-court game, hitting from the outside, driving to the basket and handing out four assists.
“The last few weeks have been crazy,” Williams said. “I’m just very grateful to receive all these awards. It’s a basketball player’s dream. I’ve worked so hard to receive all these accolades and I guess it’s reality now.”
Of the four players with in-state ties, forward Olivia Nelson-Ododa, a Connecticut signee from Winder-Barrow High, made the biggest impact. Nelson-Ododa scored eight points with eight rebounds (the latter was the team high) in 22 minutes. Guard Jenna Brown, from the Lovett School, had three deft assists, two on consecutive possessions in the second quarter that was part of a 6-0 run for the East team. Brown, a Stanford signee, was cheered on by Lovett teammates decked out in Stanford t-shirts.
“It was a really cool atmosphere,” Brown said. “I had a lot of friends and family in the stands. It was really great playing with these players. Obviously, wanted to get the win but it didn’t work out that way.”
Georgia Tech’s two signees, guard Elizabeth Balogun of Chattanooga, Tenn., and forward Elizabeth Dixon of Memphis, Tenn., played for the West team. Dixon scored four points with five rebounds and a pair of assists. Balogun scored three on a 3-pointer.
“I just wanted to show my whole game, show I can do all of this, but I know that I still have a lot of work to do when I get to Georgia Tech,” Dixon said.
Playing rotations prevented the two from playing together.
“I wanted to be on the floor with her, but it’s O.K. becaucse I know we both did our thing,” Dixon said. “We both played pretty good, so I’m proud of her.”
About the Author
Keep Reading
The Latest
Featured
