By Paul Lazdowski, Globe Correspondent

CHICAGO – If the basketball careers of Roxbury native Wayne Selden and Haverhill’s Noah Vonleh (above) extend beyond college and into the NBA, both players might want to consider choosing a team with close geographic proximity to Chicago.

Despite being on the losing end of Wednesday night’s 36th annual McDonald’s All-American game at the United Center – a contest the West won, 110-99, over the East – Selden and Vonleh appeared comfortable and at ease in their first-ever visits to the Windy City.

In 11 minutes of action, the 6-foot-9, 220-pound Vonleh scored 3 points and collected 6 rebounds. His point total could have been greater if he had converted more than 1 of 6 free throw attempts.

What Vonleh did exhibit, however, was a relentless motor on the glass, especially on the offensive end, where he snagged four boards. The New Hampton product also displayed an equally impressive handle – one you’d be more likely to find in a 6-foot point guard rather than someone of Vonleh’s physical stature.

Undoubtedly, these attributes – which had the Indiana faithful, scattered among the crowd of 15,818 – excitedly gasping each time their prized recruit gobbled up a rebound and proceeded to push the ball up court.

As for Selden (below), the 6-foot-5, 220-pound combo guard started alongside top recruit Andrew Wiggins, and looked very much like the player who led his Tilton squad in scoring, rebounding and assists this past season.

Alternating between the point and two-guard positions, Selden played 18 minutes and poured in 13 points, including hitting 2-of-4 three-pointers, and added 5 rebounds, 3 assists and a steal.

There were times in the game when Selden was arguably the best player on the court. In particular, there was a stretch in which the East was trailing, 79-61, with just over 12 minutes remaining. On three-straight possessions, Selden drained a three-pointer, dished out an assist for a layup, and connected on a foul line extended jumper following a beautiful crossover, to cut the deficit to 11 points.

But the contributions of Massachusetts’ first twosome since 2000, when Holy Name's Neil Fingleton and Central Catholic's Scott Hazelton appeared at the McDonald’s game, and the Commonwealth’s fourth overall – with Randell Jackson (Winchendon) and Wayne Turner (Beaver Country Day) in 1995, and Travis Best (Springfield Central High) and Rick Brunson (Salem) in 1991 being the other two – was not enough to elevate the East squad past the West.

BC High retains the No. 1 ranking after taking down two Catholic Conference rivals in Catholic Memorial and Malden Catholic this past week.

Due to CM’s recent struggles against the Eagles, St. John’s Prep and Barnstable, the Knights dropped to No. 5. The Springfield Cathedral Falcons continued their winning ways this past week against St. Peter-Marian. With only one game played this week however, the Falcons couldn’t make the jump to No. 1.

The team that suffered the biggest drop was Malden Catholic, which was blown out by Marshfield and then lost to BC High Saturday. The Lancers are in desperate need of righting their ship if they don’t want to continue their skid down the Top 20.

Thanks to that aforementioned MC victory by Marshfield, the Rams made their way into the Top 20 this week. The team also knocked off Sandwich last week seven days after they blew out Dennis-Yarmouth, 7-2.

The notables who just missed out on the Top 20 this week are Xaverian, Newburyport and Braintree. The Hawks were bumped out from last week due to Marshfield’s win while the Clippers and Wamps just missed the cut this week.

Video by Marie Torto for Boston.com

See highlights from Cathedral's 22-20 win over Madison Park in double overtime in the Division 4A Super Bowl Saturday.

Billy Owens / For the Boston Globe

Brighton linebacker Torry Johnson runs through drills on the first day of football practice on Monday in Cleveland Circle.

By Justin A. Rice, Globe Correspondent

Football is back in Boston.

And Monday's opening day of training camp marked major new beginnings at several city league programs.

Besides being the first day of practice for new coaches at Brighton High, Charlestown High and West Roxbury High, Monday was the first ever football practice for New Mission High.

New Mission secured a football program after it was announced last school year that the school would move from Mission Hill to the former Hyde Park Education Complex.

About 13 New Mission students participated in practice at Ross Field on Monday.

“This is surreal,” said New Mission coach Michael Pittman Forman, who used to coach at Cathedral High in the South End. ”I’ve been in Boston for a while and I’ve wanted to get into the city [league] and coach. It feels surreal and I’m happy for the turnout we have right now. It’s a little low but we should be getting more guys.”

Known for their formidable basketball teams, the Titans looked athletic as they ran through conditioning drills on Monday morning.

“Once we start running with helmets and shoulder pads we’ll see if they are football players,” Pittman Forman said. “I have a feeling it’s going to be great. Everything starts with baby steps and we’re taking baby steps right now. We’ll see how it goes from this point on.”

Over in West Roxbury, another new era of football started as Derek Wright was in place as head coach instead of Leo Sybertz. The 74-year-old retired after the 2007 season only to return for the 2010 and 2011 seasons.

Wright served as Sybertz' assistant for two seasons.

“It was a restless night, the anxiety, now it’s all on my shoulders to be the head guy,” Wright said.

The Raiders junior quarterback David Bertucci said it was strange without Sybertz at practice on Monday.

“But I’ve been with these coaches since I was a freshman and I love them all to death,” he said. “But you can’t really replace a coach Sy, it’s always tough. Coach Wright coached me since JV year so I’ve been under his tutelage. It’s always good working with a coach you’ve worked with before. It makes everything easier. I’m happy they made Coach Wright head coach, I wouldn’t want anyone else to be head coach.”

