ESPN

ESPN recruiting analysts Mike LaPlante and Adam Finkelstein recap the best performances from last weekend's Hoophall Classic, at Springfield College's Blake Arena. As usual, there was plenty local flavor among the highlights.

You can read the full article here on ESPN's basketball recruiting section. Below are some excerpts:

Nerlens Noel (Everett, Mass./Tilton)
2013, C, 6-10, 215 pounds
Noel came out intent to make his impact felt, and he did that and more. He was absolutely dominant on the defensive end, proving why he is one of the best shot-blockers we've seen in recent years, while showing an improved offensive repertoire with face-up ability and jump hooks over both shoulders. His only limitations were in regards to fouls, both converting a low percentage at the stripe and taking unnecessary chances when in foul trouble.

Aaron Thomas (Cincinnati, Ohio/Brewster Academy)
2012, SG, 6-4, 195 pounds
College: Florida State
On a team full of stars, Thomas was an unlikely hero on Sunday as Brewster Academy scored an emotional win over Tilton. The future Seminole hit big shot after big shot, often from ranges beyond the NBA arc, and was consistently the guy to come up big for Brewster at the end of the shot clock. Defensively, he might have been even better, utilizing his length and lateral quickness to contain opposing scorers, while coming up with a key steal in the game's final possession before icing the outcome at the free throw line.

T.J. Warren (Durham, N.C./Brewster Academy)
2012, SF, 6-7, 215 pounds
College: North Carolina State
The brighter the lights, the better he seems to be. Warren is a pure scorer built in the mold of Glen Rice -- a highly-skilled, big wing who can rain shots from long range, put the ball on the floor to punish bad closeouts with an ability to create space in the midrange area or shoot over the top of contesting defenders with his high release.

Kaleb Tarczewski (Claremont, N.H./St. Mark's)
2012, C, 7-0, 240 pounds
College: Arizona
His efficiency was off the charts and his dominance was only limited by his number of touches. He's gotten much better at establishing deep low-post position within the flow of the offense and has developed his jump hook into a true weapon. He got countless dunks by sealing for scores and running in transition, and was equally impressive with his poise when passing out of the post.

NOTES

" Pitt signee Steven Adams (New Zealand/Notre Dame Prep) made his much-anticipated American debut this weekend but was a little worn down by the time he got to Springfield after a Saturday matchup with Nerlens Noel and Tilton. He has a ton of upside but needs to be allowed some time to get into game shape and develop familiarity with his new teammates.

" Jakarr Sampson (Akron, Ohio/Brewster Academy) is the type of athlete who can change the momentum of the game with a single play, whether it be an emphatic dunk or a big blocked shot, and he did that on more than one occasion Sunday.

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. -- ESPN Boston correspondent Lucas Shapiro highlights the top action from yesterday's slate of games at the Hoophall Classic, at Springfield College's Blake Arena.

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. -- Brewster Academy's Aaron Thomas stepped behind the three-point line as the buzzer loomed to end the third quarter, planted, and sank his shot. In perfect timing, he turned to the overflowing crowd behind press row, shrugged his shoulders and smirked to the delight of the Bobcats supporters that came out in droves.

It was arguably one of the most anticipated matchups of the weekend, and it didn't disappoint, what with the lack of love loss, trash talk over the internet, and embarrassment of riches on the court for talent. Brewster and Tilton entertained the crowd with highlight reel after highlight reel, but in the end it was the Bobcats coming away with their second win over Tilton this year, a 57-53 victory on day three of the Hoophall Classic at Springfield College's Blake Arena.

"In terms of atmosphere and overall environment, that's gotta be up there," Brewster head coach Jason Smith said. "I think it's awesome when we go into another NEPSAC Class AAA gym, those venues, but when you play here it's a whole other level. The crowd, the media, the national television game, we're just very fortunate to be in this position."

From the layup lines until the final seconds, the show lived up to its billing, and the swelling crowd -- energized by student sections from both schools, who made the nearly three-hour trek by bus -- added to the intensity. The Rams led after one quarter, 16-8, before the Bobcats turned in two inspired quarters to take a 48-36 lead headed into the final frame, capped with back-to-back putback slams from JaKarr Sampson (13 points, seven rebounds), and the buzzer-beating three from Thomas (23 points, 4-of-4 three-pointers).

"I was happy that my teammates were able to find me tonight," Thomas said. "If it weren't for my teammates, I wouldn't be in this situation right now."

