by Alex Schwartz

I was at Kean University for three and a half of the four games there Friday night as a part of the Prime Time Shootout. Although I missed the first half of the Ridge (NJ)/Monroe (NJ) game due to traffic, I still saw a great deal of hoops and correctly predicted the winner of three of the four games. Although I did a running blog of the night's activities, I will be providing a rundown of the games right here, and the interviews I conducted will be coming soon. Have a look:

Ridge (NJ) vs. Monroe (NJ)
Ridge defeated Monroe 79-59 in the first game this weekend, using the inside-outside combination of Bowdoin-bound 6'4 wing Andrew Madlinger '10 and 6'7 big man Tom Gambino '11. Both players scored 16 points and Gambino was named the Red Devils' Most Outsanding Player. For Monroe, it was not star player Kenny Pace '10, a 6'3 guard, who was named MOP, but rather 6'3 wing Timmy Brix '10., who finished with 14 points. One has to wonder just how good Ridge would have been if Ishaq Pitt '10 had not transferred to St. John Vianney (NJ) in the offseason.

St. Benedict's (NJ) vs. Lakewood (NJ)
As much as the first game was a blowout, the second game made it look close. St. Benedict's (NJ), ranked #5 in my most recent National High School Top 25, met a Group I—the smallest schools—Garden State program, and won convincingly. Although Lakewood (NJ) features high-major recruit Jarrod Davis '10, the Piners were extremely out manned against the Gray Bees and lost by 44, 82-38. Jarrod Davis had 25 points and 6 rebounds, shooting 7/16 from the field, but just 1/6 beyond the arc and 0/4 at the line. Davis certainly has talent, but he needs his overall game and basketball IQ to catch up with his phenomenal athletic ability. Tony Walker '11 added 11 points for Lakewood, going 2/4 beyond the arc.

For St. Benedict's, a trio of players really stood out in the huge victory. The main one was Texas-bound 6'3 point guard Myck Kabongo '11 (pictured), who had an extremely impressive stat line of 20 points, 10 assists, 6 steals, 5 rebounds, and 2 turnovers en route to Most Outstanding Player honors. The future Longhorn was 9/14 (64.3%) from the field, despite connecting on just 1/4 threes. His free throw shooting (1/4) is of some concern, but that is nitpicking, as Kabongo was fantastic. He had a number of great steals that led to transition buckets for either himself or a teammate. He displayed great quickness—despite playing in low tops—and superb passing ability along great court vision and a top-notch basketball IQ. The Canadian star is a top 15-20 player in the junior class and a likely future McDonald's All-American.

Friday was the first time I saw Rutgers-bound Gilvydas Biruta '10 play extended minutes, and he was extremely impressive. The 6'8 power forward had 13 points, 6 rebounds, 3 steals, and 1 block. He went 5/6 (83.3%) from the floor, including 3/3 beyond the arc and a big-time dunk. He is a smart player with a nice inside-outside game that will translate well to the next level.

As always, Temple-signee Aaron Brown '10 was outstanding for the Gray Bees. The 6'5 wing had 20 points on 9/11 shooting (81.8%), going 2/4 on threes and 0/1 at the line. Brown showed an ability to play above the rim that I have not seen from him before. His game has developed a great deal over the past two years, and he is a nice get for Fran Dunphy. Brown has a high basketball IQ, nice athleticism, a smooth J, and a great attitude.

The play of Mike Poole '10 should not be overlooked either. A 6'6 small forward, Poole had 12 points, 7 rebounds, 4 assists, 4 steals, and 1 turnover in the victory. Although he was 2/4 on threes, his overall shooting percentage of 38.5% (5/13) was not nearly as impressive, as he needs to learn when to shoot at when to distribute. Poole's overall game is quite impressive, but he must play within an offense and distribute the ball more, as he could have had well more than four assists. Xavier Munford '10, a 6'2 combo guard, is slightly undersized, but is quick and gets to the cup well. He was solid on this night (8 points, 3/4 FG, 2/4 FT) and is definitely a Division I player, thought the level is still to be determined. Arizona-bound 6'8 power forward Sidiki Johnson '11 did not do much, finishing with just 4 points and 2 rebounds. JP Kambola '10, a 6'10 center, was also quiet, ending with 4 points, 3 rebounds, and 1 block.

