At the beginning of the 2004-05 high school basketball season, Notre Dame coach Jesse Nayadley called his players an unselfish group.

After the Irish fell to 4-5 with a 68-57 loss to Atlanta Pace Academy on Monday night, Nayadley said he may have been wrong.

"I didn't think we were selfish, but maybe we are,'' said Nayadley, whose team helped open the first day of the Henry Bowles Preseason Christmas Basketball Classic at Howard's new gymnasium.

Nayadley's team scored only four points in the first quarter, rallied to take a lead in the fourth quarter and then watched as Pace Academy took over down the stretch.

"We're terrible right now,'' Nayadley said. "We have no emotion, no intensity. I can't figure the buttons out. I'm at a loss with this group.

"I'm not going to have a team play that lethargic. I'm not going to be miserable as a coach. I can't deal with no energy.''

Nayadley's team traveled to Nashville last weekend and defeated a good Father Ryan team.

"Father Ryan was the best team we've played all season and we beat them,'' he said. "Then we come out and play like this tonight.

"We've tried different lineups and approaches. I'm just at a loss right now.''

Taylor Patton led Notre Dame with 26 points -- 20 in the third quarter. He scored no points in the first or fourth quarters.

"Most of that is the team's fault,'' Nayadley said. "Patton will hit two threes, then we'll go to the other side of the court on the next three trips.''

Jay Reinert added eight points for Notre Dame while Lebron Coffey, Chauncey Thompson and Robby Miller scored six each.

John Hawkins led Atlanta Pace (8-4) with 17 points. Pace opened the season with seven straight wins.

"No. 10 (Patton) is a really good player,'' Pace coach Josh Berger said. "We had to go to a box-and-one to slow him down in the fourth quarter.

"We played well tonight, especially on the boards. And we were balanced with four in double figures. We're a lot better team when we're balanced.''

** In Monday's other games, Howard's girls beat Arts & Sciences, 58-50, and Howard's boys beat 21st Century.

** Tuesday's schedule: 3--CSAS vs. Notre Dame, boys, 4:30--Howard vs. Notre Dame, girls; 6--Howard vs. Pace Academy, boys.

** Wednesday's schedule: 3-- Pace vs. 21st Century boys; 4:30 -- Howard vs. Notre Dame, girls; 6 -- Howard vs. Notre Dame, boys.

Monday's Boxscore

PACE ACADEMY (67) -- Hennings 5, Robinson, Jasikevisius 12, Wyche, Weems 16, James 5, Smith, Hawkins 17, Morgan 10, Mallory 2.

NOTRE DAME (58) -- Patton 26, Reinert 8, Coffey 6, Thompson 6, Eberle 2, James 1, Long, Washington 2, Miller 6.

Pace Academy...10..18..16..21 -- 67
Notre Dame.....4...13..25..15 -- 58

Three-point goals -- Patton 4, Weems 3, Reinert 2, Jasikevicius 2, Thompson, Hennings.

(E-mail Stan Crawley at wscrawley@earthlink.net)