John Mattingly demonstrated his incredible skill on the court Saturday afternoon in one of the several bracket championship games of the Nike Tournament of Champions.

The opposing coach made the 'statement'.

After Mattingly led Central High to a dominant, 64-38 win over last year's 5A runner-up, Casteel coach Aaron WIndler didn't mince words about the junior.

"Mattingly is the best guard in the state," Windler said after the game.

"I've seen him play but that's the first time I've coached a game against him. He just does everything well. His feel for the game is off the charts and he is a true basketball player. He knows his spots, he shoots it well and he's not afraid to get his temmates involved."

Mattingly, a junior, started for Sunnyslope the last two seasons before making the decision to transfer to Central, mainly to play with his younger brother Grant, currently starting as a freshman. The older Mattingly's decision to enroll at Central made the Bobcats (13-2) an immediate 5A contender, and should also figure in the Open seedings in February.

Central and Casteel (10-6) both played in the Mesa High bracket, where Mattingly was named MVP. After dropping 24 points in three quarters in the rout of Casteel, he was the obvious choice.

Central came out full-octane, jumping to a 12-0 lead, with the Mattingly brothers scoring eight of those points, two off 3-pointers while John added a pair of assists during that early run.

Casteel fought back, closing the gap to seven points after the first quarter, and got within four midway through the second quarter (20-16). But Dom Rojas, another junior transfer guard from Sunnyslope, came up with consecutive 3-point plays before Shawn Hernandez hit a 3-pointer and suddenly it was 29-16. 

Central never looked back, while giving Casteel's offense trouble all game. 

"It was a great game plan and scouting by our coaches, and everyone hit big shots when they needed to," John Mattingly said after the game, adding that he's excited about how Central has come together early. "Playing with my brother has been awesome, better than even thought it would be."

Rojas added 13 points for Central, while Anthony Macias and Grant Mattingly each scored seven.

Senior Amare King led Casteel with 14 points, including back-to-back 3-pointers in the third quarter which pulled Casteel within 11 points, the closest the Colts got since halftime. Central  ended the quarter with a 9-0 run, highlighted by a buzzer-beater 3-pointer from Mattingly.