It is a full day at the Suncoast Credit Union Arena on the campus of Florida Southwestern State College as the second day of the 52nd annual City of Palms Classic kicks into gear. Consolation Round, Opening Round, Quarter-Final, and Signature Series games will take place today.
The first game of the day features Imhotep Charter out of Philadelphia taking on “local” entrant Sarasota High. The Panthers of Imhotep lost to nationally third-ranked Petersburg, VA on opening night 70-60, getting 20 points from 6’7 junior Zaahir Muhammad-Gray. Sarasota fell to Archbishop Stepanic out of New York 89-62. Johnny Lackaff, a 6’2 junior, led the Sailors of Sarasota with 26 points.
The first quarter got off to a good start as Latief White, 6’4 senior, scored a three for Imhotep. Sarasota followed that up with a 7-0 run as 6’7 senior David Young scored twice inside sandwiched around a Lackaff three. From there, both defenses stiffened and the respective offenses bogged down. After one period of play, Sarasota led by three, 11-8.
The second quarter was also low scoring but also very competitive. A 4-0 run by Imhotep gave them a brief lead but a 6-0 Sarasota run gave them back the lead 17-12 with just under three minutes to play. Imhotep pulled within one with forty seconds remaining in the period but Lackaff hit a three before the half-time horn to make the score 20-16 in favor of Sarasota.
The third quarter was more of the same. After Sarasota took a 25-19 lead early in the period, Imhotep ran off seven straight points to lead by one. Sarasota grabbed back the lead and with one period left, Sarasota clung to a one-point 32-31 lead.
Sarasota led 37-35 midway thru the final quarter when Imhotep got on a roll. A 9-0 run featuring a pair of threes from White, gave them a 44-37 lead. A Lackaff drive and score on Sarasota’s next possession would be the Sailors’ last field goal of the game. Imhotep stretched its lead into double-digits to win 54-42.
White led the way for Imhotep with 23 points. Lackaff led Sarasota with 14 points
Game Two of the day would be an opening round game between Bartlett HS out o Tennessee and Long Island Lutheran from the Big Apple. Bartlett comes in ranked 14th in the country while L.I.Lu is one of the top teams in the Nike EYBL Scholastic.
The teams kept pace with each other for much of the first quarter. Bartlett’s 6’7 junior Dylan Jones had his team’s first ten points and had them on top 10-9 with under three minutes left in the period. Lutheran closed out the quarter with a 7-2 run, mostly from the foul line to lead 16-12 going into the second quarter.
A 10-2 run by Bartlett, eight of those coming from 6’8 sophomore D.J. Okoth, gave them a 22-18 lead with just under five minutes to play in the half. At that point, Kayden Allen of LiLu got going. The 6’6 senior and Cincinnati commit scored eight points as part of a 10-1 run that put Lutheran on top 28-23 with two and a half minutes remaining. Bartlett got to within a point but a three from Lutheran’s 6’1 junior Jamaal McKnight gave the Knights a 32-28 halftime lead.
The teams traded baskets multiple times in the third quarter and with 4:30 left Lutheran led 39-38 after an Allen slam. At that point, Bartlett ripped off seven unanswered points to lead 45-39 with just under two minutes let in the period. A single free throw for Lutheran stopped the bleeding for a bit but Bartlett scored the final five points of the period to lead by ten 50-40.
The final quarter was anticlimactic as Bartlett maintained its double-digit lead throughout. Bartlett would go on to win by the score of 71-57.
Bartlett was led by 6’1 senior Braylon Williams with 20 points. For Lutheran, Allen finished with 16 points.
The third game of the day was the first game of the Signature Series and it featured Prolific Prep out of Fort Lauderdale, ranked #1 by multiple outlets, taking on CIA Bell Vista out of Arizona and ranked #2.
Prolific Prep grabbed a 5-0 lead on a putback by 6’9 senior Davion Adkins and a three from 6’5 senior Caleb Holt. Bella Vista got on the board with a putback from 7’2 senior Amadou Seini. At that point Prolific broke off a 10-0 run, featuring threes from 6’9 senior Alex Smith and 6’7 senior Bruce Branch III to lead 15-2. CIA got one of two free throws from 6’10 junior Paul Osaruyi but after a Prolific Prep free throw and a three from 5’11 junior Aaron Ona Embo, the quarter ended with Prolific on top 19-3.
CIA kept pace with Prolific Prep in the second quarter but that just meant that CIA was still down a bunch, 40-22, at the break.
