Montverde Academy, ESPN's No. 1 ranked team in the country, conquered No. 6 Long Beach (Calif.) Poly, 76-51, in the semifinal of the City of Palms Classic on Friday night.
But Montverde coach Kevin Boyle isn't happy just to be in tonight's championship game against Highland (Utah)-Lone Peak, which is MaxPreps' No. 1 -ranked boys basketball team.
"It's a good accomplishment, but it's not enough if we don't come away with the championship," Boyle said.
The Eagles, from Orlando, landed in the title game by hitting 50 percent of their shots.
Long Beach Poly never led in the game.
Montverde's senior big men, Dakari Johnson and Devin Williams, led the Eagles in scoring with 17 apiece.
The 6-foot-10 Johnson, who is ESPN's No. 12-ranked prospect in the nation, also grabbed 17 rebounds and had seven blocked shots.
"That's just my demeanor," said Johnson, who has narrowed his college choices to Kentucky, Georgetown and Syracuse. "I just crash the boards all the time; I crash them hard. It's one of the strong points of my game."
Williams, who is a West Virginia recruit, converted on seven of his eight field goal attempts.
Johnson and Williams will match up against Lone Peak's senior center Eric Mika, who is a Brigham Young University recruit, in tonight's championship game, which is set to tip off at 9.
The 6-foot-10 Mika won the Edison National Bank Slam Dunk Championship on Friday, and he has made numerous highlight-reel dunks throughout the tournament.
Senior guard Kasey Hill, who is a Florida recruit, was also a key contributor for the Eagles with 10 points, five assists and one steal.
Long Beach Poly was never able to get into an offensive rhythm. The Jackrabbits converted on just 36 percent of their field goal attempts.
Roschon Prince led Long Beach Poly with 22 points.
Long Beach Poly senior forward Jordan Bell, who is an Oregon recruit, came away with 11 points in the game. The 6-foot-8-inch Bell had 4 blocks in the game, including a ground-shaking one against the Eagles’ Williams in the fourth quarter.
2012 CITY OF PALMS CLASSIC
Day 5
- City of Palms Prep basketball: Mighty Montverde manhandles Lone Peak for title
- City of Palms prep basketball: From Agau's Waffle House tweet to Verot buzzer beater
- City of Palms prep basketball: No. 1 player Andrew Wiggins wows, Huntington Prep rolls
- City of Palms prep basketball: Fairfax (Va.) beats Callaway for consolation championship
- City of Palms prep basketball: Chicago-Whitney Young drops Chester (Pa.) in fifth-place game
Day 4
- Photos: City of Palms Classic: Day 4
- Photos: Montverde Academy Basketball
- City of Palms: Slam Dunk Contest
- City of Palms: Lone Peak (Utah) 67, Memphis Southwind 52
- City of Palms prep basketball: Highland (Utah) Lone Peak stars win dunk, 3-point contests
- City of Palms prep basketball: Community School falls to North Florida Educational Institute
- City of Palms Prep Basketball: Montverde bashes Long Beach Poly to get into finals
- City of Palms Prep basketball: A No. 1 showdown between Lone Peak and Montverde for title
- City of Palms prep basketball: Never too young to recruit, even 6th graders get ranked
- City of Palms Prep Basketball: Okafor, Chicago-Whitney Young edge Omaha Central
- City of Palms Prep Basketball: Chester (Pa.) starts new streak with win over Lake Wales
- City of Palms Prep Basketball: St. Thomas Aquinas defeats defending champs Prestonwood Christian
- City of Palms Prep Basketball: McDonough (Ga.) Eagle’s Landing bests Bishop Verot
- City of Palms Prep Basketball: Newman leads Callaway over Tift County
- City of Palms Prep Basketball: Derrikson paces Fairfax (Va.) Paul VI past Lake Highland
Day 3
- Photos: City of Palms Classic: Day 3
- Video: City of Palms: Monteverde Academy 68, Chicago-Whitney Young 63
- Video: City of Palms: Memphis Southwind 88, Lake Wales 70
- Video: City of Palms: Huntington Prep (W.Va) 77, Houston-HCYA 50
- Video: City of Palms: Lone Peak (Utah) 73, Chester (Pa.) 50
- City of Palms prep basketball: Montverde clips Chicago Whitney Young in OT
- City of Palms prep basketball: Memphis-Southwind blows into semifinals
- City of Palms Prep Basketball: No. 1 player Wiggins leads Huntington Prep to easy win
- City of Palms Prep Basketball: Fairfax (Va.) Paul VI escapes with 1-point win over Prestonwood Christian
- City of Palms prep basketball: Lone Peak cracks Chester's 61-game winning streak
- City of Palms prep basketball: Jacksonville-Arlington Country Day defeats Saltsburg (Pa.)-Kiski School
- City of Palms prep basketball: Jackson (Miss.)-Callaway comes out on top against St. Thomas Aquinas
- City of Palms prep basketball: Orlando-Lake Highland Prep tops Bishop Verot
Day 2
- Photos: City of Palms Classic - Day Two
- Video: City of Palms: Long Beach Poly (Ca.) 52, Omaha Central (Neb.) 49
- Video: City of Palms: Monteverde Academy 79, Bishop Verot 35
- Video: City of Palms: Memphis Southwind (Tenn.) 82, Prestonwood Christian (Tx.) 44
- City of Palms Prep Basketball: Lake Wales upsets Fairfax- Paul VI
- City of Palms prep basketball: Highland (Utah) Lone Peak rolls over Jackson (Miss.) Callaway
- City of Palms prep basketball: Long Beach Poly ends Omaha Central's 41-game win streak at buzzer
- City of Palms prep basketball: Dakari Johnson, Montverde crush Bishop Verot
- City of Palms prep basketball: Memphis Southwind trounces defending champs Prestonwood Christian
- City of Palms prep basketball: Tift County tops Eagle's Landing in Georgia consolation battle
- City of Palms prep basketball: Omaha (Neb.) Central's star Akoy Agau impressing after just picking up game
Day 1
- Photos: City of Palms Classic - Day One
- Video: City of Palms: Bishop Verot 49, St. Thomas Aquinas 48
- Video: City of Palms: American Heritage 61, Riverview 47
- Video: City of Palms: Omaha Central 62, Eagles' Landing (Ga.) 37
- Video: City of Palms: Long Beach Poly (Ca.) 62, Tift County (Ga.) 55
- City of Palms prep basketball: 2012 Day 1 roundup
- City of Palms prep basketball: Chester (Pa.) extends win streak to 61
- City of Palms prep basketball: Bishop Verot advances on buzzer beater
- City of Palms prep basketball: Eubanks paces American-Plantation past Sarasota-Riverview
- City of Palms prep basketball: Long Beach Poly knocks off No. 12 team in nation
- City of Palms prep basketball: Omaha Central keeps winning, sets Nebraska state
- Prep basketball: City of Palms Classic is college recruiters' dream
May After Five, Marco Island Chamber
Catch of the Day: May 23, 2013
Scripps Interactive Newspapers Group
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