Bertucci also said it’s a little tough coming back to practice and conditioning because it means summer is over and school is about to start.

“But the football helps to remove that pit [in your stomach] and makes everything better,” said Buertucci, whose father played at Westie in the 1980s and is an assistant for the Raiders. “I’m just happy to be back. I’ve been waiting for this since the last game of the year last year against Brighton. We finished off strong and we have a good group of guys here and we’re hoping to go deep in the playoffs.”

At Brighton’s camp in Cleveland Circle on Monday, longtime Bengals’ assistant Randolph Abraham officially took over the reins from James “Timo” Philip, who retired last year after coaching the Bengals for 30 years.

Abraham played for Philip until 2000 and became his assistant coach after graduating from Nichole’s College in 2004.

“It feels awesome, this is a dream of mine, I’ve wanted to do since I was a student here,” he said. “It’s going to be a grind but I think we’ve got great coaching.”

Last week Abraham joked that he wouldn’t be surprised if Philip turned up at the first day of practice. While Philip was a no show on Monday, Abraham joked that Philip would "hate" how organized practice is.

“He likes to roll with it,” Abraham said of Philip. “Me, I’m the opposite. We’re very organized and precise as you can see. We’re getting a lot done today. It feels like we’ve been here for four hours but we’ve only been here for two. They’re working.”

During the first week of Brighton’s practice last year, Brighton's star tight end Prince Unaegbu suffered a dislocating wrist and played most of the season with a cast on his forearm.

“It feels good, I’ve been waiting all year for this," the 6-foot-6, 240-pounder said. "When I came in today it felt like I was getting ready for a game or something.”

Justin A. Rice covers Boston Public school athletics. He can be reached at jrice.globe@gmail.com. Follow him on Twitter @GlobeJustinRice or @BPSspts.

By Justin A. Rice, Globe Correspondent

The Boston Scholar Athletes program is hosting the POWERADE/AE Pre-Season Nike Sparq Football Combine on Saturday at the Salvation Army Kroc Center in Dorchester (650 Dudley St.).

Running from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., the combine will provide Boston public high school football players with a chance to receive a Nike SPARQ rating, which will allow them to compare themselves to other high school football players. The attendees will also participate in a series of Nike SPARQ training drills.

No more than 25 members of each BPS football team can attend the combine and all students must be academically eligible.

Each athlete will partake in four tests (40 yard dash, pro agility, vertical
jump, and kneeling power ball throw). At the completion each score will be put into
a computer system and the player will then receive a Nike SPARQ rating.

There will also be six stations (agility cones, speed hurdles, speed
ladder, parachutes, power ball, linear speed) with each station lasting between eight to
10 minutes.

An hour of position specific teaching and fundamentals will also be conducted.

For more information contact Chris Rooks at 617-517-4444 or crooks@bostonscholarathletes.org; or Brad Schoonmaker at 617-517-4526
bschoonmaker@bostonscholarathletes.org.

EVENT ITINERARY:

8:00am-9:00am: Registration (handled by BSA staff)

9:00am-12:00pm: Combine

12:00pm-1:00pm: Hydration & Lunch

1:00pm-2:00pm: Nike Sparq Training

2:00pm-2:10pm: Hydration

2:10pm-3:10pm: Position Specific

3:10pm-3:20pm: Hydration

3:20pm-4:20pm: Half Line Drills and Skelly

4:20pm-4:30pm: Hydration

4:30pm-5:00pm Wrap Up

Justin A. Rice covers Boston Public school athletics. He can be reached at jrice.globe@gmail.com. Follow him on Twitter @GlobeJustinRice or @BPSspts.

By Justin A. Rice, Globe Correspondent

Several teams in the Boston Neighborhood Basketball League started their seasons about a week late last week after league officials cracked down on a long-time residency rule that was never truly enforced before now.

The 43-year-old summer basketball league known as BNBL is — like all programs run by Boston Centers for Youth & Families — only for Boston residents because it’s funded by the city and its taxpayers.

But in past years, a player’s residency was only checked if it was challenged by another team during the course of the season. BCYF Director of Recreation, Sports and Fitness Ryan Fitzgerald said the policy was too hard to enforce once the season already started.

So this year BCYF officials required BNBL players to prove residency before the season started by showing a report card, birth certificate or another document that proved their address is in Boston — a process that delayed the start of the season for some teams.

“This is no different from what a lot of programs and leagues in the city require anyway,” Fitzgerald said. “We had many coaches and players and participants in the program voice concerns on the issue so we’ve taken steps to address it and minimize the infractions.”

While Fitzgerald said he hopes the missed games will be made up on off days, many teams and players a still irked.

“It’s very frustrating because I wanted to play basketball and I wanted to be with my team last week when we should’ve started,” Jaleel Bell of the Dorchester YMCA team said after his squad played its first game last Wednesday night at the Perkins Community Center in Dorchester.

“In Massachusetts you’re a Massachusetts player, if other people want to play its OK. We’re all playing basketball, it’s for the youth, we’re not doing anything dangerous, we’re not doing drugs; we’re playing basketball so it’s something positive.”

Dorchester YMCA coach, Andrew Angus agreed that the league should be open to everyone because it helps keeps kids off the streets.

“We also go down there and join their leagues too, it goes hand-in-hand, I think we’re Massachusetts it’s not anything else, we’re all one,” Angus said.

The former BNBL player, who won three MIAA state titles as a player with Charlestown High from 2000 to 2003, said competing against players from outside the city in the summer made him a better player during the school year.