Said Michigan commit Mitch McGary of Thomas, "He hit shots when we needed them, he got defensive stops when we needed them, he was just the best all-around player on the court today."

Shot-blocker extraordinaire Nerlens Noel (22 points, eight rebounds, seven blocks) headed to the bench towards the end of the third after picking up three fouls within a span of 1:16. But in the fourth quarter, the 6-foot-10 junior turned in one of his most inspired performances, redirecting a handful of shots that had some national experts on press row tweeting comparisons to Patrick Ewing. In one possession, Noel swatted McGary (12 rebounds) -- the nation's No. 2 overall player -- and then the putback attempt, leading to a two-handed slam from Wayne Selden (16 points) at the other end that sent the crowd off their feet and closed the lead to 50-45 with four minutes to go.

Brewster's T.J. Warren then dribbled off his foot on the ensuing possession, prompting a timeout from Smith, who told his guys to settle.

And down the stretch, the Bobcats played disciplined enough to hold off the Rams. McGary was called for goaltending to cut Brewster's lead to 54-51 with 1:35 left, but down at the other end he drew a foul from Goodluck Okonoboh and made one of two free throws. On the next possession down, Noel drove to his left past McGary but airballed a dunk attempt.

The dagger came with 25 seconds left, when Selden lost control of the ball near the scorer's table, and Jalen Reynolds picked up a foul after the steal. He sank both free throws to make it a three-possession game.

So while the Bobcats come away with their second win of the season over Tilton, Noel left all in attendance drawing up comparisons to an assortment of former high school greats, from Patrick Ewing to Alonzo Mourning to Greg Oden.

"He's a freak of nature," Smith said of Noel. "He's a kid that, you know, I'm going to be sitting on the porch 15 or 20 years from now, saying 'I coached against that guy when he was in high school'. He's going to have a long-time pro career because he's very coachable, he has the right mindset...and I think Wayne [Selden] is in the same boat."

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. -- ESPN Boston High Schools editor Brendan Hall spoke with ESPN recruiting anaylst and New England Recruiting Report founder Adam Finkelstein, to break down an action-packed fourth day of the Hoophall Classic at Springfield College's Blake Arena:

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. -- St. Mark's stars Nik Stauskas and Kaleb Tarczewski spoke with ESPN Boston High Schools editor Brendan Hall following the Lions' 67-57 win over Friends Central (Pa.) at the Hoophall Classic.

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. -- Sluggish starts have plagued St. Thomas More the last several games, and it looked like that trend was going to continue in the opening minutes of their battle with Wilbraham & Monson in today's Hoophall Classic.

Then, in a snap, the Chancellors turned a five-point deficit into a double-digit lead, going on a 21-5 run after starting the game trailing 9-4. From there, they never looked back, beating the Titans 71-60 to get some retribution after losing in this tournament a year ago.

"We were coming off a two-game winning streak," said STM's Ky Howard, who was named the game's Most Valuable Player after recording 16 points and four assists. "We had a chip on our shoulder. We came out slow, Coach [Jere Quinn] got into us and told us to pick it up. As a team, together, we did, and from there it just took off."

The key to the run was transition play. Though it sounds awkward to say, considering they count 7-foot-2 Sudanese center Chier Ajou (14 points, six rebounds) in their lineup, the Chancellors aren't incredibly big by prep school standards. So when the shot went up, the Chancellors' guards pushed the ball upcourt as quickly as possible, leading to some easy baskets.

"That was very important," Howard said. "We're a small team, so our advantage is running, if we don't run then it's useless to have a five-guard offense in the game."

Then again, it's not so bad having a 7-footer in the lane to clean things up. Defensively, the Chancellors funneled things into the lane, where Ajou used his wingspan and lateral quickness to alter some shots and otherwise force second thoughts.

"It's truly great, it's a blessing that we got a 7-2 kid that's not selfish, just wants to play and help us win. I mean, it's great because if any of us get beat he's there to protect us."

Offensively, Ajou's presence helped open up the middle of the floor. It isn't often a big man with his combination of stamina and athleticism can come out behind the three-point line, or step out to the elbow. That led to some great drives throughout the game from Howard, A.J. English (11 points, five assists) and Denzel Gregg (11 points, six rebounds).

"Because he can come out to the perimeter, that has the defense shifting a lot more," Howard said. "With us, as guards, we cut hard, fast and sharp, and with him coming out it opens up the lane for us."

