Greg Bryan / arizona daily star

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Arizona basketball sophomore Jordan Hill glanced at the stat sheet from Saturday's high school basketball game at McKale Center.

There it was, in black and white: Brandon Jennings, Oak Hill Academy, 49 points.

Hill didn't say anything — just raised his eyebrows as if to say, "Wow, this kid is really good."

Jennings created a lot of similar reactions.

The UA's prized recruit dazzled approximately 2,200 fans, nearly all of them there to see him and his Oak Hill team beat Dudley (N.C.) High School 102-91 in the GOAZCATS.com Showdown.

It was a one-game showcase made especially for Jennings, who is ranked by some as the nation's best high school senior. He validated his case with one of the best performances of his career.

"He scored at will, and most importantly, his team won," UA assistant coach Josh Pastner said. "The Cats' fans should be excited about him coming here, because he's going to do a lot of good things with us."

Jennings had a rock-star aura about him throughout the game. The instant he touched the ball for the first time — 80 feet from the hoop — fans shouted, "Shoot it!"

When he walked off the court with the game's MVP trophy in hand, he posed for pictures and signed autographs. One spectator even asked Jennings to come to his house, joking that his mom had cooked a meal for the star player.

"The fans, I guess they loved it. Every time I scored, I got a round of applause," said Jennings, who also had five steals and four assists. "You have to come in here and get a win, then also put on a show."

Despite a handful of exciting individual performances, the "show" was nearly all about Jennings. He scored on pull-up jumpers, step-back three-pointers, slashing layups and baseline reverses.

He played every second of the 32-minute game, and his accuracy faltered in the waning minutes. He made 15 of 28 field goals, but went 2 for 10 in the final quarter.

"Brandon was really tired in the fourth quarter, but I didn't really have the luxury of taking him out earlier, and I sure wasn't taking him out in the fourth quarter," Oak Hill coach Steve Smith said. "When he's tired, he's still better than everybody else out there."

The fans pined for Jennings to break the 50-point mark, and he clearly knew he was on the cusp. Sitting on 48 with one minute to play, he went to the line for two free throws. He made just one.

He then missed a pair of layups in traffic and a 15-foot jumper, drawing slightly dispirited sighs from the crowd each time.

"I talked to (UA guard) Nic (Wise), and he said, 'Go for 50,' " Jennings said afterward. "But it's all right. I'll get it another time."

Jennings played to the UA contingent's sensibilities afterward, saying he would be back soon to help the Wildcats win a national championship.

He also expressed hope that UA underclassmen Chase Budinger and Jerryd Bayless would spurn potential NBA careers for one more year in college, so he can play with them.

Their presence seemed to be the only thing preventing Jennings from saying McKale Center was his domain after the jaw-dropping performance.

"I won't say it's my house yet," Jennings said with a smile. "I've got to get a couple wins under my belt first."

● Phoenix Desert Vista 63, Salpointe Catholic 43: At McKale Center, Salpointe was overwhelmed in the second half and suffered its first loss of the season in the nightcap of the GOAZCATS.com Showdown.

Desert Vista (8-2) beat the Lancers (12-1) for the third straight time in two seasons. The Thunder turned a 28-24 halftime lead into 14-point cushion by the start of the fourth quarter.

Oscar Ruiz led Salpointe with 15 points and six rebounds.