WORCESTER, Mass. - There's an old saying in sports that iron sharpens iron. For the Worcester Academy boys basketball team, that is certainly true every day in practice, as the talented and deep Hilltoppers team competes and battles with one another, making each other better players.  

"It definitely helps, having such a deep team, because every practice you're going against someone that's just as good as you, and you're competing for someone else spot," said guard Jake Blackburn. "So everyone is going at each other and it just makes all of us better."

"I think just being at practice with all of these guys, a lot of us are at the same or better skill levels than each other," said guard Mike Ellerbrook. "I think we push each other really hard and that grows our game together.  So when we get in games we take that against each other and I think being really competitive with these guys. I know a lot of us like to go at each other and compete. And I think that's the biggest part of our program, it's just taking it out on other teams. That's how we impose our will at the end of the game."