Cleveland ? There were at least a dozen NBA scouts watching St. Vincent-St. Mary’s stunning 65-45 victory against Oak Hill on Thursday night at Cleveland State.

They loved what they saw, and not just LeBron James.

“I thought the entire team played hard,” one NBA general manager said. “Those kids didn’t back down when Oak Hill got up on them (10-3). They outhustled Oak Hill. They really handled themselves well.”

The Irish had lost the previous two years to Oak Hill, which came into the game once again ranked No. 1 in the country by USA Today.

As the GM said, “I don’t think Oak Hill was as good as they’ve been the last few years, but they still have the best overall talent in the country, so what those kids from Akron did was impressive.”

So was James, who had 31 points and 13 rebounds.

“He’s got to be the No. 1 pick,” another GM said. “No one is better. Physically, he’s like a man among boys. But he also really thinks the game; that’s what I like. He’s played against the best high school kids in the country with teams like Oak Hill and the summer basketball camps. He’s played against pros in Michael Jordan’s pickup games. When he gets to the NBA, he won’t be afraid.”

James’ confidence rubbed off on his teammates Thursday. When they lost to Oak Hill the past two years, James often was a one-man show, as most of the other Irish players seemed a bit timid. But most of those players were younger than the Oak Hill imports.

The boarding school in rural Virginia often is a one-year stop for the nation’s top players to get their grades and test scores in order to qualify for major-college scholarships. On Thursday’s roster, Oak Hill had players from seven states. At least five have scholarships from major basketball schools awaiting them, including Ivan Harris, who is ticketed for Ohio State.

The point is that Oak Hill is usually a senior-led team.

Until this season, St. V-M had been mostly underclassmen.

But now Dru Joyce III, Romeo Travis, Sian Cotton, Willie McGee and James are all seniors. The only underclassman to score Thursday for the Irish was junior Brandon Weems.

“I really think Akron is getting a heckuva player in that Travis kid,” one scout said. “He came up big for them.”

A year ago, Travis was barely a factor in the loss to Oak Hill. But Thursday, the 6-foot-8 forward had 17 points and 11 rebounds. He combined with James to outscore the entire Oak Hill team 48-45. Age and experience made the difference, even for James.