“It kind of made the league a little better with people who come from all over to just play BNBL [from outside the city]," he said. “That’s just bringing different talent inside the city. You’re just playing everybody. So trying to keep it in the city you kind of take away a little bit but it’s what the city wants I guess.”

Fitzgerald, who played in the league himself as a youngster, said he sees both sides of the issue.

“I can certainly see that point of view,” he said. “As a young kid I was excited to play against all competition no matter where it came from. I get that. The only problem is this is a program run by the City of Boston with city resources so it becomes complicated about who we can provide services to.

“For every person that has [Bell and Angus’] opinion there is another one who feels that it should be City of Boston kids and that’s what the program was started for. I’m not saying either one is wrong but as it is currently constituted that’s what we have to do.”

Perkins Community Center coach Eric Bradshaw said the residency issue has been a problem since he started coaching BNBL 20 years ago. He said he doesn’t’ have a problem with cracking down on residency but said that that BCYF should start figuring out who can and can’t play earlier in the school year.

“Every year it’s always been the same thing,” he said. “I don’t know why it took so long to be honest with you but it’s been an issue for 20 years.”

Fitzgerald said they notified coaches and players of the new policy starting in May.

“We feel there was ample amount of time to get this information,” he said. “But I don’t begrudge anyone who had trouble and I certainly understand it takes more work to collect it. … We knew it might be a little bumpy this year. When things are new and different, especially when they were done the same way for such a long time, there are hiccups.

“But I think next year when people are prepared for it I anticipate it to be a lot more smooth.”

One of the league’s founders, Alfreda J. Harris, said she would’ve liked to see the policy shift happen years ago.

“It’s very simple, the program originated 43 years ago and it’s for Boston residence,” said Harris, who is a school committee member in Boston. “The money comes from city of Boston tax payers, it’s always been that way. It’s better to get it clear now than wait till the end of the season when teams lost to teams because they had illegitimate players.

“I think it was a good idea for Ryan [Fitzgerald] to clamp down and get the paperwork in at the beginning of the season.”

Justin A. Rice covers Boston Public school athletics. He can be reached at jrice.globe@gmail.com. Follow him on Twitter @GlobeJustinRice or @BPSspts.

Photo courtesy of John Maconga

Lou Bergholz leaps to make a save for the combined PW Global Advisors/Edgework Consulting team during last year's SCORES Cup at Gillette Stadium.

By Justin A. Rice, Globe Correspondent

The eighth annual SCORES Cup corporate charity soccer tournament returns to Gillette Stadium on Saturday.

The 32-team tournament benefits America SCORES Boston, a non-profit organization that uses soccer to inspire literacy and health in Boston public schools.

The seven-on-seven coed tournament provides corporate soccer teams the chance to show off their skills on the Gillette Stadium turf before watching the New England Revolution play the Seattle Sounders FC.

Each team will play a minimum of three 30-minute games.

Participants also receive an Official SCORES Cup Adidas jerseys, their company logos in the game day program as well as post-tournament activities at Patriot Place.

Some of Boston's largest companies will participate in the event that is expected to raise close to $200,000 for SCORES.

For more information contact Alex Maeder at 617-553-4703 or amaeder@americascores.org. Or you can visit www.AmericaSCORESBoston.org/SCORESCup.

Justin A. Rice covers Boston Public school athletics. He can be reached at jrice.globe@gmail.com. Follow him on Twitter @GlobeJustinRice or @BPSspts.

By Justin A. Rice, Globe Correspondent

The Boston Scholar Athlete program will conduct a free six-week fitness program for Boston public school athletes beginning next month.

The BSA Summer Fit 2012 program will run from 5:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. on Mondays and Wednesdays from July 9 to Aug. 15 at the Salvation Army Ray and Joan Kroc Corps Community Center on Dudley Street in Dorchester.

"BSA Fit is open to every male and female athlete (or prospective athlete) in our schools," according to the BSA's most recent monthly newsletter. "Come and get ready for the fall season with BSA Fit!"

The six-week program will be operated by BSA fitness and training partner, Athletic Evolution.

"Athletic Evolution’s philosophies are to help athletes train the correct way, while always keeping in mind the reason for training," according to the BSA newsletter. "While mastering the skills of a sport is one element of becoming a better athlete; mastering the training techniques for that sport along with the skills will breed ultimate success in sports."

The BSA is also looking for "smart and driven scholar-athletes" to participate in its three-day Summer Zone Program, from July 25-27.

The program, which will take participants to institutions such as Boston College, is free for qualifying BSA Zone members.

"The program offers an opportunity for scholar-athletes to interact and learn together in a healthy and fun environment with emphasis on leadership skills, team building, and reinforcing athlete self-confidence," the newsletter says. "Activities include a ropes course, team activities, mental and physical challenges, in addition to career and life skills training."

Interested Zone members can apply on the BSA website.

Justin A. Rice covers Boston Public school athletics. He can be reached at jrice.globe@gmail.com. Follow him on Twitter @GlobeJustinRice or @BPSspts.

By Justin A. Rice, Globe Correspondent

The Boston City League baseball all-star game will return to Fenway Park next month after a short hiatus at Harvard’s O’Donnell Field.

The annual City of Boston All-City Baseball Classic will be at 5:30 p.m. on June 10 at Fenway Park.

The game is organized by the Boston Center for Youth & Families and held in partnership with the Boston Scholar Athlete Program and sponsored by the Boston Red Sox.

