Texas’ Player of the Year lived up to that billing in her final high school game.

Nneka Ogwumike, who led Cy-Fair’s girls basketball team to this year’s state championship, had nine points and six rebounds Wednesday night as the West team defeated the East 80-64 in the McDonald’s All-American Game at the Bradley Center in Milwaukee.

The Stanford commit was 4-of-6 from the floor in 19 minutes, 35 seconds of play.

Cinco Ranch’s Briana Gilbreath, a USC commit, had eight points, two rebounds and two assists in 15 minutes, 50 seconds.

Ogwumike, the Texas Association of Basketball Coaches’ Player of the Year and Miss Basketball Honoree, had a standout week. Earlier in the week, she teamed with UCLA signee Jrue Holliday from Chatsworth, Calif. to win the Team Ball Competition. They combined to score 35 points.

“We were just having fun,” Holiday said after the event. “Our strategy? It was to win.”

“It’s as simple as it gets,” Ogwumike added.

Ogwumike nearly became the only girl to enter the slam-dunk contest but eventually pulled out.

Four Texans were chosen for the West team. Joining Ogwumike and Gilbreath were Brooklyn Pope from Fort Worth Dunbar, a Rutgers signee, and Destini Hughes of Fort Worth Kennedale, a guard and LSU commit.

Pope led the West team with 13 points.

“On the first day we met these kids, we got the idea they thought they were underdogs,” West coach Tom Klawitter told reporters after the game. “Everything we talked about in practice, they listened to us in terms of how they could use it to show they were good enough. And then they went out there and showed it.”

Subscribe to this comment's feed