McDonald's All-American Game 2015: Score, Highlights and Twitter Reaction

All day long, anticipation ran high as fans awaited consensus top-ranked player Ben Simmons' national showcase. For a while, the LSU commit showed exactly why many think he'll vault the Tigers into the SEC championship picture.

But when it came down to winning the game, Cheick Diallo stole the show. The undecided big man scored 18 points and had 10 rebounds, earning game MVP honors while leading the East to a 111-91 victory over the West at the 2015 McDonald's All-American Game Tuesday night in Chicago.

Diallo used his length and energy to get involved early. He was on the other end of a number of open-court passes and was dominant near the boards, leaping above taller players on the other side. By the time halftime hit, Diallo was nearing a double-double, and there was little question as to who'd be receiving the sideline interview.

The No. 6 overall prospect in 247Sports' composite rankings, who has narrowed his choices down to Iowa State, Kansas, Kentucky, Pittsburgh and St. John’s, said he will wait to make a decision in order to better assess where he can get the most playing time.

"I don't want to go to some school and play like...20 minutes," Diallo said, per Ben Roberts of the Herald-Leader. "I want to go to school to play more time."

ESPN's Paul Biancardi pointed out Diallo's uncommon drive:

Diallo was one of five East players who scored in double figures. Maryland commit Diamond Stone and LSU commit Antonio Blakeney each had 14 points, Dwayne Bacon had 12 and Isaiah Briscoe had 11.

Stone was the most effective of the four on a per-shot basis, knocking down seven of his nine attempts as the recipient of a number of nice underneath dishes. The future Terrapin was one of the most efficient players on a night when shooting did not come at a premium.

ESPN College BBall illustrated Stone's prowess:

"

Maryland fans, get ready for Diamond Stone! #McDAAG http://t.co/0PWFDsNNgQ

— ESPN College BBall (@ESPNCBB) April 2, 2015"

The East won despite making just one of 16 attempts from beyond the three-point line. The West wasn't much better, shooting 6-of-26. South Carolina commit P.J. Dozier was the only player who made at least half of his three-point attempts; Allonzo Trier was the only other player to knock down multiple threes.

Trier, who had 17 points for the West, was the game's most trigger-happy player with 18 shots. He was joined by Brandon Ingram (15 points), Dozier (14) and Ivan Rabb (10) among the West's double-figure scorers. 

Aggressive from the beginning, Ingram was out to prove he's one of the most dynamic scorers in this class. He went into the locker room with a game-high 13 points on 10 shots—only two other players (Diallo and Trier) had taken more than six—while also aggressively working the offensive boards. A late bloomer who has fast risen up the prospect rankings, Ingram has been impressive all week and seems to thrive on the added attention.

Ben Roberts of the Herald-Leader commented on Ingram's play:

"Being 6'9" and being able to play guard, not many guys can do that. And I use it to my advantage," Ingram said, per Roberts. "Every coach that I've talked to told me that I'm unique. They just said to use it—when smaller guys come out, shoot over the top of them. And when bigger guys come out, just go right by them."

While a showcase for fast risers like Ingram and Diallo, the night was a bit of a mixed bag for the most high-profile names in the game.

Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images

Simmons, who is already viewed as a borderline lock atop the 2016 NBA draft, had seven points, 10 rebounds and three assists. He was impressively unselfish throughout, not using the national audience as an opportunity to reaffirm his status. Things weren't perfect when he was aggressive offensively either, as he shot 3-of-8 from the field and knocked down one of four free throws.

ESPN's Jeff Borzello noted Simmons' uncanny court vision:

That said, the otherwise shrug-worthy game won't temper the enthusiasm in Baton Rouge. Along with Simmons and Blakeney, the Tigers are hoping for a third McDonald's All-American commit in Malik Newman.

"I feel like the players we have coming in (to LSU) are better than the players they have coming in," Blakeney said, referring to Kentucky, per Greg Bates of MaxPreps. "Then the players we have that are staying are better than the players that they've got. Shoot, we could have beat them. We lost by two."

The class' No. 4 overall player, Newman was another who didn't come away with an ideal stat line. He finished with one point after missing all seven of his shot attempts, adding a game-high five assists to make his night look a little better overall. 

Also turning in quieter-than-expected performances were Jaylen Brown, who had nine points and six rebounds but went 1-of-7 from the line, touted center Stephen Zimmerman and Oklahoma State commit Jawun Evans.

Overall, though, there was little to complain about—especially if you're the team that winds up signing Diallo.

Follow Tyler Conway (@tylerconway22) on Twitter. All recruit rankings via 247Sports.