The game was held at Harvard the last two years. Three years ago it was scheduled to be played at Fenway but had to be moved to Harvard due to inclement weather. It was last played at the iconic ballpark in 2008.

In the last three years the all-star game has struggled to garner full participation due to a lack of interest, lack of transportation to Harvard or conflicts with graduations and proms.

Boston schools Athletic Director Ken Still said Fenway Park should help remedy participation issues.

“Fenway Park is a lure because it’s Fenway park, you have people coming from all over the world to sit in Fenway Park,” Still said during a telephone interview on Tuesday morning. “To have a chance to play there as a youngster and baseball person, that’s overwhelming.”

Still announced that the game will be back at Fenway during the Boston City League championship baseball game on Monday morning at Boston English High.

On Tuesday morning, he said he hopes the weather cooperates this year.

“[Fenway is] very tough to get but when we’re able to I say take advantage and let’s do it,” he said. “I hope they are able to get on the field and represent."

The BSA’s new Athletic Director, Chris Rooks, said “It’s an amazing opportunity for the kids.”

Justin A. Rice covers Boston Public school athletics. He can be reached at jrice.globe@gmail.com. Follow him on Twitter @GlobeJustinRice or @BPSspts.

By Justin A. Rice, Globe Correspondent

Tuesday's full slate of Boston schools' baseball and softball games has been canceled due to inclement weather, wreaking havoc on the race for the city championships. The softball and baseball city championships are slated for this weekend but mother nature is making it difficult to determine who will be playing.

In softball, East Boston (9-6, 8-0) and O’Bryant (7-5, 7-3) are poised to represent the North conference in the city championships while Latin Academy (9-10, 7-0) and South Boston (9-3, 9-3) and Dorchester (8-3, 8-3) are fighting for the South conference slot.

The forecast isn’t much better for Wednesday, when Brighton and Latin Academy are slated to square off in a baseball battle that could be the key to determining who represents the North conference in the baseball city championships.

In baseball, the top two teams from the North conference qualify for the tournament so
English High is also in the running to make cities.

The top team from the Central and South also qualify for cities. East Boston is looking like the runaway leader in the Central conference while Boston International and Fenway are battling to represent the South conference.

International (8-3, 5-1), which has already had eight or nine rain outs this year, has several conference games to make up this week. They are slated to play a double header against Charlestown on Thursday and back-to-back games against Snowden and Burke on Friday.

Boston International coach Christian Irizarry said he has plenty of pitching to get his team through the nonstop schedule of games.

“I have five arms besides my regular pitcher,” he said. “So for our league we are pretty good in terms of pitching.”

Fenway (9-7, 7-3), which clinched the state tournament for the first time in eight years on Monday, feels like they deserve to be the South representatives in the city tournament, especially because they defeated Boston International, 8-4, on Saturday. International beat Fenway 6-5 earlier in the season.

First-year Fenway coach David Walsh said his team would go to cities if the tiebreak came down to runs scored.

“We would definitely do damage in the cities,” he said. “If we don’t get in at least I know we’re in states.”

If the remainder of Boston International’s league games are rained out, it’s unclear how they will be counted in the standings.

“If I don’t play anyone because of the weather why should [Fenway] be on top?” Irizarry said.

The baseball city championship semifinals will be at 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. on Saturday at English High. The title bout will be on Monday at 10 a.m.

The softball semifinals will be at 11 a.m. at Clemente and Cobe Fields in the Fens. The championship game will be at 10 a.m. on Monday at Cobe Field.

Justin A. Rice covers Boston Public school athletics. He can be reached at jrice.globe@gmail.com. Follow him on Twitter @GlobeJustinRice or @BPSspts.

By Hannah Becker, Globe Correspondent

Following are games of the Week in the city league for May 14-19:

BASEBALL

Monday: East Boston at English, 3:30 – Both teams are off to a strong start to the season, but will need to continue that success to guarantee themselves a place in the postseason. Monday's game could be a jumping off point for both teams.
Wednesday: Brighton at Madison Park, 3 – After going to the city championship game last season, the Cardinals have had a rough start this year. They can still finish on a high note but will have to get through a Brighton team that has only one loss.
Wednesday: English at Latin Academy, Town Field, 3:30 – The two squads are neck and neck for a shot at the postseason with identical 5-2 league records. The Blue & Blue have a slight advantage with a 7-4 overall record to the Dragons’ 6-5 standing. Wednesday’s game will be big for both teams.
Thursday: Dorchester at Boston International, 3:30, Fallon Field – Boston International still boasts an undefeated league record at 4-0, but Dorchester sits in third in the standings and is hungry to solidify themselves as playoff contenders. An upset for Dorchester could give them the momentum they need heading into the final week and a half of regular season action.
Saturday: Brighton at Wellesley, 12 p.m. – Brighton has a solid record at 6-1 and is sitting on top of the standings with a trip to the postseason in sight. They haven’t played any non-league games, however, and Saturday’s tilt will be a good measuring stick for just how good the Tigers are.

