Cooper Flagg, Montverde Academy defeat St. Paul VI: Live score, updates from City of Palms Classic high school basketball tournament (12/22/2023)

Cooper Flagg, Montverde Academy outlast Darren Harris, St. Paul VI to remain undefeated and reach City of Palms Classic championship game

Which team will advance to the championship game at the 50th annual City of Palms Classic high school basketball tournament?

Will it be Montverde Academy (Florida), the top-ranked team in the country featuring Duke signee Cooper Flagg, the top-ranked recruit in the country?

Or will St. Paul VI (Virginia), another top five team in the country featuring another Duke signee in Darren Harris, pull off the upset and punch a ticket to the title game?

That question will be answered Friday night when Montverde and St. Paul VI square off in the City of Palms Classic semifinals in Fort Myers, Florida.

The Eagles (11-0) enter the semifinals ranked No. 1 in the latest SBLive/Sports Illustrated Power 25 national rankings. The Panthers (7-0) are only a few spots behind, ranked No. 4 in the country.

The game is being televised on ESPNU and is scheduled to tip off at 7:00 p.m. ET. The winner will take on either No. 3 Link Academy (Missouri) or No. 6 Long Island Lutheran (New York) in the championship game Saturday night.

Here is a closer look at Montverde Academy vs St. Paul VI in the City of Palms Classic semifinals:

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FINAL: MONTVERDE ACADEMY 69, ST. PAUL VI 62

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The Montverde Academy boys basketball team poses for a preseason photoshoot after earning the No. 1 ranking nationally entering the 2023-24 season / Matt Christopher, SBLive Sports

FOURTH QUARTER

-- Derik Queen blocks a Ben Hammond three pointer coming out of the timeout, and Robert Wright takes it down the court for a free bucket as the clock runs out. Montverde holds on for the 69-62 win and advances to the tournament finals Saturday night.

-- Ben Hammond continues to show out here against the top-ranked team in the country. The senior drives for a quick score and the Panthers force a turnover on the next possession. Montverde is up 67-62 with 15.1 seconds on the clock.

-- Liam McNeeley hits his third three of the quarter and fourth of the game. Robert Wright pokes the ball free and takes it for an easy layup on the next possession. Montverde suddenly leads by seven, 67-60, with 39 seconds remaining.

-- Hammond is hot. He finishes in transition after a block by Isaiah Abraham, and it's now a two point game. Montverde leads 60-58 with 1:21 remaining. Rob Wright heading to the line for two free throws.

-- Ok then, Ben Hammond. The Rhode Island signee makes back-to-back tough layups, and St. Paul VI is back within four points. 

-- Liam McNeeley heating up, hits another three from the wing. The Eagles' lead grows to eight points, which might be the largest it's been tonight.

-- Derik Queen again. Really nice game for the five-star big man, who now has 20 points on the night. Montverde leads by six, 55-49.

-- Liam McNeeley knocks down a three pointer, his second of the game, to put Montverde back in front. Rob Wright finds Cooper Flagg for a fastbreak score, and the Eagles now lead 53-49.

-- Jordan Smith gives St. Paul VI the lead with a midrange jumper from the baseline. The five-star sophomore looks like a senior out there. 

THIRD QUARTER

-- Asa Newell is a beast on the boards. He cleans up a miss by Rob Wright with a mean putback dunk. Montverde is back in front, 48-47, and Montverde gets a stop on the final possession of the third quarter. On to the fourth.

-- Jordan Smith is only a sophomore, but he's making plays tonight. He rises up for a midrange jumper and drives for a score on the next possession to give the Panthers the lead once again.

-- Darren Harris does his thing and hits a three ball. The Duke signee is one of the best shooters in the country. Montverde leads by three, 46-43.

-- Asa Newell cleans up a miss by Derik Queen to push Montverde's lead back to six points, 46-40. Turnovers by the Panthers have been the difference when the Eagles start to take control.

-- Garrett Sundra hits from long range again for the Panthers. It's a one point game, 41-40.

-- The teams trade threes. Garrett Sundra hits from deep for St. Paul VI, then Robert Wright hits a three on the other for Montverde. 

-- Derik Queen picks up right where he left off. Nice hands from the big man to come down with the pass under the basket and immediately go up for the bucket. 

-- The second half is underway, and St. Paul VI scores first on a driving dunk by Darren Harris. 

