TRENTON, N.J. -- Just days after an Ohio court ruled that he could finish his senior season, high school basketball prodigy LeBron James proved he's more than just hype.

The projected No. 1 NBA draft pick had a dominating performance Saturday night, scoring a career-high 52 points while leading St. Vincent-St. Mary's (Ohio) to a 78-52 win over Westchester (Calif.) in the Prime Time Shootout.

Playing in front of a capacity crowd of 8,500 at the Sovereign Bank Arena, James put on a basketball clinic, hitting six three-pointers while single-handedly equaling the opposition's point total.

In what was easily his best performance of the season, James hit highlight-reel shots from all over the court while playing tough defense against UCLA-bound senior Trevor Ariza.

"When my jumper's on, I feel like I'm unstoppable," James said. "I can bring out the whole arsenal when I hit my jumpers early."

Last week, James was ruled ineligible by the Ohio High School Athletic Association for the remainder of the season because he accepted two throwback jerseys as gifts. The ruling was later temporarily blocked, allowing James to play in this showcase of the top high school teams in the nation.

Earlier in the year, James made news when his mother Gloria gave him a $50,000 Hummer H2 for his eighteenth birthday.He was cleared after it was found that his mother took out a bank loan to pay for the vehicle.

"If you remember earlier in the season, after the Hummer investigation, I scored 50," James said. "Now, after this investigation, I scored 52. So if something else happens, I'll score 52 again."

All eyes were on James, who wore a white NBA headband and loose warmup pants when SVSM took the court before the game. Thirty teams had already played in the weekend-long Shootout, but it was clear that the 6-foot-8 senior from Akron, Ohio, was the main event.

"I told my teammates today that I was feeling it," James said. "Before I even got on the court I felt like tonight was the night."

After the top-ranked Fighting Irish fell behind 4-0 because of sloppy play, James took over. He scored 18 points in the first quarter to spark SVSM to an early 20-14 lead, capped off by a 30-foot buzzer-beating three pointer.

James' dominance continued in the second quarter as he slammed home a rebound that put the Irish ahead by 11 and brought the crowd to its feet.

He had 31 points by halftime, hitting 5-of-6 from three-point range and grabbing four rebounds.

The senior started the second half with a bang, dunking three consecutive times. First, James put away an alley-oop pass from teammate Corey Jones. Then, in two nearly identical plays, James stole the ball and flew downcourt for one-handed dunks. The crowd was sent into a frenzy and James showed his emotion by scooping up a young child who was working as a court attendant.

"Once 'Bron gets on a roll it's like he's unstoppable," SVSM head coach Dru Joyce said. "I just let him go. You have to step back and let him play."

With 2:30 left in the game, James took a seat on the bench, but not before extending his arms to the sky as the crowd gave him a standing ovation.

James was all smiles with the media after the game, wearing a backward baseball cap and white T-shirt as he fielded questions from the throng of reporters in attendance.

After the press conference he was approached by a representative of the Metropolitan Trenton African-American Chamber of Commerce, who offered him an "outstanding player of the year" plaque.

"Are you sure I can accept this?" James jokingly asked. "I don't want to miss my next game."