PREP BASKETBALL James, SVSM cruise past overmatched New Castle

Three Steelers -- Hines Ward, Plaxico Burress and Jerome Bettis -- watched the game.
PITTSBURGH (AP) -- The LeBron James Show made an appearance at a Pittsburgh arena Sunday, and the high school basketball phenom didn't disappoint the 6,624 fans in attendance.
James, a 6-foot-8, 240-pound senior, scored 31 points and grabbed 12 rebounds to lead Akron St. Vincent-St. Mary to an 82-48 victory over New Castle.
"He's a beast," said Pittsburgh Steelers receiver Hines Ward, who came to watch James along with teammates Plaxico Burress and Jerome Bettis. "To be so young and so talented and deal with all the attention so well is impressive."
The win over New Castle (4-2) gives St. Vincent-St. Mary a 4-0 record for the season, and it comes three days after an ESPN broadcast of another 31-point performance by James in the Irish's 65-45 upset of Oak Hill Academy, the nation's No. 1-ranked high school team.
On Sunday, James also had three assists, three blocked shots, and three steals. He is considered by many to be the best high school player in the country and probably will be the No. 1 pick in the NBA draft if he goes pro.
"I think it's great," said James about Ward, Burress, and Bettis attending the game. "I respect them for coming to see us play. I think we put on a pretty good show for them."
Heating up
James connected on 14-of-22 shots from the field, despite a slow start in which he missed five of his first seven shots.
"I usually make those shots," said James, who wears the same uniform number (23) as his idol, Michael Jordan. "I made those shots in the second half."
James was 6-of-12 in the first half, but made up for it in the second half by connecting on 8-of-10 shots.
"When he's out there with four other pros, you wonder how well he's going to do," said New Castle coach John Sarandrea. "He's going to be great at the next level."
New Castle did an admirable job for a half. The Red Hurricanes led 14-13 after the first quarter and trailed only 33-27 at halftime.
But St. Vincent-St. Mary's talent and size took its toll on the smaller Hurricanes in the second half. Forward Romeo Travis added 16 points and Corey Jones 12.
Guard Leon Ward had 16 for New Castle and forward Devin Taylor 15.
"After halftime, they turned it up on us," said Sarandrea. "When you have a team with a lot of talent like that and then they get physical ... let's be honest. This is Western Pennsylvania basketball. It's tough to compete against a guy like James and a team like that."