SECOND QUARTER

-- Garrett Sundra drains a three for St. Paul VI, but the Panthers leave a little too much time on the clock. Montverde brings the ball up the court, and Derik Queen posterizes Darren Harris in the final seconds of the first half. Montverde leads 36-30. Queen is up to 15 points tonight. What a first half. 

-- DQ! Derik Queen converts the and-one then runs the floor for a put-back the next possession to put Montverde ahead 34-27. The uncommitted five-star leads all scorers with 13 points.

-- Baylor-bound Robert Wright having a nice quarter for Montverde. He finishes a tough layup to give the Eagles a two point lead, 27-25.

-- Time for another media timeout with this game being televised by ESPN. Points are tough to come by for both teams right now. St. Paul VI is doing a great job inside defensively and on the boards despite playing without Duke signee Patrick Ngongba at center.

-- Robert Wright gives Montverde the lead with his second consecutive basket, but St. Paul VI responds with a bucket from Garrett Sundra. All tied up 25-25 halfway through the second quarter.

-- Cooper Flagg opens the second quarter with a three pointer from the wing to tie the game up at 21-21. That's the second three of the game for the future Duke Blue Devil.

FIRST QUARTER

-- Back and forth the lead goes. After Adlan Elamin hits another three to give St. Paul VI the lead, Derik Queen scores on the other end to put Montverde back in front. Then Ben Hammond and Jaquan Womack score on consecutive possessions for St. Paul VI to give the Panthers a 3-point lead, 21-18, after one quarter.

-- Asa Newell runs the court in transition and gets up for a monster putback. Montverde regains the lead, 16-14, and the Georgia signee Newell heads to the bench for a quick rest.

-- St. Paul VI ties the game up 14-14 with a three pointer by Adlan Elamin. The Panthers are hanging with Eagles early in this one.

-- Harris goes 3-for-3 at the free throw line, making it a 14-11 game. The sharpshooter won the tournament's 3-point contest earlier this week, so no surprise to see him have success at the charity stripe.  

-- Darren Harris is fouled on a three-point attempt, so he will head to line for three free throws after the media timeout. St. Paul VI trails 14-8, so he can cut the deficit to three points after the break.

-- Cooper Flagg gets on the board with a corner three. Montverde leads by six.

-- Indiana signee Liam McNeeley is in the starting lineup for Montverde tonight, and he puts the Eagles ahead by three with a three ball.

-- St. Paul VI scores first with a midrange pull-up from Jordan Smith.

PREGAME READING

7 p.m. Friday (ET) | Suncoast Credit Union Arena, Fort Myers, FL

Montverde Academy Eagles

The Eagles are the No. 1 team in the country for a reason. They have the ability to make some of the most talented teams in the country look silly at times. Yes, Cooper Flagg is the main attraction for Montverde, but the Eagles also roll out five-star forward Asa Newell (Georgia) and center Derik Queen in the starting five. Five-star forward Liam McNeeley (Indiana) comes off the bench at times, with Robert Wright III (Baylor) and Curtis Givens (LSU) running together in the backcourt.

Look: Cooper Flagg drops 38-point near-quadruple-double at Peach Jam

Montverde (11-0) has dominated competition early this season, racking up six wins against teams currently ranked in the top 25 nationally. The Eagles beat Cannon (NC) by a score of 110-57 in the first round of the City of Palms Classic, and they knocked out No. 18 Archbishop Stepinac with a 95-55 win in the quarterfinals.

On Friday, the Eagles go for their seventh win of the young season against a top 25 team (also their third win against a top five team) and a trip to the City of Palms Classic championship game.

St. Paul VI Panthers

St. Paul VI returned nearly its entire roster from a squad that finished last season ranked No. 9 in the country. In addition to the Duke-bound Darren Harris, the Panthers' starting five also includes point guard Ben Hammond (Rhode Island), Isaiah Abramah (UConn) and Garrett Sundra (Notre Dame) and five-star sophomore Jordan Smith. There would be three Duke signees suiting up in this game, but the Panthers are currently playing without injured five-star center Patrick Ngongba.

St. Paul VI (7-0) has passed every test so far this season, but this one will be its toughest yet. After beating Millenium (Arizona) in the opening round of the City of Palms Classic, the Panthers got past No. 15 IMG Academy (Florida) with a thrilling 71-70 victory in the quarterfinals.

A takedown of Montverde would be St. Paul VI’s fourth win of the season against a top 25 team. It wouldn’t just be the Panthers’ biggest win of the season. It would likely be the biggest win of the young season for any team in the whole country.

-- Zach Shugan | zshugan@gmail.com | @SBLiveSports

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