Springfield native Jaylen Brantley had a showing in front of his home crowd for WMA (8-2) that in some areas was quality (14 points) but in other areas forgettable (one assist to six turnovers). Kamali Bey, another Springfield native, led WMA with 16 points, while Marcel Pettway also chipped in with 13 points and a team-high nine rebounds.

SPRINGIFELD, Mass. -- Wilbraham & Monson junior point guard Jaylen Brantley, a Springfield native, spoke to ESPN Boston's Brendan Hall following the Titans' loss to St. Thomas More (Conn.) about the allure of playing at the birthplace of basketball, and in front of his hometown crowd.

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. -- Up by four points with about a minute and a half to go Saturday against Springfield Central, Windsor (Conn.) High's Andrew Hurd dribbled the ball up over halfcourt.

Together with his teammates, they worked the ball around the floor, bringing the shot clock down to five seconds. Two seconds later, Jaquan Harrison hit a layup to put his team ahead 59-53 with under a minute to go.

That proved to be the dagger, as the Warriors went on to win, 61-55, to kick off day three of the Hoophall Classic, at Springfield College's Blake Arena.

Windsor (8-1) led the whole game until 1:33 left in the third quarter, when Central senior guard Chris Prophet (16 points, 7 rebounds) converted a three-point play to put his team ahead 43-40. Windsor quickly answered back with a basket of its own, but Central (8-1) took the 1-point lead into the final quarter.

It was then that Windsor went on a 10-2 run to take the lead right back.

“We didn’t play as good as we could have played, I thought we could have played a lot better,” said Windsor coach Ken Smith. “Springfield Central is a very good team. They’re the best team, they say, up in this area, so I thought we fought real hard. We didn’t give up.”

One could not help but think of the slogan on the back of the shirt Smith wore on the sideline during the game: “How bad do you want it?” When things got tough for Windsor, was when it picked its game up the most.

“The third quarter was that adversity. They fought to the bitter end, and that’s what we ask them to do, and they did it.”

Central almost caught a break with 4:12 left in the game. Down 52-50, Windsor committed its seventh foul of the half, meaning that for the last half of the fourth quarter, Central would be shooting foul shots. Almost on cue, Windsor stretched its lead to 8, negating any effect its foul troubles might have gave them.

“That’s just how Windsor is,” said freshman Jared Wilson-Frame, who contributed 15 points and five rebounds off the bench for the Warriors. “If we get down, we’re going to come back. We’re going to come back and pick our heads up. We never get down on anything.”

Central's Tyrell Springer was just behind Prophet in the scorebook with 15 points and 7 rebounds of his own.

Controlling the glass: One of the biggest reasons Springfield Central kept the game close was its success on the defensive glass. Early on, not only did the Golden Eagles prevent Windsor from getting second-chance scoring opportunities, but its big men allowed the guards to get out in transition and create plays. When it pushed the ball up the floor, it lead to missed Windsor defensive assignments and easier baskets. Windsor tried to match the pace, but Central just ran its breakouts more effectively.

Although Central out-rebounded the Warriors 53-44, it was Windsor that was better on the glass down the stretch, preventing Central from getting those tip-ins and other opportunities it was getting in the first half.

“We don’t really have a big, strong guy this year,” said Wilson-Frame. “One of them is a junior (Jaquan Harrison) and one of them is a senior (Theodore Lee) who wasn’t even on the varsity last year. We’re working with them to get them tougher, but to me they played a strong game today.”

“They killed us on the glass in the first half, so we had to make an adjustment,” said Smith. “What really helped us we got their big guy (Kamari Robinson) in foul trouble. When he got in trouble, that limited it, but sometimes with kids, they relax. That’s what hurt us also.”

Fab Frosh: Wilson-Frame made a statement for himself as a freshman with his performance on a big stage. With his 6-for-12 showing from the floor, he turned a lot of heads and proved himself to be someone to watch as he moves forward in his high school career.

“He has a lot of upside,” said Smith. “My thing is building his character. He needs to have good character if he’s going to play for me, and he needs to work hard and have a good work ethic. I don’t think he realizes how good he really could be. If he even felt like he was a lot better, he would have played a lot more and did a lot more things. But he has to play defense first. If he’s not going to play defense, we’re not going to play him.”

Today on ESPNHS' basketball section, Jason Jordan previews tomorrow's much-anticipated rematch between New Hampshire prep school powers Tilton and Brewster Academy.