SOFTBALL

Monday: Boston International at Burke, Casey Field, 4 – Boston International has had a strong season with a young team of players. They currently sit on the outside of the playoff picture, but could make a late push to make the tournament. A win over a struggling Burke (3-5) could be a jumping off point.
Monday: Charlestown at Madison Park, 3 – Madison Park is coming off a big win over West Roxbury, but needs to keep raking in the victories if they want to qualify for the tournament. A win over struggling Charlestown (1-5) could be what the Cardinals need to get the ball rolling.
Tuesday: East Boston at Bishop Fenwick, 3:30 – Eastie is a strong 5-0 in conference action, but has yet to win a non-conference match-up with a 0-4 record in non-league match-ups. A win against Fenwick could give the Jets a ton of confidence heading into the final weeks.
Thursday: Dorchester at O’Bryant, Madison Park, 3:30 – O’Bryant is currently in position to make the tournament, while Dorchester sits just out of reach. The game will be more important to the Bears, but both teams could use a win as a turning point.
Thursday: West Roxbury at Snowden, Fens (Cobe), 3:30 – The Raiders have just one loss, a 14-6 setback to Madison Park. They’ll look to get back on track against a Snowden team that needs wins down the stretch in order to make the tournament.

By Justin A. Rice, Globe Correspondent

Former NBA employee Christopher Rooks started his new job as the Boston Scholar Athletes program's athletic director last week.

Rooks will manage all athletic programs run by the nonprofit organization designed
to support Boston Public School athletics.

“What I’m really excited about is the opportunity to work with the kids, work with the constituents in Boston and grow a program that helps them use the foundation of athletics to improve themselves as individuals, academically as well as in life,” Rooks said during an interview on Tuesday morning.

Founded in 2009 by Mayor Thomas M. Menino and Suffolk Construction CEO and chairman John Fish,  the BSA provides support to all 19 Boston Public High Schools, 157 athletic teams, 3,900 players and 132 coaches.

The program, which was started after the Globe ran a seven-part series on the sad state of the district's athletic program called Failing our Athletes, has also established learning centers for athletes at each of Boston’s public high schools known as the BSA Zones.

“I am excited to have Chris on the BSA team,” Fish said in a statement.  “The
experience and relationships he gained working for the NBA, combined with his
passion for athletics and professional development, will elevate the BSA
athletic program to a whole new level as we work to help Boston’s
scholar-athletes play to achieve.”

Rooks spent more than 11 years working for the NBA. He was most recently a senior manager
for player development who was responsible for the creation and administration
of athlete life skills programs, transitional workshops, awareness and prevention seminars and professional development resources.

“I come from a background of business development and player development,” Rooks said. “For the last six years I worked in the player development department where our role was to work with teams, players and our partners to try to benefit the personal, professional and social development of our players."

Rooks said his background in the NBA will help him build rapport with the BPS student-athletes.

“One of the things we wanted to make sure that the [NBA] understood is that the fame and the popularity of both [the players] and their sport kind of obligates them to take a position in social responsibility because of so many people who are looking up to them,” Rooks said. “It’s one of
the things we really pushed hard was that guys do more in the community so they can
be seen because of the impact they have."

At the BSA, Rooks will be responsible for building long-term local and national
relationships as well as providing leadership, strategic direction, management
and coordination for all aspects of the BSA’s athletic program. Rooks will
also be responsible for the development of relationships with the BSA’s current
and potential markets along with increasing the program’s athletic support for
players and coaches.

Rooks received his bachelor’s degree in economics from Ohio State in 1994 and he earned his master’s degree in sport administration in 2000 from OSU. Rooks replaces Evan Davis, who is currently the chief operating office at the Sports Legacy Institute.

“I’m really excited to be here working with the quality staff at BSA, the folks at BPS athletics and our athletic community here throughout all of Boston,” Rooks said.

Justin A. Rice covers Boston Public school athletics. He can be reached at jrice.globe@gmail.com. Follow him on Twitter @GlobeJustinRice or @BPSspts.

Pavel Dzemianok/For the Globe

Latin Academy senior Robert Finch of West Roxbury didn't mind finishing second to last in the Boston Athletic Association's Invitational Mile for the second straight year.

By Justin A. Rice, Globe Correspondent

There's no such thing as a free lunch and there's also no such thing as free running sneakers. "It’s nice to get all this free gear because, I mean, these shoes, there’s no way I’d be able to buy them so it’s nice to be able earn them,” Robert Finch of West Roxbury said of his complimentary orange Adidas sneakers after finishing second to last in the boys’ Boston Athletic Association Scholastic Invitational Mile for the second straight year.

The Latin Academy senior ran the race — which loops around Boylston and Newbury Streets before finishing on the Boston Marathon’s finish line — Sunday morning in a time of 5 minutes, 8.2 seconds.

“I’m kind of a big fish in a small pond; I’m the best in the [Boston City] league but it doesn’t really compare to some of these other guys,” Finch said of the race, which features two athletes from each city or town along the Boston Marathon course. “But it’s nice to have someone to chase. To get a better performance, I need to race people who are faster than me. It’s nice I get to do it at least once a year.”

Finch said the race also gives him a boost going into the heart of the City League season.

Boston Latin junior Michael Ward finished the race in 4:40.6, just missing a top-three finish. Framingham's Ben Groleau won the race in 4:27.2 while Justin Keefe from Newton North (4:39.7) finished second and Tim Bolick of Hopkinton (4:40.4) was third.

“I went out and I stayed with the Brookline pack because I knew they were solid guys,” Ward said. “I stayed there till about 800 [meters] and then moved up and followed one of the Brookline guys [Mark Perry] in the last lap and just kicked it in and got caught at the line for fourth.”

Ward was running the race for the first time.

“My teammates have done it the last few yeas so they gave me some pointers,” he said. “I was just running. I knew a lot of the guys in the race so I used that to help me through it.”

