The Section 7 Basketball Camp got underway Friday for the boys weekend, with the nation's top teams and most highly recruited players convening at State Farm Stadium in Glendale.

Day one did not disappoint, and neither did Arizona's top talent.

The biggest audience of Friday's slate of game's came in the early evening with Phoenix St. Mary's facing Sierra Canyon out of Chatsworth, CA, a top program that commonly resides in the national rankings. It also happens to be the same program where both of LeBron James sons' spent most of their time as prep basketball players.

Most of the crown filled the stadium 'court' bleachers to get a glimpse of Bryce James, the younger of James' two sons, and a senior 6-6 forward. What quickly evolved was  an incredible display of basketball, as Sierra Canyon toppled a young St. Mary's squad, 83-68 in a first round game of the Legacy Foundation Bracket.

Sierra Canyon was led by Kade Bonam, a 6-7 forward who scored 20 points and pulled down 11 rebounds.

Bryce Cofield, another 6-7 senior, added 17 points for Sierra Canyon, which jumped oout to an 18-4 lead early in the first half, as St. Mary's struggled with Sierra Canyon's athleticism and skill.

The game also marked the debut of St. Mary's guards Brody Posterino and Carter Bagley, and both held their own against Sierra Canyon, helping the Knights get back within nine points just before halftime.

Bagley, a highly touted freshman, led St. Mary's with 18 points while going 9-12 from the field. Posterino, a junior who recently transferred from Notre Dame Prep, added 15 points for the Knights, and came away impressed with Sierra Canyon.

"(Sierra Canyon) is one of the best teams I've ever played against," said Posterino, who likened Sierra Canyon to Millennium, Arizona's Open runner-up which beat both St. Mary's and Notre Dame Prep in last year's Open playoffs.

"They're comparable to Millennium absolutely and they might even be deeper," Posterino explained of Sierra Canyon. "They have a ton of talent and size and they just came after us, and it took us time to get adjusted and get some shots."

Sierra Canyon has nine players on its roster listed at 6-5 or taller. At 6-10, St. Mary's junior Wing Cameron Williams provided the best match up, scoring 12 points and eight rebounds. But Sierra Canyon had too much firepower, with three other players finishing in double figures. Bryce James, who came off the bench, did not score and tallied two assists.

"Playing teams like Sierra Canyon and others will only help us going forward," Posterino added.   

 

Millennium 84, St. Joseph (CA) 79

Kingston Tosi led Millennium to a thrilling comeback victory over St. Joseph out of Santa Maria, CA.

Tosi, a 6-7 senior forward, put on a performance for the ages, scoring 38 points while going 15-21 from the field and helping the Tigers beat highly touted St. Joseph, 84-79 in another Legacy Foundation bracket contest.

Cameron Holmes added 18 points, eight rebounds and blocked four shots, as Millennium charged back from a 44-29 deficit at halftime. Brayden Barrett added 12 points for the Tigers with four three-pointers.

Millennium will face another nationally ranked opponent Saturday in Mater Dei (Santa Ana, CA).