There is no love loss between the two schools, which are less than an hour apart in Northern New Hampshire. For Tilton and its fearsome foursome of Nerlens Noel, Wayne Selden, Georges Niang and Goodluck Okonoboh, this is a chance to score some revenge after falling to the Bobcats 84-78 earlier this season.

Selden, for one, is still fuming. Jordan writes:

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. -- Wayne Selden can anticipate that it’s coming, and he’s prepared to be proactive in order to explain.

“You wanna talk about the loss to Brewster Academy?” he asked. “Maaan, that was a crazy game.”

Selden goes on to list the reasons Tilton (N.H.) fell in overtime, 84-78, at Brewster Academy (Wolfeboro, N.H.) on Dec. 11. He reels off everything from the calls not going the Rams’ way to the fact that they were missing shooting guard Dominique Bull, a senior who has signed with Missouri.

Then there’s that whole conspiracy theory about the Rams actually winning at the end of regulation per the stat sheet. Selden said he was told by a scorekeeper that Tilton should have actually won by one after the fourth quarter.

Home cooking?

“I know it sounds like a lot of excuses,” said Selden, a sophomore shooting guard who is ranked No. 10 in the ESPNU 25. “But that really added to why we didn’t win. I admit, though, we still should’ve won the game. I cannot wait to play them again. I want to play them right now. Let’s go to the gym now.”

He won’t have to wait long.

You can read the rest of the story by clicking here.

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. -- The game was really 32 minutes in length, but it felt like so much longer for East Longmeadow.

Friday against Christ the King (NY) at the Hoophall Classic, nothing seemed to be falling for the Spartans. After going 4-for-28 from the floor in the first half, they ended the night 13-of-56. When the clock read 0:00 at the end of the fourth, Christ the King was victorious 64-33.

Things were so difficult for East Longmeadow (6-2), it was held off the scoreboard entirely in the first quarter. It did not score its first basket until a minute and a half into the second.

Surprisingly, that was not the first time Christ the King (3-6) blanked a team in a quarter. It was not even the first time this month.

“We actually did that last week against our league rival St. Francis Prep,” said coach Bob Mackey.

At the end of the first quarter, the Spartans were down only 14-0, so it was still very much a game.

Christ the King also started slowly in the first quarter. For much of the first quarter, it failed to score in the double-digits. It was not until the second quarter that it was able to put some distance between it and East Longmeadow.

“I think our nerves got to us a little bit,” said East Longmeadow coach Eric Maurer. “I think this will be something that will help us prepare later on down the line. With a tournament game in a venue like this, we can certainly build on something like this and say, ‘This is what it’s like.’ We had to play in front of a big crowd against a good team, and maybe some of those layups that will miss in the first quarter will start to fall.”

Where in the first quarter it was settling for outside shots and was even missing the basket from close range, it started attacking the basket in the second. East Longmeadow also had a more difficult time adjusting to the CTK defensive pressure.

“They switched their defense up (in the second),” said Maurer. “They weren’t getting any turnovers off of that. They went to their 1-2-1-1 press and we didn’t react well to it. They got some easy turnovers and some easy baskets off that and that kind of got them to the tempo they want to play at.”

“We knew we weren’t going to be able to run with a team like that. We tried to slow it down as best we could, but in order to do that, you have to have the ability to make some shots and we didn’t have anything that was falling today. I told the girls they did a great job getting it to where we wanted to get it, we just didn’t finish.”

Sierra Calhoun (14 points, 7 rebounds) one of the team’s talented sophomore guards, was particularly effective in the second. She was getting out in transition and working the ball inside, which would draw fouls and put her on the free throw line, where she was a perfect 8-of-8 in the quarter.

“I think in the second quarter our defense put us on top because we were pressing, getting some steals, stopping them a little bit,” she said. “There’s a 30-second shot clock, so making them get some rushed shots I think helped our offense with attacking the basket more and getting to the free throw line.”

Christ the King took a 34-12 lead into the half and extended its lead from there. It almost doubled its halftime total on its way to victory, while not allowing any East Longmeadow player to reach double-digits in scoring. Emily Stetkiewicz lead the way for the Lancers with 9 points and 4 rebounds.

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. -- In a tournament typically stacked with some of the nation's premier high school basketball talent, there are times at the Hoophall Classic where a dominant player puts on an impressive, all-out dominant show.