Prolific grew its largest lead to thirty, 62-32, after Smith drained a three midway thru the third quarter. In the final period, Prolific took its foot off the gas and CIA Bella Vista made enough of a dent to make the final score of 80-58 a bit more respectable.
Holt of Prolific Prep led the squad with 27 points. Vaughn Karvela, a 6’7 senior, led Bella Vista with 12 points.
The second game of the Signature Series featured Monteverde Academy taking on Gillion Academy out of the DC area. The Lions of Gillion Academy features many players that play for Florida-based travel team programs Team Breakdown and Showtime Ballers.
Montverde got on the board first with a putback from 6’8 junior Derek Daniels. Gillion Academy was quick to answer with a mid-range jumper from 6’4 senior Aaron McGee. Gillion Academy then took a brief 4-3 lead until back-to-back threes from Montverde gave the Eagles a 9-4 advantage. Gillion Academy got back to within one as 6’6 senior Willie Burnett scored on a baseline drive and 7’0 senior Marcis Ponder thundered one home in transition. Once again, Montverde extended its lead only to have Gillion Academy close the gap. Gillion Academy was within 13-12 with just over two minutes to play in the period. Montverde scored the last five points of the quarter to lead 18-12 after one.
The Eagles scored the first four points of the second to pushed their lead to ten, 22-12, forcing a Gillion Academy timeout. It worked as Gillion Academy scored five quick points to get with 22-17. The good times didn’t last as Monteverde, rolled off a 10-0 run, featuring five points from 6’2 senior Dhani Miller, to go up 32-17 with 2:24 left in the half. Gillion Academy wasn’t done as Burnett scored seven of the team’s eight points in a closing 8-0 run to make the halftime score 32-25 in favor of Montverde.
Montverde scored the first basket of the third quarter, then both teams went frosty for awhile. Once the shooting touch came back, Montverde reeled off a run to put them up thirteen, 40-27, with just under four minutes left in the third. As expected, Gillion Academy responded. From that point, Gillion Academy outscored the Eagles 17-7 as Burnett heated up from the field. What had been a double-digit lead for Montverde was now just three points, 47-44, going into the final period.
After a Montverde scored to start the fourth, a three from Gillion Academy’s Camontaie Griffin brought GA to within 49-47. Five straight points from Montverde pushed their lead back to seven. Two-point baskets but Burnett and McGee got Gillion back to within three points, 54-51, with just over five minutes left to play. That is as close as Gillion Academy would get as Monteverde kept them at bay from the foul line. The Eagles won a tough one by the score of 67-61.
Montverde was led by Miller with 22 points. Gillion Academy got 25 points from Burnett.
We return to the event’s Main Bracket with a first round game between Bishop McNamara out of the nation’s capital and Wheeler out of Marietta, Georgia. McNamara is ranked #7 in the country by Max Preps while Wheeler is number one in the same rankings.
Wheeler got on the board first with a three from 6’6 senior Colben Landrew. McNamara scored the next four points to take the lead. Landrew hit another three and 6’6 senior Jaron Saulsberry hit a free throw to put Wheeler up 7-4. McNamara then proceeded to roll off nine unanswered points, highlighted by slams from 6’11 junior Jahmai Drayton and 6’8 junior Brandon Woodard. Wheeler finally got back on the board with a transition basket from 6’5 senior Amare James. After a McNamara score, a putback by Landrew ended the scoring for the period with McNamara up 15-11.
McNamara slowly grew its lead in the second quarter and after a three rom 6’4 senior Prince Alexander Moody, had its larges lead at 24-15 with just over four minutes left in the period. Landrew responded for Wheeler with a four-point play which began the Wildcats run of 13-4 that tied the game at 28-28 with just over two minutes to go in the half. James hit a pair of free throws to return the lead to Wheeler. McNamara re-tied the game briefly but at the half, Wheeler led 32-31.
The third quarter found both teams clicking offensively. The largest lead for either team was four points. Both teams scored twenty-four points in the quarter, a near 100-point pace. McNamara’s 6’6 senior Qayden Samuels had nine points in the quarter while Landrew of Wheeler tossed in 13 points. After all was said and done, Wheeler still led by just one point, 56-55.
The close contest continued in the fourth period and the lead changed hands on a couple of occasions. With just under four minutes to play, McNamara tied the score at 65-65 after a Samuels mid-range jumper. At that point, Kevin Savage of Wheeler, a 6’0 junior, scored back-to-back baskets and Landrew added two free throws to put Wheeler in front 71-65 with a little over two minutes to play. McNamara fought back and with thirty seconds to play was down just one after Moody dropped in a three to make the score 75-74. McNamara had life after Wheeler made just one of two free throws, but they turned the ball over on the ensuing possession. Landrew finished off the game with a slam off that steal and Wheeler advances with a tough 78-74 win.
