By Russ Waterman
MaxPreps.com
Several Massachusetts prep school teams, along with some Rhode Island natives on those same teams who were returning to their home state, stood out among the 30 teams in the total of 29 games played over four days at the National Prep School Invitational Feb. 7-10 at Keaney Gym in Kingston, R.I.
Findlay College Prep of Nevada and the Patterson School of North Carolina, two of the titans among prep squads nationally, flexed their collective hoop muscles by winning both of their games, though Patterson clearly had to work harder in its contests.
Patterson just got by Notre Dame Prep, 74-71, despite excellent performances by Notre Dame's 6-foot-10 center, Terrence Jennings, (23 points) and Melquan Bolden (16). Both are headed for Louisville. Patterson, with All-Tournament team guard Courtney Fortson (Arkansas) leading five players in double figures, was extended to overtime by Bridgton Academy and its game-high 32 points from Cardell McFarland.
But most fans were also interested in the various intriguing matchups involving the region's teams.
One expected close matchup between Lawrence Academy, of NEPSAC Class C, and Worcester Academy in Class A turned out to be a runaway 78-55 affair for Lawrence.
Lawrence's Sam Mejia, a 5-foot-9 senior guard named to the All-NPSI Tournament team, did not disappoint URI fans. Competing just a stone's throw away at the Ryan Center, where he will be playing next year for the Rams, Mejia (19 points) along with fellow Boston native Daryl Cato-Bishop (24 points) and Wareham's Denzel Britto (28) combined as a trio to outscore their opponent.
In one sequence, Mejia made a series of spinning moves in maneuvering around and through all five Worcester defenders for a left-handed lay-up as the Spartans cashed in on several Hilltopper turnovers and sank six treys for a lopsided 47-22 halftime lead. Brito, a sophomore guard who ended up as the game's high scorer with 28 points, sank four of his five 3-pointers in the first half.
Majia, with 29 points, and Cato-Bishop with 24, had earlier spearheaded Lawrence to a 77-73 triumph over Northfield-Mount Hermon. The Spartans are red-hot right now as they own a 12-game winning streak after a three-game losing streak against St. Mark's (twice) and Cushing Academy.
Ben Crenca (Exeter, R.I.), a 6-9 junior center for Worcester Academy, had scored 22 points in his team's one victory against Massanutten Military and was high scorer for the Hilltoppers with 20 more in the loss versus Lawrence.
Northfield-Mt. Hermon came up just short twice, first against Lawrence, and then against Bridgton, 68-67, despite 20 and 27 points respectively by 6-5 junior shooting guard Mike Marra (Smithfield, R.I.), who was also selected to the all-tournament squad.
The St. Mark's School is No. 1 in MaxPreps Massachusetts poll and features University of Florida-bound Erik Murphy, who lives minutes from the URI campus. The 6-10 forward connected for 16 points on 7-of-10 shooting in St. Mark's only game, a 71-40 romp over IMG, ironically enough, of Bradenton, Fla.
For Cushing Academy, which lost two games, the Pressey brothers – Matt, a senior shooting guard, and Paul, a flashy and efficient sophomore point guard (sons of former NBA player Paul Pressey) –
showcased their abundance of skills.
Here were the award winners at the NPSI event:
Most Outstanding Player: Jorge Gutierrez, Findlay Prep
All-NPSI Tournament Team (college commitment in parentheses):
Clarence Trent, Curtis Dennis (New Mexico) and Jorge Guitierrez, Findlay College Prep; Sam Mejia, Lawrence Academy (Rhode Island); Marcus Morris, Apex Academy (Kansas); Terrell Holloway, Harmony Prep; Terrence Jennings, Notre Dame Prep (Louisville); Courtney Fortson, Patterson School (Arkansas); Mike Marra, Northfield-Mt. Hermon; Devin Ebanks, St. Thomas More (Indiana); Mark Lyons, Brewster Academy (Xavier). Cardell McFarland, Bridgton Academy.
Mass. Boys Hoops Notes: Central Catholic Wins Inter-State Struggle
Twenty-five miles away from the NPSI Tournament, another Lawrence squad was delivering winning results over a highly-rated Rhode Island team. Central Catholic, 16-1 and No. 3 in the Boston Globe rankings, pulled out a come-from-behind, 77-73 overtime victory over No. 1 (in R.I.) Bishop Hendricken. Adrian Gonzalez had 18 points for Central Catholic and Watson Constant had 15, all on 3-pointers as they overcame an 18-point deficit to prevail in the extra session against the Hawks (15-2).
The playoff landscape for Eastern Mass. teams is evolving, with many squads positioning themselves to draw a top seed and first-round bye. Others are peaking just at the right time as postseason play approaches.
From the latest Boston Globe poll, Charlestown at 16-0 overall and in first place in Boston City North is ranked first while No. 2 Lowell is tied for first in the Merrimack League with No. 3 Central Catholic (16-1, 11-1).
Medfield, Tri-Valley (16-0, 13-0 in league), Prospect Hill Charter (13-0) and Norwell, South Shore (16-0, 13-0) join Charlestown in a very elite group of teams with perfect records overall.
Other undefeated teams in league play are: No. 5 Brockton, Big Three (3-0); No. 7 Bedford, Dual County Small (7-0), O'Bryant, Boston City South (13-0); North Andover, Cape Ann, (11-0); Boston Trinity, Mass. Bay Independent "A" (11-0); Wareham, South Coast Conference (12-0); Nantucket, Lighthouse (5-0) and Northeast, Commonwealth Lower (6-0).
Other squads with one league loss and in first place are Nauset, Atlantic Coast South (11-1); Cathedral, Catholic Central Large (9-1); Austin Prep, Catholic Central Small (10-1); No. 4 Boston College High, Catholic Conference (7-1); No. 6 Watertown, Middlesex, (15-1); Scituate, Patriot Keenan (9-1); Westport, Mayflower Division 1 (14-1); West Bridgewater, Mayflower Division 2 (11-1); No. 8 Everett, Greater Boston (8-1); Coyle-Cassidy, Eastern Athletic (6-1); Lynn English, Northeastern North (13-1); Dartmouth, Old Colony (5-1); Pingree, Eastern Independent (12-1); Boston Latin, Dual County Large (6-1) and Newton North, Bay State Carey (13-1).
Russ Waterman covers Massachusetts, Rhode Island and the New England Preps for MaxPreps.com