Then there are times where the show evolves into a comedy.

To put it bluntly, Cicero-North Syracuse (N.Y.) senior center Breanna Stewart -- the No. 1 ranked overall senior on ESPN HoopGurlz -- put on a cartoonish display in the Northstars' 60-20 thrashing of West Springfield (9-1), racking up 22 points, 18 rebounds, seven blocks and four assists. Through one half, the 6-foot-4 UConn commit had racked up 14 points and 12 rebounds seemingly without effort, scoring from wherever she wanted and violently muscling defenders out of her way to pounce on loose boards.

Stewart was fluid in every aspect of the game for the Northstars (8-2), as adept at hucking 50-foot outlet passes up court as she was at stepping out to the wing and hitting jump shots. Underneath, she redirected nearly every shot that came in her radius, with her endless length, and demonstrated exceptional leaping ability on second-chance opportunities.

"She's the only high school kid on the National team for a reason," West Side coach Paul Taylor said of Stewart. "She's very good, and if you can find some holes in her game, nobody else has."

By halftime, the Northstars were up 39-9. By the third quarter, she was putting together sequences that drew smiles from all over. First, she swatted two shots in one possession in the first minute. A minute later, in transition, Stewart stopped at her own foul line to attempt to tie her shoe; after a second, she just tucked the laces in, joined the 4-on-5 rush and sank a three-pointer from the top of the key.

With about a minute to go in the stanza, she sent her seventh block of the night square off the referee's head, drawing laughter.

"When did I do that?" she laughed. "I didn't even see it, I'm not sure."

Fog of war, perhaps?

West Side's star point guard, 5-foot-5 Boston University commit Dana Theobald admitted "it was a lot of fun" playing against Stewart; she let out a smile and laughed a bit when Stewart sent one of her layups flying out of bounds.

Even when she had the ball, Theobald admitted finding herself watching Stewart work down low.

"Yeah, she's amazing to watch," Theobald said. "Even when she blocked my shots, it was like 'Wow, that's amazing'...It was like a volleyball spike."

Senior Brittany Paul also had 18 points in the win for Cicero.

Perimeter Pestulence: As much as Stewart stole the show, it was an impressive display overall by the Northstars' defense, pressuring Theobald high in the zone, trapping the ballcarrier and denying clean ball movement around the perimeter. Between Paul, junior Sarah Bowles and junior Abbey Timpano, Cicero played tight enough to make the Terrier uncomfortable.

At times, Theobald settled for off-balance, low-percentage shots. Other times, the defense funneled things down to Stewart, who took care of the rest. As a team, the Terriers were a measly 5 for 62 from the field, and were outrebounded 60-34 (including 44-20 on defensive boards).

Matchup nightmare: How do you match up with a 6-foot-4 center ranked as the No. 1 player in the country? If you're the 99 percent, you can't.

Taylor matched up guard/forward Emily Taylor on Stewart, acknowledging that she was giving up nearly 10 inches, and kept his 5-foot-10 freshman center Nicole Longey at the weak post. The plan didn't go as well as Taylor wanted, but he praised her efforts nonetheless.

"She's 5-foot-7, and we only have one center, so we wanted to have the center on the back side and have the guard help out on the front side," Taylor said. "It didn't work out as planned. We didn't shoot as well as we usually do, Stewart's a great talent. But it's a good team overall, they have a lot of good players on the team."

Fear not, we have not taken an indefinite hiatus from the podcast. To quell everyone's fears, we got the band back together for this edition of the ESPNBoston High Schools podcast.

Nearing the halfway mark of the winter sports schedule, co-editors Scott Barboza and Brendan Hall caught up on all the action, with some bold predictions for the second half and the postseason, in addition to a full preview of this weekend's Hoophall action in Springfield.

Plus, because we feel compelled like everyone else, we talk a little Tim Tebow-time.

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. — It seemed like it was a matter of time before Tyler Nelson’s hand regained its magic touch Friday night at the Spalding Hoophall Classic at Springfield College.

After continuously being the thorn in the side of the Springfield Cathedral’s zone defense for three quarters it appeared the Panthers finally had found a way to slow down Nelson. Yet after being held scoreless for most of the fourth quarter, Nelson drilled a three-pointer when it mattered most.

The sophomore extended his arms from the left side of the key with just under 1:30 remaining to give Central Catholic (8-0) a 66-62 lead over the Panthers (5-2), and delivered the Raiders their first win at the historic high school showcase in school history, 72-66.

