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Detroit prep star plays like nation’s best in Fab 48 final

Even if he deserves it, it’s not important to Josh Jackson to be ranked the No. 1 high school basketball player in the nation.

“Not even a little bit,” the 6-foot-7-inch swingman said. “It’s just someone’s opinion.”

Articulate and humble, Jackson impresses on and off the court. He’s not intent on turning any game into a one-man show, although he’s capable of it. He put on a show Sunday, but he also welcomed help from Devon Daniels.

Jackson had 22 points, and Daniels scored 15 to lead 1 Nation (Detroit) to a 56-49 victory over BTI Select (Pasadena, Calif.) in the Las Vegas Fab 48 Invitational Division championship game at Bishop Gorman High School.

“I knew we had to play team basketball,” Jackson said. “No one is really good when you’re trying to play by yourself. You can’t win like that.”

Jackson brought his team back from a 30-17 first-half deficit. He opened the second half with a breakaway dunk, and his 3-pointer put 1 Nation ahead 41-40 with 10:07 remaining. He played point guard for a majority of the second half and also was aggressive on the defensive end by blocking shots and rebounding.

Jackson is ranked by Rivals.com as the top prospect in the 2016 class, but he’s not the consensus No. 1 among recruiting analysts. Harry Giles and Jayson Tatum, a Duke commit, also are considered contenders for the top spot.

Jackson, who attended Prolific Prep in Napa, Calif., as a junior, is being pursued by Arizona, Duke, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisville, Michigan State, North Carolina and UCLA.

Daniels, a 6-5 guard, opened a lot of eyes with his play in Las Vegas and was a big reason 1 Nation won a tournament for the first time on the summer circuit.

“Finish on a good note,” said Daniels, who is drawing interest or offers from DePaul, Kansas State, Minnesota, Texas Christian and Utah, among other programs. “I just play with the team and I played hard, so if people notice me, that’s good. The team looks to me and (Jackson) for leadership, so we both took on that role.”

Jackson’s mother, Apples Jones, was a vocal presence on the bench during the game and shouted at reporters who were attempting to interview him after the game, creating a circus sideshow. Jackson handled himself with class and spoke to the media despite her objections.

“It’s a great tournament, and a lot of great players have come through here,” Jackson said. “It’s humbling to even be brought up with those names. It’s an honor.”

ADIDAS UPRISING SUMMER CHAMPIONSHIPS

Justice Kithcart made the go-ahead free throws with 21 seconds remaining, and Team Loaded Virginia rallied to beat Boston-based Mass Rivals 76-74 in the Gold Division final at Del Sol High School. The game was broadcast live on ESPNU.

Sacha Killeya-Jones came off the bench to score 13 of his team-high 17 points in the second half for Team Loaded Virginia, which trailed by as many as 14 points after halftime.

Mass Rivals led 74-67 with 2:54 left, but Killeya-Jones' putback dunk ignited a game-ending 9-0 run. Killeya-Jones, a 6-foot-10-inch forward, finished 7-for-10 from the floor and added two blocked shots.

"It was a team effort," said Killeya-Jones, who has scholarship offers from Kansas, Kentucky and North Carolina, among others. "We weren't going to give up. We had to come back and fight."

Wenyen Gabriel, who attends the same prep school (Wilbraham & Monson Academy) that produced UNLV sophomore center Goodluck Okonoboh, led Mass Rivals with 21 points and 13 rebounds as several college coaches watched the skilled 6-10 forward from courtside seats.

Gabriel missed two free throws with three seconds to go that would have tied the game at 76.

Reserve Azar Swain scored 11 of his 13 points in the final 3:05 of the first half to help Mass Rivals take a 47-36 lead at the break. Makai Ashton-Langford, one of the East Coast's top point guards in the class of 2017, was limited to 10 points, five rebounds and three assists for Mass Rivals.

Forward Javin DeLaurier, a consensus top-50 player for 2016, had 14 points and eight rebounds for Team Loaded Virginia. His tip in with 1:25 remaining tied the score at 74.

Kithcart finished with 10 points, four assists and three rebounds, and Nick Sherod added 12 points for Team Loaded Virginia.

— David Schoen

LAS VEGAS CLASSIC

Florida State commit Trent Forrest had 24 points and five rebounds to lead the Georgia Stars to a 77-63 win over the Mac Irvin Fire (Ill.) in the championship game of the Platinum Elite bracket at Rancho High School.

Forrest scored 13 points in the second half to help the Stars pull away from a 41-37 halftime lead.

The Stars began the second half on a 13-3 run and never looked back. Raquan Wilkins scored seven of his 12 points during the run for the Stars.

The Fire jumped to an early 18-13 lead, but Forrest's three-point play tied the game, and Nick Hopkins' 3-pointer with about 10 minutes left in the first half gave the Stars the lead for good at 21-18.

Wendell Carter added 13 points and eight rebounds, and Jared Harper scored 10 for the Stars, who held the Fire to 12 points in the paint as 6-10 posts Carter and Abdul Ado and 6-11 Udoka Azubuike (eight points, eight rebounds) clogged the middle.

Christian Negron had 25 points and eight rebounds to lead the Fire, who made 5 of 6 3-pointers to start the game before cooling off from the perimeter. Charles Moore and Justin Smith each scored 13.

— Bartt Davis

Contact Matt Youmans at myoumans@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2907. Follow @mattyoumans247 on Twitter. Contact David Schoen at dschoen@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-5203. Follow @DavidSchoenLVRJ on Twitter. Contact Bartt Davis at bdavis@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-5230.

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