Hoop Mountain Prep Tournament – Day 1 & 2 Recap

NewEnglandRecruitingReport.com | Saturday, December 6th, 2008

Friday Night – Notre Dame 98 IMG 82

The Hoop Mountain Prep Tournament at Marianapolis Prep started off with a bang Friday night as Notre Dame Prep faced off against IMG Academies of Florida.  The first five minutes set the tone for the rest of the game as both teams were more concerned with putting the ball in the hoop than getting stops on the defensive end.  The first half ended with Prep ahead by three, 50-47.  The beginning of the second half saw more of the same high octane offenses from both squads, but the final score was a bit misleading as Prep ran away late in the game, stretching the final margin to 16.  Syracuse-bound small forward James Southerland tallied 23 points and grabbed 11 rebounds showing why he’ll be a great addition to the Orange when he steps foot on campus next season.  IMG countered with its backcourt of ultra quick point guard Khalif Toombs and Nomar Sanchez.

Friday Night - Providence Country Day 65 Putnam Science Academy 54

The second and final game of the night featured nearby Putnam Science Academy and Providence Country Day.  The contest had an atmosphere more commonly found at a European soccer match than a prep basketball contest as Putnam packed the stands with much of its student body.  The enthusiasm and support wasn’t enough as Providence Country Day was able increase their lead to 10 with just under ten minutes to play and never looked back.  Played at a much slower pace than the earlier game, the two teams were deadlocked for the first twenty minutes, playing to a 26-25 first-half score.  Poor shooting and turnovers played its part as the final score resembled the first game’s halftime output at 65-54.  Each team was powered by a pair who proved tough to stop.  Providence Country day was powered by the Sienkiewicz brothers while gritty point guard Alvin Durett and athletic swing man Jeremi Johnson led the way for Putnam.  Both tandems accounted for more than half of its team’s total points.

Saturday – Marianapolis Prep 70 Proctor Academy 67

In a game that was characterized by gritty, yet sloppy, play from both teams, Marianapolis held on for a three point victory.  Chris Flores was the story for the victors as he knocked down six three-pointers en route to a 33 point performance.  Mike Stys led the way for Proctor as he knocked down three three-pointers of his own and didn’t miss from the free-throw line to finish with a team high 20 points.  Other notable performances came from Marianapolis’ Corey Wright Jr. who finished with 19 and Proctor’s Pat Donnelly who had 12. 

Saturday – Brimmer & May 58 St. Andrew’s 42

Brimmer & May showed they will be a team to be reckoned with in class B this year as they handled one of the conference’s perennial powers in St. Andrew’s.  Brimmer executed their offense to perfection, sharing the ball and turning in a truly balanced effort as Kyle Casey (15 points), Derek Retos (14 points), Brendan Rollins (13 points), and Eric Alleyne (10 points) all scored in double figures.  Michael Laplante was the lone St. Andrew’s player in double figures as he finished with 15 points on a series of strong drives. 

Saturday – Noble & Greenough 66 Putnam Science Academy 65 (Overtime)

Nobles picked apart PSA’s 2-3 zone with some pinpoint interior passing to build a commanding first half lead.  But the second was a different story as Jeremi Johnson and Alvin Durrett led Putnam to an inspired comeback effort that eventually sent the contest to overtime.  With just ten seconds remaining in the extra period, the score was knotted at 65.  Nobles called a time-out to diagram their final play.  Coming out of the huddle, Derick Beresford turned the corner on a high ball screen and was able to draw out PSA’s back line defender and open up a short back door cut for Tucker Halpern.  Halpern received the pass and quickly powered up to the basket only to be fouled hard.  He made one of two at the stripe giving Putnam one final chance at the victory.  But when Johnson lost the ball attempting to go behind his back in the final seconds, Nobles claimed the victory. 

Saturday - Satellite Academy 44 IMG Academies 36

Although neither team had local roots, IMG and Satellite entertained the crowd with a hard fought defensive battle featuring a number of division I prospects.  Ultimately, Satellite was able to utilize their athleticism and some well timed offensive spurts to earn the win. 

Saturday - Marianapolis Prep 61 Suffield Academy 55

Marianapolis came up with their second impressive win of the day fighting off a much improved Suffield squad.  But all was not lost for Suffield as they showed they are clearly a program to be reckoned with this year.  Wright again scored 19 for MP while Rueben Cabrea had 15.  Matt Edwards led Suffield with 15.