Ward’s Latin School teammate, Ava Violich, finished 11th in the girls’ race in 5:49.5.

“It was fun,” the sophomore said. “I've never run in road races, on concrete, before. It just gives me a feel of what it’s like to really run the marathon.”

O’Bryant junior Melissa Jean was disappointed with her last-place performance of 7:03.3.

“I did not know the course, I did not know any of the competitors,” she said.

The morning also featured a boys’ and girls’ middle school 1-kilometer race. John Lara of the Rafael Hernandez School in Roxbury led the first half of the race before being eclipsed by Zachary O'Leary of Ashland, who won in 2:54.5.

“It’s all right, everybody loses,” Lara said “I was trying to get the win but he caught me. I was out in front [for one lap] and he caught me.”

Lara finished in 3 minutes flat while his brother, Joel Lara, finished sixth in 3:13.7 to give Boston first place in the team standings.

“I felt famous," Joel said of crossing the marathon finish line.

In the middle school girls’ race, Mia Sheets, was eighth (4:01.1) and Kalsia King finished 11th (4:10.4) despite falling down and hurting her elbow at the start of the race.

“I started off trying to get to the front and I tripped and I rolled to the ground,” King said with a bandage on her right elbow. “I had to strive for a little bit, I had to catch up a little.”

Finch, who will attend George Washington University in the fall, said he's not running in college, but he will run the Marine Corps Marathon in Washington.

"I don’t think I’m fast enough to run competitively in college," he said, "but I’ll be running the rest of my life whether competitively or not."

Justin A. Rice can be reached at jrice.globe@gmail.com. Follow him on Twitter @GlobeJustinRice or @BPSspts.

By Justin A. Rice, Globe Correspondent

The six Boston Marathon runners raising money for the Boston Scholar Athlete Program have received words of encouragement from friends, family and colleagues during training.

But they never expected a pep talk from Boston Mayor Thomas M. Menino.

“This weekend is marathon weekend, I want to congratulate the runners who are running the Boston Marathon for the Boston Scholar Athlete Program, I’ll be watching you,” Menino said during the first-ever Boston Scholar Athlete Zone Party on the floor of the TD Garden on Tuesday night.

The gala raised $1.9 million for the program which has established a dedicated, staffed learning center for athletes inside each of Boston’s 19 public high schools. The program was co-founded by Menino and Suffolk Construction CEO and Chairman, John Fish.

“That was great, I didn’t expect that at all," BSA Academic Associate Colin Campbell said. "To have him recognize us meant a lot to us. Even though it was at such a big event, where people are putting a lot more into it than we are to fund raise, and [for him to] recognize us along with everyone there to support our program overall was great.”

Besides Campbell, Nicole Reither of Swampscott, Michelle Nielsen of Falls Church, Va., Kate Hensley of Quincy, Joseph Cappellano of South Boston and Liz Collins of Boston are the other BSA or Suffolk Construction employees running.

So far they have raised about $23,000 for the BSA.

“Every one of the runners for our team has a connection to BSA which is unique,” Campbell said. “I think that’s something you don’t see in a lot of other charity teams. They don’t have that connection. So for us explaining BSA [to donors] has been great."

Each runner has a month after the marathon to raise a minimum $5,000 or the difference comes out of their pocket. And in these tough times many charity runners have had a hard time finding donors to reach their goals.

Joseph Cappellano, a senior facilitator for BSA who works with athletes at Boston Latin School, said it can be tough to raise money since they all know each other and are all raising money for the same cause. But he also said they’ve come up with creative ways to raise money such as conducting a March Madness bracket.

“Most of us have reached [$5,000] or are close but obviously our goal is not to stop at $20,000 but go beyond it,” Cappellano said.

The South Boston native said his friends and family are receptive to helping Boston Public School athletes.

“As soon as I tell them we’re trying to revamp high school sports in Boston they are kind of like ‘I wish they had that when I was there,’ ” he said. “So people are very, very receptive.”

Another challenge is the fact that while the group trains together, Hensley is the only one with marathon experience.

“It’s interesting, we were all athletes in high school and college and we all have old injuries and they start to come back to haunt you,” Cappellano said.

On Monday, the group plans to start the race together and then branch off as the race progresses. They hope to all run under four hours.

“It’s a little up in the air,” Cappellano said when asked what time he is shooting for. “Before Tuesday would be nice.”

For more information on the BSA runners, go to their fundraising website.

Justin A. Rice can be reached at jrice.globe@gmail.com. Follow him on Twitter @GlobeJustinRice or @BPSspts.

Justin A. Rice for Boston.com

Boston Scholar Athlete program founder and Suffolk Construction CEO and Chairman, John Fish, speaks at the first-ever Boston Scholar Athlete Zone Party at TD Garden on Tuesday night.

By Justin A. Rice, Globe Correspondent

The first-ever Boston Scholar Athlete Zone Party was held on the floor of the TD Garden Tuesday night. The gala benefited the two-year-old program that has established learning centers for athletes at each of Boston’s 19 public high schools.

“The Boston Scholar athlete program believes there is a link, a proven link, between athletics and academic achievement,” said BSA founder and Suffolk Construction CEO and chairman John Fish.
.
Fish and Boston Mayor Thomas M. Menino collaborated to create the BSA after the Globe ran a seven-part series on the sad state of the district's athletic program called Failing our athletes.

