NORCROSS, GA -- Just wait until Norcross gets the football players back. Everyone has said that about the Blue Devils this young basketball season. And yes, the football players bring some size and toughness to an already deep rotation.

But this current Norcross team is a scrappy one that finds ways to maintain runs from the opposition. On Saturday at the GACS/Blue Collar Basketball Showcase, the Blue Devils found ways to pull out a 47-43 win against a big Greenforest Christian team on a big stage.

This win is the last one for Norcross without the football players. And for this current Norcross team, this win was their win.

"What we have in the locker room, that's our core," senior guard William Gibbons said. "When we get those guys from football we'll be really good."

That thought is shared by most everyone in Georgia high school hoops. Greenforest made it difficult though. The young team threw out a lineup that contested with size and depth. The defending Class A Private team kept the game close all contest.

Gibbons, who scored a game-high 16 points, provided the insurance with his three-point shooting. He hit three triples in the game. Not bad for a guy that is coming off a thumb surgery and has only practiced eight times this season.

"They were playing a zone and I'm a shooter so I'm going to get them up," Gibbons said.

"Will is taking the advantage of coming in and doing what he can do and that is a one dribble pull-up three-pointer. Andre Chatfield is getting a lot of attention on the scouting report  so you need to have a second guy on the floor to shoot or else they would just sag on you," Norcross head coach Jesse McMillan said. "Will has done a great job for us and he's only had eight practices under his belt so far."

Norcross got nine points from senior A.J. Farrar and eight from Harvard bound wing Andre Chatfield.

Greenforest was paced by freshman Bebe Iyiola's 13 points. Junior wing Justin Ravenel scored eight points.

For Greenforest, the game was a platform for measurement. The young private school team collected rebounds at a rapid pace against a physical Norcross team.

Sophomore post Precious Ayah ripped down 12 rebounds while freshman Victor Enoh pulled in 10. Iyiola collected six boards.

Despite losing the rebound battle in the game, McMillan said he liked what he saw from his team on the glass.

"As crazy as it sounds, I thought we rebounded pretty good for our team," McMillan said. "We challenged them at halftime about our rebounding. 3-2 zones are hard to guard, especially when you put a 6-foot-9 at the top. We don't really have a good post presence right now. But that's on us. That's on the coaches. We have to be more prepared. That's why you play these showcase games. It is not a win or lose game. It is a learning game for us. Next time we play against a big 3-2 zone, we'll be ready for it."

And they'll have size, too.