“They were playing a 2-3 zone and mostly they kicked it from the corner, I squared my feet, shot it and luckily made it,” Nelson said.

“I just wanted to go out there and get a win,” he added. “Central has been here four years and probably had better teams in the past and still hadn’t won.”

Nelson finished with a team-high 19 points and was 5-of-9 from behind the arc. Overall, the sophomore guard was 6-of-12 from the field while also grabbing seven rebounds.

“As a young player, he does so many good things for us,” said Central head coach Rick Nault. "We run a lot of things for him. He’s a very confident kid and we definitely feel comfortable with the ball in his hands. He is willing and ready to take the big shot and he did that for us tonight.”

Nault preached to his team all week the opportunity they had to become the first in school history to win at the Hoophall Classic, and he couldn't be happier.

“It’s a long ride for us to come up here,” Nault said. “But to get a win against a real good team is a great feeling.”

An Expected Play: After Cathedral’s Lou Garcia stole a poor Central Catholic inbound pass and made a lay up to cut the Raider lead to 66-64 with 55.4 seconds remaining, Central Catholic senior captain Shawn McCoy grabbed a tough offensive rebound underneath the basket at the other half of the court, and went up strong to give the Raiders a two-possession lead.

“For us to have such a young group, and for him being the only senior captain, to come up with a big play [like] that is expected of him,” Nault said. “The tip in was huge.”

McCoy expected to have to fight for a rebound.

“Joel [Berroa] made a nice pass to Doug [Gemmell] underneath the hoop and I knew there was going to be some kind of rebound with a lot of people down there, fouling and hacking and stuff,” McCoy said. “I was hoping I could get the rebound and I got it.”

McCoy (14 points, 5 rebounds) started the game on a tear, scoring the Raiders' first eight points in a fast-paced first quarter.

A Bigger Advantage: One of the biggest difference-makers in the game was Central Catholic’s interior presence on both ends of the court. The Raiders outrebounded Cathedral 48-23, and the Raiders used 18 offensive rebounds to register 21 second-chance points.

“We always pride ourselves on rebounding and we do that in practice all the time,” McCoy said. “We pride ourselves on a physical defensive presence and that comes hand in hand with that.”

Joining McCoy on the glass was Gemmell’s game-high nine rebounds and Berroa’s seven.

Slow Starting Trends: For the fourth time in the last five games the Raiders have struggled in the first half.
Friday, Cathedral used a tough, gritty defense to open up a 18-17 first quarter lead and battle neck-and-neck against the best in the state. The Panthers scored 18 of their 23 points off turnovers in the first half and trailed 32-31 at halftime.

It was the most points allowed by the Raiders in a first half this season according to Nault and he believes the Raiders are still struggling to adjust to playing without star guard Luis Puello, who has been out with a high ankle sprain.

“I think guys have to realize Louis isn’t here and they have to realize they can’t rely on him and have to be ready to step in right away and make plays,” he said.

Puello 'day to day': Puello was on the bench in dress clothes after missing another game due to an ankle injury suffered in the Raider’s 56-39 victory over Pinkerton Academy (N.H.).

Nault said he hopes to have the 2011 ESPNBoston All-Defensive Team selection back within seven to 10 days, but is also calling Puello “day-to-day.”

A Valiant Effort: Cathedral’s Lou Garcia went shot-for-shot with Nelson and finished with a game-high 23 points and five steals. The junior made some big three’s to help the Panthers come back from a 10-point third quarter deficit.

“This year we moved him into the point guard spot and he’s kind of taken on that role and he found his shot earlier and made some huge shots for us," said Cathedral coach Justin Dalessio. “He kept us in the game which is great to see. He played great.”

Garcia said he and his teammates were not intimidated by the top-ranked team in the state but said the game was a good reminder.

“It’s a wake-up call because we were on a winning streak and we were getting too high on ourselves,” Garcia said. “This brings us down to reality and we have to work even harder every single game.”

The Hoophall Classic kicked off today with a hard-fought victory by ESPNBoston.com's No. 1 team in the MIAA, Central Catholic, over Springfield Cathedral. Over the next four days, some of the nation's best high school players will be squaring off on the campus of Springfield College, the birthplace of basketball.

