DENVER (March 31, 2012) - The White Team prevailed in the Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) High School All-America Game presented by NIKE, earning the win with a 74-62 decision. The game - played on the NCAA® Women's Final Four® court for the third consecutive year - featured the nation's top 20 high school seniors showcased in front of family, fans and current collegiate coaches in Denver.
RUSSELL ATHLETIC/WBCA National High School Coach of the Year Marcia Pinder of Dillard High School (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.) navigated from the sideline for the White Team. From the tip, her squad controlled the game, taking a 10-4 lead just five minutes after the jump. The White Team continued its dominance throughout the first half, leading 41-25 at the break.
Niles West High School (Lincolnwood, Ill.) standout Jewell Loyd led the White Team's efforts at half with 16 points and five boards. The future Notre Dame Fighting Irish was named the team's Most Valuable Player after an 18-point, three-assist final performance.
Nicole Kornet, a native of Lantana, Texas (Liberty Christian School), led the Navy Team in scoring at the break with six points and three steals. Named the Navy Team MVP, the Oklahoma-bound recruit finished the game with 12 points, three steals and an assist.
Piloting the Navy Team was Suzanne Oelschlegel of MacArthur High School (Irving, Texas.) Her team finished the contest with 62 points on 23 made baskets and five three-pointers. Oelschlegel's squad boasted a 61.1 free-throw percentage and shot 31.5 percent from the field. The team saw three players reach double-digit scoring - Alexis Jones (11), Nirra Fields (14) and Kornet (12.) Jones also added four assists.
The White Team shot 45 percent from the field, netting 27 of 60 attempts, and hit 12 of 16 free throws as well as eight shots from beyond the three-point arc. Three players scored in double digits - Jonquel Jones (14), State Farm®/WBCA High School Player of the Year Breanna Stewart (10) and Loyd (18) - and each member of the team got on the board with two or more points.
More highlights from the game include Stewart's four blocked shots, Malina Howard's three blocked shots and Moriah Jefferson's four assists. The teams combined for 25 assists.
This year marked the 21st year the WBCA High School All-America Game has been played. The inaugural WBCA High School All-America Game was played April 17, 1992, at Oman Arena in Jackson, Tenn.
About Nike:
NIKE, Inc. based near Beaverton, Oregon, is the world's leading designer, marketer and distributor of authentic athletic footwear, apparel, equipment and accessories for a wide variety of sports and fitness activities. Wholly owned Nike subsidiaries include Converse Inc., which designs, markets and distributes athletic footwear, apparel and accessories; Cole Haan, which designs, markets and distributes luxury shoes, handbags, accessories and coats; Umbro Ltd., a leading United Kingdom-based global football (soccer) brand; and Hurley International LLC, which designs, markets and distributes action sports and youth lifestyle footwear, apparel and accessories. For more information, visit www.nikebiz.com.
About the WBCA:
Founded in 1981, the Women's Basketball Coaches Association promotes women's basketball by unifying coaches at all levels to develop a reputable identity for the sport and to foster and promote the development of the game as a sport for women and girls. For more information on the WBCA, please visit wbca.org.
Box Score
