By Steve Spiewak
MaxPreps.com
SPRINGFIELD, Mass. - Florida super sophomore Brandon Knight and Pennsylvania power Chester highlighted Saturday's action at the Spalding Hoophall Classic. Five of six games played on the day were decided by 20 points or more.
The lone exception was Chester's two-point victory over Montverde Academy (Fla.). Despite lopsided scores, there were plenty of stars in the house at Blake Arena to keep the crowd buzzing.
Here is a complete rundown of the six-game slate Saturday in Springfield;
Cathedral (Mass.) 73, Northwest Catholic (Conn.) 53
In the day's opening game, Cathedral jumped on Northwest Catholic early and never looked back, en route to a 73-53 victory.
Alex Berthiaume led the way with 31 points and seven assists. Rashad Wright had a stellar all around performance as well, totaling 28 points, 12 rebounds, and five blocks.
Northwest Catholic was stymied offensively and scored only 15 points in the first half. Jordan Lewis finished with 10 points in the losing effort.
Pine Crest (Fla.) 95, Holyoke (Mass.) 47
Pine Crest guard Brandon Knight showed why he is considered one of the top sophomores in the country as his Panthers cruised to a 95-47 win over Holyoke.
Knight had 26 points and pulled down 10 boards. He used his slashing abilities along with his jump shot to dominate the Holyoke defense. Three of Knight's teammates also scored in double figures.
After the game, eager fans hounded Knight for autographs and pictures.
Michael Rohan led Holyoke with 11 points and nine rebounds.
Norwich Free Academy (Conn.) 69, High School of Commerce (Mass.) 40
R.J. Evans put on a show, scoring 31 points in only 23 minutes as Norwich Free Academy used a big second-half effort to earn a 69-64 win over High School of Commerce.
Norwich Free Academy only led by 10 at half, but outscored Commerce 23-6 in the third quarter, which put the game out of reach.
The leading scorer for High School of Commerce was Kashawn Harris with 12 points. He was the team's only double-digit scorer.
Chester (Pa.) 63, Montverde Academy (Fla.) 61
In Saturday's most competitive contest, Karon Burton came up big for Chester in the fourth quarter to boost the Clippers over Montverde Academy, 63-61.
Off a Nasir Robinson outlet pass, Burton raced toward the basket, before hitting Rahlir Jefferson with a perfect alley-oop pass to put Chester ahead 62-60 with one minute remaining. It was a lead the Clippers would not relinquish.
Burton finished with 23 points. Dashan Harris matched that total for Montverde Academy and also added four assists.
Lincoln (N.Y.) 89, Milwaukee Pius XI (Wis.) 56
Lincoln's guard duo of Lance Stephenson and Darwin Ellis proved to be way too much for Milwaukee's Pius XI, combining for 41 points in an 89-56 win.
Stephenson tallied 22 points and 13 rebounds, while Ellis added 19 points. Justin Greene did much of the dirty work down low, compiling a double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds. The Railsplitters out-rebounded Milwaukee Pius 50-26.
Korie Lucious was impressive in defeat. The agile senior, heading to Michigan State next year, finished with 21 points and showed off a quick crossover that awed the crowd.
Central (Mass.) 65, Madison Park (Mass.) 30
In a Springfield-Boston rivalry game, Central defended its home turf, knocking off Madison Park, 65-30.
Preye Preboye paced Central, finishing with 16 points and seven steals.
David Daniels led the scoring effort for Madison Park with 13 points before exiting prematurely with an ankle injury.