“The mayor called me about two and a half years ago and said, ‘John we have some challenges with the Boston Public Schools athletic program, I think we can make a difference by putting some additional resources and putting some advice and guidance into it,’” Fish said. “That’s all our team needed to hear was [that we had] an opportunity to work with Boston Public Schools and [Superintendent] Carol Johnson.

“As a result of that phone call we are sitting here tonight and we’re impacting over 4,000 high school athletes in the city of Boston.”

The program — which also provides uniforms for more than 157 teams, skill clinics, all-star games and banquets for 13 sports — has kept 92 percent of its participants eligible to play their sports and has increased SAT scores by an average of 150 points, according to Menino.

“We know it’s working, so let’s come together to reach even more of the young people in our city,” Menino said.

Menino said while Fish defers credit he actually deserves most of it.

“I can remember the day he came to my office after it was reported [in the Globe] about the athletic programs in the Boston Public Schools, he came with the idea and he said ‘I’m going to make sure we have a program in Boston that works both scholastically and athletically for the young people in our city,’” Menino said during the event. “John worked at it, he put his resources behind it and built a great team.

“We wouldn’t be here without the foundation John set up, the Suffolk Red and Blue foundation. … enough can’t be said about this great program. This is a true public private program that is helping the Boston Public School students excel in the classroom, on the field and after graduation.”

West Roxbury High senior football and basketball player Muller Mirville said his GPA increased from a 2.0 to a 2.6 after attending the Zone.

“As of right now it’s getting higher and higher,” he said. “The Zone is a place where people that were in your footsteps help motivate you to become in a position that they are in, which is successful. The experience tonight went well; I see the people that are helping me out and are funding what’s helping me become a successful person.”

BSA Executive Director Rebekah Splaine Salwasser said some of the students in the program have increased their GPA from 1.0 to 4.0.

“And all have improved their chances of graduating from high school by 28 percent as members of our program,” she said. “Tonight we are here to honor the commitment that all these young people have made to improving their opportunities for success.

“All of us in this room contributed to that opportunity. We must continue to work together to provide structured, enriching, sustainable academic and athletic support for our youth."

She said the program is beginning to change the culture of athletics in the district.

“Together with our partners we are starting to see an increase in school and community pride and a renewed sense of confidence," she said, "particularly with our young female athletes.”

Justin A. Rice can be reached at jrice.globe@gmail.com. Follow him on Twitter @GlobeJustinRice or @BPSspts.

By Liz Torres, Globe Correspondent

The Boston Scholar Athlete Program announced the official girls and boys basketball rosters for the second annual Dr. Joseph D. Warren Memorial Boston City League Basketball All-Star Game.

The All-Star game, which will be held Saturday, March 31 at Northeastern University's Cabot Center, will feature 61 student-athletes from Boston Public Schools split by the North and South.

The girls' game is scheduled to start at 3 p.m. Saturday. Here is the rosters:

Girls North

Boston Latin Academy: Virginia McCaughney, Julia Rosario; Charlestown: Sara Centeio, Shannon Simpson; East Boston: Maria Delvecchio, Marta Chacon; Fenway: Tajanay Veiga Lee, Kayla Cox, Julissa Ross; Madison Park: Krystal Edwards, Khiyana Isaac, Amber Edward; Snowden: Jovanna Sandifer, Tania Ortiz; South Boston: Elaina Wright McCarthy, Daitannah Smith.

Girls South

Brighton: Amy Bernardez, Shantal Solomon; Dorchester: Shyla Fitzpatrick, Kymesha Kelley; English: Trayana Mair, Timilia Lattimore; O'Bryant: Araion Bradshaw, Raven Kelsey, Kiana Daley; Burke: Briana Hooks; New Mission: Tianna Johnson, Jazala Laracuente, Tiffany Williams; West Roxbury: Marissa Sarette, Makayla Williams.

The boys' game is scheduled to start at 5 p.m. Saturday. Here are the rosters:

Boys North

Boston Latin Academy: DeVaughn Riley; Charlestown: Tyrese Hoxter, Rony Fernandes, Omar Orriols; East Boston: Travon Moore, Kyle Jimenez Fox, Zack Gattereau; Kenny Ramos Fenway: Jonathon Roman; Madison Park: Rayshaw Matthews, David Stewart, Dakim Murray, O'Shea Joy; Snowden: Paul Maurice; South Boston: Alexander Brown.

Boys South

Brighton: Jerard Mayes, Decorsie James, Tre Downman, Malik James; Dorchester: Jedaun Langston; English: Kwame Townshend, Bryanne Toney; Community Academy of Science & Health: Josh Baptista, Anthony Ware; Burke: Charles Slayden; New Mission: Leroy Hamilton, Isshiah Coleman; West Roxbury: Sterling Brown, Freddie Oliveira; O'Bryant: Wesley Ogebeveon.

Boston Public high school student-athletes were chosen by their coaches.

The event is sponsored by Boston Scholar Athletes and the Boston Center for Youth and Families.

By Seth Lakso, Globe Correspondent

Brockton big man Sayvonn Houston (13 points, 12 rebounds, and 9 blocks) continued his run of strong tournament performances on Saturday, just missing a triple-double, as the Boxers walked away with a 57-48 win over Madison Park in the Division 1 South finals at UMass-Boston’s Clark Athletic Center.

The fourth-ranked Boxers (22-2) were treated to a chorus of “Boston Garden” chants from their fans as they made their way to the locker room after holding the seventh-ranked Cardinals to just 14 field goals in the game.

Brockton will face off against Charlestown in the Division 1 state semifinals at TD Garden on Monday.

