Kelly Calligan, Assistant Photo Editor

The McDonald’s High School All-American boy’s game is supposed to be a collection of the best high school basketball.

The cream of the recruiting crop, the potential NBA All-Stars.

And that’s what the game is all about: potential.

In the first half, it looked like a possible blowout, as the East squad, led by 7-foot-1 center Greg Oden (headed to Ohio State) ran away with the game and were up by 20 points with eight minutes left in the first half.

Oden had four blocks to start the game, as the East team jumped out to a 41-21 lead, much to the dismay of the mostly pro-West crowd.

But the West team rallied around local star and crowd-favorite Chase Budinger of La Costa Canyon High School. Budinger and his teammates found their stride for a 112-94 victory in front of 11,950 at Cox Arena.

Budinger, bound for the University of Arizona, led the West run with a pair of astounding assists that led to fast-break dunks.

Budinger, who was named co-MVP of the game, finished with 11 points on 5-of-8 shooting, four assists and three rebounds, and thrilled the home crowd, which chanted his name and applauded wildly when he reentered the game down the stretch.

The win was the first for the West in four games, and Budinger realized the importance of it.

“We came out as underdogs,” Budinger told The San Diego Union-Tribune. “Nobody thought we could do it. The other team thought they’d win easily. We just wanted to bring that W back.”