ESPN RISE

FORT MYERS, Fla. -- The nation's top-ranked team solidified its status Tuesday.

Mater Dei (Santa Ana, Calif.), No. 1 in the ESPN RISE Top 50 boys' basketball rankings, received 25 points from junior Gary Franklin in a 52-45 win over No. 2 St. Patrick (Elizabeth, N.J.) in the final of the 36th Bank of America City of Palms Classic at Bishop Verot High.

Mater Dei led by as many as 10 points twice in the second half, but St. Patrick made it 46-43 on Dexter Strickland's driving layup with 3:23 left. A minute later, a Strickland 3-pointer could have tied it at 46 but rattled out.

Strickland scored a team-high 19 points, and Paris Bennett added 16.

Mater Dei took the lead for good when Franklin's off balance 3-pointer beat the first quarter buzzer for a 15-14 edge.

In the third-place game, No. 18 Wheeler (Marietta, Ga.) lost to No. 25 Winter Park (Fla.) 91-87. Austin Rivers of Winter Park scored a career-high 46 points, making 15 of 22 shots, including eight of 13 from 3-point range.

"My teammates made sure to get the ball in my hands," Rivers said.

Rivers put on a show in the second half, scoring 30 points as Winter Park rallied from a 47-38 halftime deficit. Winter Park's 25-11 third-quarter run swung momentum in its favor. Winter Park (11-2) is off until Jan. 2 when it plays Vanguard (Ocala, Fla.).

Wheeler had four players score in double figures -- Tahj Tate (28 points), Ari Stewart and Richard Howell (each with 18) and Phil Taylor (17) -- and pulled within 89-87 with 18 seconds, but Rivers made two free throws for the final margin.

Instant analysis: Mater Dei (9-0) has stamped itself as the nation's best, for now. A rugged schedule will keep the Monarchs looking over their shoulders. The biggest test is Feb. 7 against No. 4 St. Benedict's (Newark, N.J.).

A weak bench might become an Achilles' heel, but the starting five is the best in America. In the Palms final, the starters were ironmen, logging all but five minutes. A decisive height advantage, the front line averages nearly 6-9, plays in their favor along with a savvy backcourt of Tyler Lamb and Franklin.

Winter Park, which won over the locals, is a serious contender for the Class 6A title, joining the likes of Winter Spring and Olympia (Orlando). The Wildcats score huge points for beating three ESPN RISE FAB 50 teams. The Wildcats will likely receive a bump when the next rankings are released on Dec. 30.

Duncanville and Arlington Country Day had disappointing tournaments.

St. Patrick and Wheeler are headed for the Beach Ball Classic which tips off later this week in Myrtle Beach, S.C. Both clubs will go deep into March and battle for state championships in loaded brackets.

Top players: Austin Rivers, a Florida recruit, was unanimously selected the tournament's Most Valuable Player. Joining him on the all-tournament team were Tyler Lamb (Mater Dei), Kenny Boynton (American Heritage), Lance Stephenson (Lincoln), Michael Gilchrist (St. Patrick), Gary Franklin (Mater Dei), Tahj Tate and Richard Howell (both of Wheeler), Roger Franklin (Duncanville), Maalik Wayns (Roman Catholic), John Wall (Word of God-Raleigh, N.C.) and Jordin Mayes (Westchester).

Other awards and competition winners include: Wall of Word of God in the slam-dunk; Roman Catholic was presented the team sportsmanship award (voted on by the game officials); John-Michael Hodge of Fort Myers took the 3-point shooting title; and David Bailey of Winter Park received the Steve Bumm Memorial Coaching Award.

Under the Radar: Heading into the City of Palms Classic players and teams hoped to earn respect. Here are a few that stood out.

Rakeem Brookins of Roman Catholic (Philadelphia) Brookins seized the day, scoring 27 points as the Cahillites upended nationally-ranked Arlington Country Day, 56-55, Dec. 18.

"[Brookins] showed that a small guard [5-foot-11] can shoot over players 6-feet-8 or taller and pull up and hit the open jumper," McNesby said. "He's a water bug on the court; he'll give a college at least 15-20 minutes of quality play right away."

Brookins, a junior, is undecided on college but said programs such as Massachusetts, George Mason, Pennsylvania, Delaware and James Madison have expressed interest.

Paul Biancardi, ESPNU's National Coordinator for Recruiting, believes Brookins would fit perfectly in Atlantic 10 or Colonial Athletic conferences.

Phil Taylor of Wheeler is another smallish guard who played large. Taylor, a 5-9 junior, is one of the quickest players in the nation with the ball. His speed dribbling skills dazzled the fans and sliced through opposing defenses.

Entering the tournament, Winter Park was unknown nationally.

"Realistically, if we went 2-2 against national competition and didn't lose big, I'd have been happy," Coach David Bailey said. "Now I feel we can play with national teams."

Why did they click? When the Wildcats lost to Orlando Christian Prep, 66-51, on Dec. 5, a change was needed. Bailey's club listened to his concerns and began playing as a cohesive unit. After beating nationally-ranked programs Westchester (Los Angeles) and Duncanville (Texas), Winter Park earned a ranking in the ESPN RISE Top 50 and a return trip to the Palms in 2009.

Faces in the Crowd: Annually the tournament attracts some recognizable personalities and Monday night was no difference. Sitting on opposite baselines were Glenn "Doc" Rivers, coach of the Boston Celtics, and North Carolina's Hall of Fame coach Roy Williams. The two graciously posed for pictures and signed autographs for fans.

Rivers jetted down from the snowy Northeast for the night to watch his son, Austin Rivers of Winter Park, against St. Patrick. Williams had a keen interest in both semifinals as three players from the Tar Heels' recruiting class  Mater Dei's twins David and Travis Wear and St. Patrick's Dexter Strickland  were competing.

In fact, four of North Carolina's Class of 2009 played at the Palms. Center John Henson of Sickles (Tampa) is the fourth recruit who played Tuesday.

Jim Larranaga, who guided George Mason to the Final Four in 2006, was checking out prize recruit Paris Bennett of St. Patrick Tuesday.

Upset Special: Roman Catholic (Philadelphia) christened the tournament on Dec. 18 when it knocked off nationally-ranked Arlington Country Day (Jacksonville, Fla.), 56-55. The stunner was the first salvo as the Cahillites used a 17-9 fourth-quarter showing to rally. Rakeem Brookins scored a season-high 27 points and Villanova-bound Maalik Wayns added 14.

It was the initial taste of national tournament as a head coach for recently hired Chris McNesby, who served as an assistant for four years under Dennis Seddon (516-128 record, 22 years). McNesby was also an assistant at Drexel University.

Though the Cahillites finished 1-3 at the City of Palms, the experience was invaluable.

"We won't see the No. 1, No. 2 or other top 10 teams in nation in our area this year," McNesby said. "It's nice to see we can compete and beat some of the best teams. We felt our guys were ready and we raised the bar for the start our league play."

For the first time, Philadelphia Catholic League teams will compete for a Pennsylvania state championship. Traditionally Roman Catholic would play for the league title and in the Alhambra Catholic Invitational Tournament but times have changed.

The Cahillites are grouped in Pennsylvania's large class (AAAA). The City of Palms introduced them to the high level of competition and big-game atmosphere it will see in March.

"I like the idea of playing for a state championship," Wayns said. "You don't have to wonder anymore if you're the best [team] in the state."

McNesby will give his team a five days off before preparing for North Catholic (Philadelphia) on Dec. 30 and No. 14 Rice (Manhattan, N.Y.) on Jan. 3.