Austin Rivers and Brandon Knight were teammates on the summer circuit but had never met during the high school season – that is until Friday. The pair of high profile players are known for their scoring touch and are considered two of the nation’s top players in their respective classes.

Brandon Knight is a senior from Fort Lauderdale, Fla./Pine Crestand and Austin Rivers is a Junior from Winter Park, Fla.

Their highly anticipated first encounter was nationally televised on Friday on ESPN2.

And what a game it was. Austin Rivers scored 41 points and helped the Winter Park’s boys basketball team to  an 87-76 victory against 2 time defending Class 3A state champion Fort Lauderdale Pine Crest and largely outplayed senior Brandon Knight.

Knight and Rivers played for Each One Teach One, a Central Florida club team. Rivers figures he’ll guard his friend throughout the game.

“You can’t guard him the whole game or you’ll be exhausted,” Rivers said. “I’m the best person to guard him, especially in the fourth quarter when the game could be on the line.

Brandon Knight who is closing in on Broward County’s all-time scoring mark? “He’s an aggressive player and a scorer,” Rivers said. “He likes to attack the glass and steps out to shoot the 3-ball.”

Knight has scored more than 3,300 career points, averaging 32 points, and has knocked down 86 3s this season. Pine Crest (19-4) entered Friday’s game having dropped a buzzer-beating 63-62 decision to Florida Air Academy, snapping a 30-game home win streak. Knight had 42 points with four 3-pointers.

Winter Park (Fla.) High School point guard Austin Rivers is one of the best prep players, pound-for-pound, in the country. HighSchoolHoop.com ranks the 6-4 junior fifth overall in its national Top 50. Rivers has been verbally committed to Florida for over a year, but this fall, decided to open things up and let Duke recruit him as well.

The younger son of Celtics coach Doc Rivers and younger brother of Indiana Hoosiers PG Jeremiah Rivers, Austin had a kill mentality in Friday night game against Pine Crestand School showing off why he is one of the top guards in class of 2011.

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