Oak Hill Academy (VA) vs. St. Patrick's (NJ)
The feature matchup of the weekend lived up to its billing, and maybe even surpassed it. The showdown between St. Patrick's (NJ), the #12 team in that National High School Top 25, and #16 Oak Hill Academy (VA) was fantastic. Ranked #1 and #3 respectively in the preseason, the Celtics and Warriors both entered with two losses, but the game was much hyped and ESPNU televised nonetheless. Featuring around 15 Division I prospects, there was talent aplenty on the court at all times.

Oak Hill Academy led 17-14 through one quarter and increased its lead to five points, 39-34, at the half. In the second 16 minutes, things changed though, as the Celtics came out with a new intensity. Led by Duke-bound McDonald's All-American Kyrie Irving '10 (pictured on left below), who is ranked #5 in Northstar Basketball's Class of 2010 Terrific 125, Michael Gilchrist '11, the best player in the nation regardless of class, and UMBC-bound Chase Plummer '10, St. Patrick's cut the lead to one at the TV timeout. Plummer and Gilchrist dominated down low, while Irving and Kevin Boyle, Jr. '10 led the attack from the backcourt. McDonald's All-American Doron Lamb '10 and UConn-pledge Roscoe Smith '10 would not allow the game to slip away from Oak Hill though. Maryland-commit Pe'Shon Howard '10 (pictured on right below) had carried the team in the first half, but Lamb and Smith really stepped up in the third. When the buzzer sounded to end the third quarter, it was 62-60 Oak Hill.

The Warriors picked up their play in the first half of the final quarter and pushed their lead back up to five, 71-66, but the Celtics would fight back. Irving, Gilchrist, and Plummer continued to lead the charge, with Irving hitting shots, Gilchrist scoring down low, and Plummer hitting the boards hard in the best performance I have seen from him. In one series, Irving drilled a three, Dayton-signee Juwan Staten '10 scored at the other end for OHA, and then Irving hit another trifecta to make it 78-77 Oak Hill with 1:09 left. At this point the pro-St. Pat's crowd was very into the game, which was tied at 78 with 40 seconds to play. That is when things got interesting.

It looked like Oak Hill was going to try to hold for the last shot, but then all of a sudden Doron Lamb drove to the hoop and appeared to commit an offensive foul, but it was not called. As he then had a free path to the cup, Chase Plummer grabbed his jersey, drawing a defensive foul. Lamb stepped to the line for two shots with 9.4 to go, having hit all four of his free throws up the that point. The uncommitted senior proceeded to miss the first one and drain the second one, putting Steve Smith's team up 79-78 with 9.4 left.

At the other end, it was clear the ball was going to be in the hands of Kyrie Irving. What was not expected was that he would pass the ball. Irving dished off to Western Kentucky-commit Derrick Gordon '11, and the 6'3 shooting guard was fouled riving to the cup with 0.4 left in the game. Gordon was just 1/5 from the line up to that point, and after his first shot rimmed out, OHA took a timeout to try to ice him. Whether that is what did it or not we will not know, but Gordon missed the second shot as well and Oak Hill Academy knocked off St. Patrick's for a 79-78 win.

The loss was the Celtics' third of the season, and they have all been by one point. Meanwhile, the victory finally gave Oak Hill a signature win for its resume. In a day filled with turmoil for the St. Patrick's program—the Celtics were barred from the state tournament, placed on two years probation, and Head Coach Kevin Boyle was suspended for three games—the loss only amplified things.

There were seven players whose performances in the game were fantastic, starting with a pair of St. Patrick's Celtics in Irving and Gilchrist, who shared Most Outstanding Player honors. Both players had 28 points, while the 6'2 Irving added 5 assists and 3 rebounds, as the 6'7 Gilchrist chipped in 7 rebounds. Both players shot 50% or better from the field, despite each taking 18 or more shots. Irving showed that he can not only use his quicks to get to the cup, but also shoot the outside shot. Gilchrist was spectacular down low, and his play in the paint helped change the game in the second quarter. He did a great job of getting to the line and his intensity was fantastic. Chase Plummer's play was superb too. A 6'6 combo forward, Plummer finished with 15 points and 7 rebounds, 5 of which were offensive. The fact that a role player stepped up for Kevin Boyle's team was crucial in the Celtics staying in the game throughout.

