By Peter Spiewak
MaxPreps.com
Neumann-Goretti (Pa.) 87, St. Augustine (N.J.) 56
The Primetime Tour began Friday at the Pavilion on the campus of Villanova University, with the Saints of Neumann-Goretti facing off against the St. Augustine's Hermits.
St. Augustine managed to score the first bucket of the game, but after that it was all Neumann. The Saints went on a 17-0 run and led by a comfortable margin for the entire game.
St. Augustine had no answer to the two Syracuse-bound Neumann seniors, Antonio "Scoop" Jardine and Rick Jackson. Jardine led the Saints with 22 points and nine assists, and Jackson had 18 points along with six rebounds.
Jackson could not be contained in the post. The 6-9 center dazzled the crowd with five dunks, including an alley-oop from Jardine. The duo shared the game's MVP honors.
Junior sharpshooter Jamal Wilson added 16 for Neumann and forward Rashad Savage had 11 points.
Eugene Teague led St. Augustine with 20 points, and Josh Thompson had 13 in a losing effort.
Linden (N.J.) 58, American Christian (Pa.) 55
The Pavilion was packed with fans who wanted to see American Christian's Tyreke Evans, who is widely considered the top junior in the nation, but in the end, it was Linden's guards who stole the show.
The game's MVP, Desmond Wade, powered the Tiger offense and scored 13 points. Seniors Jerry Jones and Darrel Lampley combined for 30.
Evans was forced to carry American Christian, who only suited up six players for unspecified reasons. He had his hands full, facing off against the gritty guards of Linden. Evans led his team to a five-point lead at halftime, but fatigue set in, and the Tigers balanced attack proved to be too much.
This contest was the closest and most entertaining of the night. It was back-and-forth until the very end. Evans and junior Khalil McDonald made several plays down the stretch to keep American Christian in the game, but Linden responded every time with buckets from Wade and Lampley.
St. Patrick's (N.J.) 71, Chester (Pa.) 55
In the third game, the local Chester Clippers took on future Villanova Wildcat, Corey Fisher, and the St. Patrick's Celtics. Fisher (14 points, five assists) played well in front of the fans who will watch him for the next four years, but it was St. Pat's big men who dominated this game.
Chester led for most of the first half, but sloppy play enabled St. Pat's to take a four-point lead heading into intermission, and eventually allowed the Celtics to cruise to a comfortable victory.
Senior forward Jeff Robinson caused problems for the Clippers all game. Robinson, who is headed to the University of Memphis next year, could not be stopped under the basket, and also was a threat from behind the arc. He finished with 23 points and eight rebounds.
Newark Science transfer Quintrell Thomas was a huge lift off the bench for St. Pat's. The 6-7 forward had 16 points and six rebounds. Sophomore Dexter Strickland contributed 11 points.
For the Clippers, Pittsburgh-bound Nasir Robinson scored 15, but Chester struggled once he got into foul trouble. Guard Karon Burton also added 15 in defeat.
Oak Hill Academy (Va.) 99, Prep Charter (Pa.) 66
Oak Hill was on a different level.
The Morris twins, Markieff and Marcus, who will be joining Jeff Robinson at Memphis, gave strong efforts, but their 36 points could not keep the Huskies in this game.
Oak Hill, the No. 1 team in the nation, scored at will Friday night, and clearly outclassed Prep Charter. The Warriors are loaded with talent. Nolan Smith (Duke), Alex Legion (Michigan), and Julian Vaughn (Florida State) all had huge games for Oak Hill. But it was point guard Brandon Jennings (USC) that stood out above all.
Jennings proved why he is one of the best players in the entire nation. He had 29 points and eight assists. The Huskies had no answer for Jennings, who scored 11 of his points in the first five minutes of the game. Jennings did it all. He shot well from the field, got to the basket, and distributed the ball to everybody. This was easily the best all-around performance of the night.
