Look: Ace Bailey, nation's No. 2 prospect, drills tough game-winner at Bass Pro Shop Tournament of Champions
Ace Bailey called game. The nation's No. 2 overall prospect rose up and hit a baseline jumper in the face of two contesting defenders to life nationally ranked McEachern (Georgia) to a 61-59 win over Edmond North (10-2) on Saturday in Springfield, Missouri.
The 6-foot-9, 210-pound senior forward, who is committed to Rutgers, finished with 31 points, 16 rebounds and three 3-pointers and played all 32 minutes to secure third place in the Bass Pro Shops Tournament of Champions, a popular long-running elite high school basketball showcase.
Watch the shot for yourself:
McEachern three-star point guard Jaye Nash also chipped in 15 points.
With the win, McEachern, the No. 25 ranked team in the nation (SBLive/SI), moves to 13-4 on the season and sets up an intriguing Power 25 matchup against No. 16 Harvard Westlake (California) on Monday at HoopHall in Springfield, Massachusetts. That game will be televised on ESPNU.
A reported 9,910 attendees were counted at the event's championship Saturday.
Bailey, the nation's No. 2 prospect and No. 1 small forward in 2024 (Rivals), has been tremendous all year. He had 41 points and 26 rebounds in a win over Pebblebrook (Georgia) in December, a 19 and 13 outing on Jan. 7 and a 30-point game Thursday at Bass Pro Shops TOC.
He was announced this week as one of the USA Basketball selections in the prestigious Nike Hoop Summit in April.
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-- Andy Buhler | andy@scorebooklive.com | @sblivesports
Lead photo by Nate Latsch.