A quartet of seniors led the way for Oak Hill, starting with co-MOP Pe'Shon Howard, who was at the best I have ever seen him. He scored on drives and jumpers beyond the arc en route to 19 points and 3 assists, as she shot nearly 60% from the field. Howard showed why he is headed to the ACC. Fellow co-MVP Roscoe Smith's second half was demonstrative of why he is so hyped. Putting together some threes along with dunks, Smith ended with a double-double of 18 points and 10 rebounds, shooting over 70% from the floor. Doron Lamb not only made the game-winning free throw, but ended the night with 18 points, 4 assists, and 3 steals, while hitting two-thirds of his shots. Juwan Staten showed why he is going to be a star in the Atlantic-10, getting to the cup with absolute ease and finishing with 11 points.

Syracuse-signee Baye Moussa Keita '10  and massive 7'1 center Martins Abele '10 had their struggles against the skilled and slender Gilchrist, but did hold their own for the most part. Unheralded John-Garrett Baron '10, a 6'5 small forward, was stellar off the bench for OHA as well.

BOX SCORE (unofficial)

Team                                   1          2          H          3          4          F    
Oak Hill Academy             17        22        39         23        17        79
St. Patrick's                       14        20        34         26        18        78

Oak Hill Academy
Pe'Shon Howard- 19pts, 7/12 FG (58.3%), 3/6 3P (50%), 2/3 FT (66.7%), 3reb, 3ast, 2to
Roscoe Smith- 18pts, 8/11 FG (72.7%), 2/5 3P (40%), 10 reb (2 off), 2blk
Doron Lamb- 18pts, 6/9 FG (66.7%), 1/1 3P, 5/6 FT (83.3%), 2reb, 4ast, 3stl, 3to
Juwan Staten- 11pts, 5/8 FG (62.5%), 0/1 3P, 1/2 FT (50%), 1stl, 2to
Baye Moussa Keita- 4pts, 1/5 FG (20%), 2/2 FT, 4reb (3 off), 2blk, 1to
John-Garret Baron- 4pts, 1/2 FG (50%), 2/3 FT (66.7%), 1 reb (1 off)
Martins Abele- 3pts, 1/2 FG (50%),  1/2 FT (50%), 2reb (1 off), 2to
Keith Hornsby- 2pts, 1/1 FG, 1to
TEAM- 79pts, 30/50 FG (60%), 6/13 3P (46.2%), 13/18 FT (72.2%), 22reb (7 off), 7ast, 4stl, 4blk, 11to

St. Patrick's
Michael Gilchrist- 28pts, 9/18 FG (50%), 0/3 3P, 10/14 FT (71.4%), 7reb (3 off), 1ast, 2to
Kyrie Irving- 28pts, 11/20 FG (55%), 5/9 3P (55.6%), 1/2 FT (50%), 3reb (1 off), 5ast, 1stl, 3to
Chase Plummer- 15pts, 6/11 FG (54.5%), 0/1 3P, 3/5 FT (60%), 7reb (5 off), 5ast, 1stl, 1to
Derrick Gordon- 5pts, 2/6 FG (33.3%), 0/3 3P, 1/7 FT (14.3%), 2reb (1 off), 2ast, 1stl, 1blk, 1to
Jarrel Lane- 2pts, 1/2 FG (50%), 1ast
Kevin Boyle, Jr.- 0/1 FG, 1reb (1 off), 2ast, 1stl, 2to
Josh Daniell- 2reb (1 off)
TEAM- 78pts, 29/58 FG (50%), 5/17 3P (29.4%), 15/28 FT (53.6%), 22reb (12 off), 16ast, 4stl, 1blk, 9to

Plainfield (NJ) vs. St. Joseph's Metuchen (NJ)
This was the Tyrone Johnson '11 (pictured) show. The 6'3 point guard from Plainfield (NJ) was the high scorer on the evening, dropping in 31 points in his team's 62-49 victory and garnering Most Outstanding Player honors in the process. Johnson, one of the top players in New Jersey regardless of class, got to the hole with ease throughout the night and showed why he is being recruited at the high-major level. A big-time athlete with a high skill level, Johnson is the real deal. He did get some help frrom 6'5 power forward Justin Sears '12, who is a prospect that has a chance to be a fine player down the road.

For St. Joseph's Metuchen, which was within striking distance until the fourth quarter, Penn-bound Steve Rennard '10 was named MOP on a night that his future school pulled a huge upset of Cornell. Rennard had 12 points in the loss, and fellow backcourt standout, 6'2 Quenton DeCosey '12 was up and down during the night, but is a talented player.

Note- all photos are from http://scouthoops.scout.com/