Inside Day 1 of the Beach Ball Classic (Dec. 26, 2016)

Scoring machine: Providence (Fla.) guard Zackery Bryant’s 26 points in a losing effort to Evanston Township (Ill.) was the best scoring output by anyone on the opening day of play at the Beach Ball Classic. He finished 9-of-18 from the field, knocking down a pair of 3-pointers in the process.

Highlight reel: Duke commitment Wendell Carter of Pace Academy took an alley-oop off the backboard from guard Reign Watkins and finished with a thunderous two-hand dunk in Pace’s impressive opening-round win.

Number crunching: Jonesboro senior M.J. Walker was the only player from his team to hit a field goal in the first 14 minutes of the Cardinals’ loss to Westchester. He had 11 of his team’s 14 points at the half.

Game of the Day: In a back-and-forth affair featuring 13 ties and 15 lead changes, Evanston Township (Ill.) held on to defeat Providence (Fla.), 53-52, to win its Beach Ball Classic opener.

On the Horizon: The other eight teams in this year’s Beach Ball Classic field jump into the fray on Tuesday, with Westlake (Ga.) taking on Bishop O’Connell (Va.); Father Henry Carr (Canada) matching wits with Dillard (Fla.); Imhotep (Pa.) going against Christ the King (N.Y.); and Bishop Gorman (Nev.) taking the floor against Socastee.

This story was originally published December 26, 2016 at 9:55 PM with the headline "Inside Day 1 of the Beach Ball Classic (Dec. 26, 2016)."