Good players are on hand for the Christian Brothers Academy boys basketball in the 2013-14 season. It’s just a matter of whether the top talent gets enough help to make the Brothers a serious Class AA title contender.

As a proper opening test, the Brothers played a pair of Class AA opponents to open the season, starting last Tuesday with a visit to Cicero-North Syracuse that went well for a while until things went cold late in a 67-47 loss to the Northstars.

Every game between CBA and C-NS has extra meaning since the Northstars’ head coach, John Haas, is a CBA graduate (Class of 1989) and member of its Athletic Hall of Fame, having played three sports at the school, including basketball.

So, up against his coaching mentor in Buddy Wleklinski, Haas and C-NS had a new weapon on hand – point guard Connor Evans, just transferred from Bishop Grimes. And Evans had six points as the Northstars shook off a cold start to grab an early 11-4 lead.

Led by Charlie Russo and Dylan Lambert, CBA countered with an 18-4 spurt that carried deep into the second quarter. Evans ended that string with a rare four-point play (made 3-pointer, plus foul shot) that helped the Northstars close within two, 27-25, by halftime.

They went back and forth in the third quarter before Evans and Brian DeMonte hit back-to-back 3-pointers late in the period to put C-NS ahead for good. Though it only trailed 45-41 going to the final period, the Brothers managed just two field goals the rest of the way and never made a 3-pointer all night, going 0-for-24.

Other than Russo, who finished with 23 points but struggled with late foul trouble, and Lambert, who got 14 points, no other CBA player had more than two field goals. Evans led the Northstars with 24 points and got support from DeMonte (13 of his 15 points were in the second half) and forward Ronnie Williams, who added 12 points.

CBA, still without Monte Stroman in the lineup (he is slated to return this week), now turned its attention to playing Fairport (Section V) Saturday in the Peppino’s Invitational at Henninger High School, where again its found its first victory of the season elusive, falling to the Red Raiders 58-50.

Russo managed just one shot in the first quarter (a jumper that fell at the horn), and without him to worry about, Fairport raced to a 17-11 lead. But the Brothers fought back, using defensive stops to pull closer as it would only trail, 25-23, at the break, and tie it 29-29 midway through the third quarter.

But the Red Raiders countered with an 11-2 run to close the period, moving in front for good. And it extended that margin to 50-36 in the fourth quarter, capped by Matt Keenan’s 3-pointer, before the Brothers closed the gap in the late going.

Despite all the attention he drew, Russo still led CBA with 15 points, while Tim Pierret had 10 points. Trasolini managed six points as Adam Pries (12 points), Ben Wahl and Adam Pelusio (10 points each) led Fairport’s efforst.

This week, CBA’s activities include a game against East Syracuse-Minoa – who put together its own impressive season-opening effort last Thursday night when it defeated Central Square 57-47.

Though this was the Spartans’ first game of the season, the Red Hawks were already 3-0, having not allowed more than 37 points in any of those outings as it beat Fulton, Watertown and Auburn.

ESM didn’t care for any of this, even after Central Square started fast and led, 19-12, through one period. Gradually, the Spartans’ defense took over, holding the Red Hawks to six points the rest of the half as it cut the deficit to one, 25-24.

Not stopping there, ESM seized the lead for good in the third quarter, and it withstood all of Central Square’s comeback attempts by relying on a four-pronged attack.

Sean Richardson led the way, picking up 21 points, while Eyan Underwood and Corey Beales each finished with 10 points and Brandon Breen added nine points. Cory Rogers, matching Richardson’s total of 21 points, was the only Red Hawk to score in double figures.