Day 4 of the McDonald's High School All American Games from Columbus, Ohio

by  Aaron Canada and Sean Frye VA Elite Hoops.com Media - March 29, 2010

Event Photo for your Viewing Pleasure

Day Four: The fourth and final day of McDonald's All American Game Week proved to bethe most exciting, with the two games taking place at Ohio State University's Value City Arena. The big news coming into the two contests was the overnight development of an apparent foodborne illness in Columbus, Ohio's own Jared Sullinger. Sullinger, by his own admission, was barely able to crawl out of bed the morning of the games, and was considered a game-time
decision.

An eager crowd began to file into the arena around 5pm, and were quickly met with some outstanding entertainment from a local high school choral group with their breathtaking rendition of "God Bless America," followed by the
delivery of the game balls to center court by three Army sergeants rappelling from the rafters.

Though D.C. native Ronika Ransford didn't have a stellar outing (1-4 from the floor, with only 2 points and 2 turnovers), her East teammate Natasha Howard -- a Toledo, Ohio native -- shot 3 of 5 from beyond the arch, and posted 20 points, with a game-high 5 assists, and a team-high 9 rebounds, garnering the game's co-MVP Award. Sharing the award for the West team was Cibolo, Texas-native Meighan Simmons, who posted a game-high 21 points in just 14 minutes, going 6-6 from the free throw line.

On the strength of Simmons' performance, the West team walked away with an 84-75 victory. With the first game in the books, and even more fans finding their seats, it was time for the boys' game which was set to be broadcast live on ESPN.

Anxious Buckeye fans had their fears put to rest as Jared Sulllinger emerged from the locker room, looking fit and ready to play. And play he did.

Shooting 63% from the floor, a perfect 6-6 from the free throw line, and posting 22 points with 7 rebounds and 3 steals, he was the runaway favorite for the East team's MVP Award. His performance, combined with the exemplary
efforts of co-MVP Harrison Barnes, made for an electric evening, capped off by a game-winning 3-ptr. by Brandon Knight with 3 seconds left on the clock to post a 107-104 victory for the boys from the West. The shot was more than
enough to make fans forget Knight's subpar outing, shooting just 27% from the floor with 9 points, 2 rebounds, and 2 assists.

Asked about his evening, Sullinger expressed gratitude to not only the Ohio State fans for their support, but to his teammates for putting him in a position to post such outstanding numbers in front of his hometown crowd.

His kind words were just a small portion of the countless others expressed by the players toward the fans and citizens of Columbus, Ohio. With the outstanding hospitality shown by this city, it's no wonder to this reporter that the McDonald's brass chose it to host this year's competition. We at VA Elite Hoops would like to thank the Blackwell Hotel, several local eateries, the staff at Ohio State's Recreation and Physical Activities Center and the Value City Arena, and the innumerable amount of locals we came into contact with that made our 5-day stay one to remember.

We would also like to send our thoughts and prayers to the volunteers and staff at the Ronald McDonald House, and to all of the families in southern and central Ohio who have had children afflicted with terminal illnesses, and have taken advantage of the services provided by the RMH. The images and stories taken away from this week will stay with us for a lifetime, and for that we will offer our continued support to this valuable and cherished operation.

Photos, videos, interviews and stories are posted at www.vaelitehoops.com, with daily recaps of the week's events compiled in easy to view videos right on the site. We here at VA Elite Hoops hope you've enjoyed this week's coverage as much as we have.