We've got you covered all weekend, between ESPNBoston.com, ESPNHS and ESPNU's expert recruiting analysts. Today, ESPN's Paul Biancardi breaks down the top players to watch in this tournament. It's a loaded field that includes Las Vegas power Bishop Gorman and the nation's No. 1 overall player, Shabazz Muhammad, along with national powers like St. Anthony (N.J.), DeMatha Catholic (Md.), Simeon (Ill.), Oak Hill (Va.) and Findlay Prep (Nev.). But there is tons of local talent to watch, too.

You can read the full list here. Below are the locals Biancardi will be watching:

Kaleb Tarczewski (Claremont, N.H./St. Mark's)
Class: 2012 | ESPNU 100: 6 | C rank: 2
The Arizona signee is a legitimate 7-foot true center with excellent mobility, terrific hands and enormous upside. He scores the ball by finishing drop-off passes and off any clear paths to the rim, although he is starting to score on the block with a jump hook. Defensively, he's hard to score over and he changes and blocks a lot of shots.

Mitch McGary (Chesterton, Ind./Brewster Academy)
Class: 2012 | ESPNU 100: 2 | PF rank: 1
He is known for bringing a high motor and big-time energy to the game. The future Michigan Wolverine's intensity is infectious and his teammates feed off his energy. He runs the floor, outhustles his opponent, and scores off drop-off passes, high-post jumpers and low-post moves.

Nerlens Noel (Everett, Mass./The Tilton School)
Class: 2013 | ESPNU 60: 2 | C rank: 1
The junior is the nation's best shot-blocker. No one protects the rim better, whether he's guarding his own man or helping a teammate. If he doesn't block the shot he certainly will alter it and when it comes to the glass, he puts in an honest effort and grabs a good percentage. He is much improved offensively and can catch, sweep and drive from 15 feet and is a better passer than people give him credit for. Overall, he is one of the best NBA prospects in high school basketball.

Noah Vonleh (Haverhill, Mass./New Hampton)
Class: 2014 | ESPNU 25: 6 | PF rank: 1
He has a strong frame (6-7, 215 pounds), huge hands and good footwork to finish through contact. He possesses supreme athletic ability and skill at such an early age. His upside is undeniable.

Steven Adams (New Zealand/Notre Dame Prep)
Class: 2012 | ESPNU 100: NR | C rank: NR
The debut of Adams for Notre Dame Prep is one of the biggest stories of the entire weekend. The true center has already signed with Pittsburgh and dominated the adidas Nations in August, including a dominant performance against Tarczewski. NBA scouts are already clamoring for him thanks to his size (6-10, 235 pounds), mobility and skill set. Plus, Notre Dame Prep coach Ryan Hurd said Adams is even more skilled than he expected.

Temple coach Steve Addazio's familiarity with the football landscape in Connecticut has paid off this month, when Temple received verbal commitments from two former Connecticut high school standouts: running back Montrell Dobbs (Ansonia) and 6-foot-1, 215-pound linebacker Tyler Matakevich (St. Joseph).

Both Dobbs and Matakevich graduated from high school in 2011, and played prep school football at Milford Academy in New Berlin, N.Y., last season.

Addazio is a Connecticut native who played at Central Connecticut State (1978-81) and coached at Cheshire High School (1988-94).

Dobbs originally committed to Connecticut, but could not gain admission because of an academic issue. He said he thought about playing for Marshall, until Temple entered the picture. He met with Addazio and Temple assistant coach Sean McGowan last Friday. Temple extended a scholarship offer Tuesday.

“I really didn't have to think about it much, especially since Tyler and I have become good friends and he's going there,” Dobbs said. “I wanted to stay closer to home anyway. I was a good fit for me.”

Dobbs rushed for 3,445 yards and scored 45 touchdowns during his senior season at Ansonia. He was Milford Academy's offensive MVP last season.

Dobbs said he may be a partial qualifier and not allowed to play next season.

“I don't know if I'm going to be playing this year,” he said. “I'm gonna find that out. All I know is I'm definitely going to school at Temple.”

An injury forced Matakevich to miss the first five games of his senior season, when he helped St. Joseph win the second of back-to-back Class S championships. St. Joseph beat a Dobbs-led Ansonia team 49-28 to win the 2010 championship. Matakevich scored four touchdowns in that victory.

Matakevich was a two-time all-state selection who caught Temple's eye at a postseason college combine.

“I love everything about Temple,” Matakevich told the Connecticut Post. “I'm so happy to finally get this done after all that hard work. It's finally paid off.”

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