MARIETTA, GA -- With five games on tap, the Georgia Tip-Off Classic was a great stage to start off the 2013-2014 season. Youth was served on the opening day slate and some familiar names did what they always seem to do - win.

ANSWERING THE CALL

Paulding County and Gainesville Johnson traded buckets all game long to start things off at the Georgia Tip-Off Classic. In the end, somebody needed to knock down the right shots at the right times in order to help their respective team bring home the first victory of the season.

Paulding County senior guard Michael Hemphill answered the call to the tune of 30 points. He knocked down big three-pointers, made the right passes at the right time, came up with key defensive stops and took charges when his team needed to create a turnover. His confidence mirrored his production en route to game MVP honors.

"I felt like if nobody else is going to do it, I needed to do it," Hemphill said. "With me being a senior, I felt like we needed somebody to give us a push and get the whole team started and involved. As a point guard. I should do that."

Boy, did he.

Raasean Davis was terrific in the opening game of the season, posting 24 points and 22 rebounds. The Kent State signee grabbed everything off of the rim and owned the low blocks. He was the best big man in the building on Saturday.

Junior guard Ty Cockfield was good in defeat, posting 25 points and seven rebounds in the game.

CALL IT A COMEBACK

Truth is, McEachern just couldn't score. Tried as they might, the Indians just couldn't get the ball to find the bottom of the net against Jonesboro, a program that traditionally challenges the best of teams to get buckets.

With only 14 points on the board in the first half and with Jonesboro freshman MJ Walker with 16 of his own points on the board, the Cobb County team was looking for answers.

Then came the second half. Better yet, then came senior guard Logan McIntosh in the fourth quarter. The 6-foot-2 guard hit a three-pointer with 2:15 to play to give McEachern its first lead of the entire game. He then scored the go-ahead bucket on a drive to the bucket and was fouled.

"Our coaches kept giving us energy every timeout. We believed them and just kept pushing harder," McIntosh said. "We came together as a team."

McIntosh scored a game-high 26 points in the win.

"(Our coaches) said our shots were going to come. We just kept shooting and shooting and they started falling," McIntosh said. "In the second half we just created steals and turnovers and that put us back in the game."

6A RUNNERS-UP NEED OVERTIME TO CLAIM 1ST WIN

Hillgrove ended last season in the AAAAAA state championship game. To start the 2013-2014 campaign, the Cobb County school had to go to overtime against Stephenson to claim a 74-65 win.

When you have a senior heavy roster, things tend to go in your favor when you are up against the ropes.

Hillgrove seniors Kyle Castlin, BJ Brown and Keith Rae all made key plays down the stretch to claim the victory. Castlin, a Columbia signee, finished with 22 points, five rebounds and four assists in the win. Rae finished with 11 while Brown hit some key free throws with less than 10 seconds in regulation.

Lance Dixon tipped in an offensive rebound to tie the score and send the game into overtime. Dixon finished with a team-high 22 points. The 6-foot-5 forward had a tremendous game on both ends of the floor.

THE KIDS ARE ALRIGHT

The Georgia Tip-Off Classic was a great opportunity for the up and comers to have a stage. The class of 2016 and 2017 was well represented on Saturday.

Perhaps no one played better from the young classes than 2017 stud MJ Walker. The 6-foot-5 wing played in his first varsity game and didn't waste any time in showing that he's not only one of the best freshmen in Georgia but one of the elite in his class nationally.

Walker, a strong-bodied wing, came out of the gates firing. He scored 12 of Jonesboro's 13 first quarter points. Walker did everything within the flow of the game, too. Offensively, he was the best player to step foot on the floor at Marietta High on Saturday. Expect big things from him this season, and moving forward.

Marietta sophomore Cam Jordan started his second year in varsity hoops off with a bang. The 6-foot-4 wing scored 22 points, grabbed seven rebounds and handed out seven assists in an 80-54 win over Centennial. Jordan did just about everything. We will have more on Jordan this week on HoopSeen.com.

His teammate Rayveon Thornton scored 13 points in the win and gained confidence every minute out. The 6-foot-2 wing a good news/bad news player for Marietta.

"I told our JV coach his season may have just gotten tougher tonight," Marietta head coach Matt Lyons joked. "We may have to keep Rayveon on varsity more than we had planned."

Hillgrove freshman point guard Colin Sexton came off the bench and made three three-pointers and played at a pace that benefited his upperclassmen heavy team. The 6-foot point guard didn't seem fazed by the big stage and fit right in. Watching his on-court development will be fun over the next four years.

NOTES FROM THE NOTEPAD

Chattahoochee graduated a lot of key pieces of last year's team but return one of the best juniors in the Southeast in Marcus Sheffield. The North Fulton school will need a big season from the long wing. He certainly proved that on Saturday against M.L. King. Sheffield scored 25 points and grabbed seven rebounds in defeat.

Centennial senior guard Xavier Jackson was really good in defeat. The 6-foot-3 guard knocked down five three-pointers and finished with 29 points. He found his rhythm early and played very well against Marietta.