Landrew finished with 37 points for Wheeler, going 6-10 from deep in the process. Alexander-Moody led McNamara with 27 points.
Another pair of ranked teams took the court in the final first round game of the tournament. St. John Bosco out of California, ranked #8, taking on #16 The Villages Charter. One has to wonder what St. John Bosco would have been like without the transfer of Brandon McCoy and Tahj Ariza, both top ten seniors.
It looked like SJB was going to make quick work of The Villages, getting out to a 9-0 lead, four of those from Christian Collins, a 6’9 senior and top fifteen senior in the country. The Villages finally got on the board with a three from 6’0 junior Aaron Britt. With one minute left in the first, Collins made it a 13-5 SJB lead after a mid-range jumper. The Villages closed the gap to 13-8 at the end of the period by going three of four from the foul line.
SJB hit an offensive drought in the second quarter. It didn’t help that Collins picked up his second personal foul and spent time on the bench. The Villages took advantage, going on a 12-0 run highlighted by a pair of Britt threes and one from 6’5 senior Ethan Bevis. With just over three minutes left in the quarter and down 20-13, SJB had seen enough and Collins came back in the game. He had eight of the team’s 11 points in an 11-6 run to close out the period to make it a two-point game, 26-24, at the break.
SJB was quick to tie up the game to start the third period and the teams exchanged buckets and leads for the first few minutes. With just under four minutes to play, SJB put back a miss to take a 35-34 lead. The Villages then reeled off eight straight points as 6’6 senior Herly Brutus hit a three and Britt scored on a drive and then converted a three point play. The Villages now led by seven, 42-35 with just over two minutes left in the period. Max Ellis of Bosco, a 6’6 senior, drained a three to get within five, but a Brutus mid-range jumper ended the scoring for the third quarter with The Villages on top 44-38.
Five straight points for The Villages to open the fourth period gave them a double-digit lead. They maintained that type of advantage and after a Britt three made the score 56-46 with just under four minutes to play. SJB wasn’t done, cobbling together a 6-0 run to draw within four, 56-52 with 1:36 left to play. They would get no closer and The Villages would extend their lead from the free throw line to win 65-59.
Britt led The Villages with 23 points. Collins finished with 28 points and 10 rebounds for St. John Bosco.
The final game of the night is the first quarter-final game as national #2 Paul VI out of Virginia takes on #10 Calvary Christian out of Fort Lauderdale. Both won by double-digits in their respective opening round games last night.
Calvary Christian got on the board first with a score at the rim from 6’5 senior K.J. Francis. Paul VI responded with a mid-range jumper from 6’3 senior Jordan Smith. Calvary drained a three and after Paul VI hit a free throw, Calvary hit a jumper to take a 7-3 lead. From there Paul VI reeled off seven straight points, highlighted by a three from 6’4 junior Brian Mitchell. With just over four minutes to go, Paul VI led 10-7. Calvary was undaunted as responded with a 6-3 run highlighted by a Francis slam in transition to tie the score at 13-13. Smith of Paul VI scored the last basket of the quarter to give them a 15-13 lead.
Mitchell hit a three for Paul VI to start the second quarter scoring. Calvary drew within one at 18-17 after a pair of scoring drives, one from 6’7 senior Aiden Bolden and one from 6’0 junior Cayden Daughtry. Two free throws from Smith and a three from 5’11 senior Lawrence Brown built the Paul VI lead to six at 23-17. Two free throws from Calvary were offset by bucket inside from Paul VI to make the halftime score 25-19.
Paul VI open the third period with a three but Calvary got back to within five with a 6-2 run, all six from Daughtry. For the next four minutes of playing time, the Paul VI lead would fluctuate between five and seven points. A Daughtry drive and score brought Calvary to within six at 40-34 with just under three minutes to play in the period. At that point the Calvary well ran dry as Paul VI finished the quarter on a 10-0 run with Smith accounting for seven of those, including a three to close out the period. Entering the final period, Paul VI had a commanding 50-34 lead.
Calvary never really threatened in the final period. Paul VI largest lead was twenty-two, 66-44 with 2:30 left to play. Calvary made a small run to make the final score 71-54.
Mitchell led Paul VI with 23 points while Smith wasn’t far behind at 20 points. Calvary got 23 points from Daughtery.