“It’s real nice [to be heading to the TD Garden],” said Brockton coach Robert Boen. “I have one guy who has been there before – Jahleel Moise – he made it with us as a freshman, so he’s been on the garden floor before. But the kids are really very excited about getting to play there.”

Houston, who stands 6-foot-6, entered the game coming off a 20 point, 21 rebound performance in a 49-44 win over Newton North in the South semifinals this past Wednesday. He battled with Madison Park big man Dakim Murray (8 points, 10 rebounds) all game.

Although the Boxers had several double-digit leads in the game, they didn’t put it away until Houston grabbed his 11th board of the night and hit a streaking Jahleel Moise (eight points) for an emphatic two-handed jam to put Brockton up 50-39 with 2:26 to left to play in the game.

“A play like that was what we needed,” Boen said. “We had tightened up a little bit after getting that big lead and [Madison Park] came back and the game had become grinding. Then Jahleel does that and it’s like, that’s right we can do stuff like this, OK lets get back to being aggressive.”

Brockton scored the first 6 points of the game, forcing Madison Park coach Dennis Wilson to call a timeout. The Cardinals took 3 minutes and 30 seconds to score their first points, but once they did they rallied to tie the score at 6 with 2:30 to play in the first.

A Jaylen Blakely 3-pointer as time expired, gave the Boxers a 14-10 lead after one.

Brockton outscored the Cardinals, 19-13, in the second to enter the half leading by 10, 33-23.

The Cardinals defense went to work in the third quarter, holding the Boxers to just 6 points in the quarter while David Stewart netted 10 of his team-high 17 points to send Madison Park into the fourth quarter trailing 39-33.

Brockton bounced back to score 18 in the fourth quarter, highlighted by Moise’s dunk, eventually pulling away for the nine-point victory.

“It’s a wonderful group [I’ve got],” Boen said. “At the start of the year, I wouldn’t have thought we were going to win the South sectionals. They’ve done more than I thought they could and they get better every day.

“Once you get this far, I think everyone’s feeling a ton of pressure,” added Boen. “We’ve been to the Garden before, four years ago, but we lost there, so we need to get one step further.”

By Anthony Gulizia, Globe Correspondent

Anxious moviegoers packed not one, but two street corners waiting for the long, anticipated Boston debut of the documentary, “Push: Madison versus Madison” at the Somerville Theater Saturday night.
 
The documentary, directed by Rudy Hypolite, captured the 2007 Madison Park basketball season as coach Dennis Wilson and the Cardinals chased a state championship while battling the interior problems of living in the inner city.
 
“To have a packed theater like we had and to see the reaction of the crowd, that gave me a thrill,” Wilson said. “Seeing everybody on the edge of their seats like they don’t want to blink, that was special. It means all the hard work we put into it paid off.”
 
Raheem “Radio” Singleton, an instrumental player from the 2007 team was in attendance for the showing, as well as teammates Jakeen Cobb and David Daniels, who both played active roles in the film.
 
“After you see it on the big screen, it was so powerful just to look back and see how far I’ve come since then,” Singleton said, who is now the starting point guard at the University of Maine. “It molded me into who I am today.”
 
The documentary strongly focuses on the breakdown between the chemistry of Singleton and teammate Malik Smith, who represented rivalry neighborhoods and tried to outshine each other.
 
Wilson and Hypolite hoped the documentary would send a message to struggling children growing up in inner city environments, preaching that they can overcome adversity and succeed.
 
“Coach Wilson always told us, ‘Stay humble, stay hungry, stay focused,’” Singleton said. “Just because of the unfortunate situations all in my life, I’m not going to take the situation and feel sorry for myself. You need to move on and improve to prevent those situations.”
 
After successful showings at the Cinequest Film Festival and the Boston Independent Film Festival, Wilson and Hypolite will continue to promote the film on the independent circuit.
 
The documentary will next appear in the International Film Festival of Roxbury in July. For more information, visit pushmadison.com.

By Anthony Gulizia, Globe correspondent

WORCESTER – Before Northbridge could even get a look at the basket, they were faced with the task of getting past New Mission’s furious full-court press.
 
But the Titans cranked up the heat on defense and disrupted Northbridge’s tempo, cruising to a 67-57 win in the Division 2 state championship at the DCU Center Saturday.
 
“We knew we could use our length on this court,” New Mission coach Cory McCarthy said. “I felt like if we came out in [a press] we’d end up in a good situation in terms of getting steals, putbacks – the whole nine.”
 
Throughout the second half, New Mission’s lead never slipped below 17 points until the two minute mark in the fourth quarter when the Titans were leading 65-49.
 
“[The lead] gave us a lot of momentum,” said senior Darius Davis, who led New Mission with 17 points. “Being in the press really fired me up and we used our intensity to force a lot of turnovers.”
 

Senior Samir McDaniels and junior Kachi Nzerem joined Davis in double-digit scoring, adding 16 and 15 points, respectively, and senior Charles Gunter chipped in eight.
 
“Those guys are the best guys I ever coached,” McCarthy said. “They’ve stuck together and they’re four different personalities, and usually in those situations that’s tough to manage. But they’re able to stick together cause they’re high character guys.”
 
McCarthy said that the team was a little shaky on offense, but that was because the team focused on getting the ball inside, especially Nzerem.
 
“It’s not always about me,” Nzerem said. “My coach always wants me to shoot and my shooting’s an ability I have, but I always like to feed my teammates.”