Cooper Flagg, Montverde defeat Kiyan Anthony, Long Island Lutheran: Live score, updates from City of Palms Classic high school basketball tournament (12/23/23)

Montverde Academy (Florida) leads wire to wire to knock off Long Island Lutheran (New York) and capture championship at City of Palms Classic

After a thrilling week of high school basketball at the City of Palms Classic, it’s time to crown a tournament champion.

Montverde Academy (Florida) and Long Island Lutheran (New York) are set to face off Saturday night in Fort Myers, Florida, with the winner taking home the title at the 50th annual City of Palms Classic and staking their claim as the top team in the country.

Five-star Duke signee Cooper Flagg and the Eagles (12-0) go into the matchup as the No. 1 team in the SBLive/Sports Illustrated Power 25 national rankings. Uncommitted five-star VJ Edgecombe and the Crusaders are just outside the top five at No. 6, but wrapping up an impressive week at the City of Palms Classic with a win over Montverde could vault them to No. 1 in the rankings entering the final week of 2023. 

The game is being televised on ESPNU and is scheduled to tip off at 9:00 p.m. ET following the third place game between No. 3 Link Academy (Missouri) and No. 4 St. Paul VI (Virginia).

Here is a closer look at Montverde Academy vs. Long Island Lutheran in the City of Palms Classic championship game:

—

FINAL: MONTVERDE ACADEMY 73, LONG ISLAND LUTHERAN 59

Refresh for latest updates

Montverde Academy senior Cooper Flagg poses for a picture during SBLive's preseason photoshoot with the Eagles / Photo by Matt Christopher, SBLive Sports

FOURTH QUARTER

-- The starters check out of the game for Montverde with 43 seconds left. This was an impressive yet nonchalant win for the Eagles against one of the top teams in the country.

-- It looks like Montverde will hold on for the double-digit victory. Cooper Flagg (21 points) goes 2-for-2 from the free throw line, and Montverde leads 72-55.  

-- Liam McNeeley spins while driving to the basket and finishes with his left hand. Montverde is back ahead by 13 points with less than three minutes to go.

-- Cooper Flagg goes 2-for-2 free throw line for two shots after getting fouled under the basket. 

-- Kiyan Anthony sinks a three ball. He's up to 14 points tonight, and the lead is down to nine points for Montverde.

-- VJ Edgecombe connects from long range after Robert Wright hits a pair of free throws for Montverde. The Eagles lead by 11 with 4:46 remaining.

-- Kiyan Anthony finds Dylan Mingo on the wing for a three pointer. It's only an 11 point game, 61-49, but it feels like Montverde is up by much more. 

-- Oh my goodness. VJ Edgecombe just went up for a tomahawk dunk, but Asa Newell met him at the height of his jump for a block. 

THIRD QUARTER

-- On to the fourth quarter, Montverde leads 59-46. The Eagles are preventing LuHi from finding any sort of groove in this game. Unless something changes in the fourth, Montverde is eight minutes away from another ranked win.

-- Derik Queen is fouled and hits both free throws to push Montverde's lead back to 10 points.

-- Benjamin Michaels with a tough finish to keep cutting into the lead for Montverde. It's now an 11-3 run for the Crusaders, and Montverde leads 53-45.

-- Cooper Flagg fouls Kiyan Anthony on a three pointer. The talented son of Carmelo Anthony heads to the free throw line for three shots and goes 2-for-3. 

-- Right back at you. Kiyan Anthony responds with a three pointer and a pull-up jumper on the next possession. LuHi is hanging around with Montverde. The score is 50-39 at the media timeout. 

-- Asas Newell gets in one the three-point fun for Montverde.

-- Cooper Flagg for three with a defender in his face. That's 14 points tonight for No. 1 recruit in the country. Montverde leads 47-33.

-- Edgecombe drives and dishes to Jacob Ross for the three pointer. LuHi is on the board in the third quarter. 

-- Cooper Flagg gets the scoring started in the second half with an alley-oop off the assist from Robert Wright. Then the five-star Duke Signee spikes VJ Edgecombe's shot on the ensuing possession for LuHi. 

SECOND QUARTER

-- Nigel James misses on a deep three for LuHi as time expires. Montverde leads by 12 points at halftime and is looking every bit like the top-ranked team in the country.

-- Robert Wright is fouled on a drive to the basket. The Baylor signee goes 1-for-2 at the free throw line. Montverde leads 40-28 with 4.3 seconds left in the half.

-- Edgecombe misses on a three pointer. The shots aren't falling for the Crusaders at the same rate as last night in their semifinals victory over Link Academy.

-- Liam McNeeley again from long range. The Indiana commit pushes the Eagles' lead back to 12 points, 37-25.

-- Nigel James with five straight points for LuHi. The four-star junior hits a three on one possession and follows it up with a tough drive on the next. 

-- Derik Queen dishes it inside to Asa Newell for the layup. Big man showing some playmaking ability for the Eagles. 

-- VJ Edgecombe drills a three pointer coming out of the timeout, but he got it off .5 seconds too late. It's a shot clock violation, and the ball is going the other way.

-- Derik Queen runs the floor in transition, and Cooper Flagg finds him for the layup to push the Eagles' lead back to double digits. Time for a media timeout halfway through the quarter.

-- This game is moving at a frenetic pace. A lot of athleticism on the floor right now between these teams. Following a hectic sequence, Liam McNeeley goes 1-for-2 from the free throw line to make it 28-20 in favor of Montverde.

-- VJ Edgecombe can fly. The five star soars in for the putback to make it a seven point game, 27-20.

-- Alier Maluk misses on the back end of the and-one, but a nice job by the FSU commit on the finish.

-- Cooper Flagg tosses the ball down low to Derik Queen, who finishes for two to put Montverde back up by 11.

FIRST QUARTER

-- LuHi holds for the final shot of the quarter, and Kiyan Anthony comes through from midrange. Montverde leads 23-14 heading into the second. 

-- What a block by Cooper Flagg. And Liam McNeeley hits a three in transition to put Montverde ahead by 11.

-- VJ Edgecombe doesn't need any time to heat up. He knocks down a three for LuHi then drives for a bucket on the next possession. LuHi trails by six, 16-10.

-- Alier Maluk from long range. The Florida State commit sinks a three pointer to bring LuHi back within six, 11-5.

-- Cooper Flagg is in the scoring column. The Duke signee goes two-for-two at the free throw line, and five-star Derik Queen checks into the game for the Eagles. Talk about depth.

-- VJ Edgecombe gets LuHi on the board with an emphatic driving drunk past multiple Montverde defenders.

-- Liam McNeeley is fired up after knocking down a three pointer to give Montverde a 9-0 lead early. Head coach John Buck calls a timeout for LuHi.

-- Curtis Givens hits a three pointer and is fouled on the shot. The free throw is good, so it's a four-point play for the future LSU Tiger.

-- Montverde wins the tipoff, but neither team scores on their first possession. No Derik Queen in the starting five for the Eagles tonight, as Robert Wright, Curtis Givens, Liam McNeeley, Cooper Flagg and Asa Newell are out first. 

PREGAME READING

9 p.m. Saturday (ET) | Suncoast Credit Union Arena, Fort Myers, FL

Montverde Academy Eagles

Montverde is one win away from capturing its sixth City of Palms Classic title since 2012. The Eagles have won two of the past three tournaments going back to 2019. 

After racing past Cannon (North Carolina) and No. 18 Archbishop Stepinac (New York) in the first two rounds, the Eagles saw their biggest test of the season against No. 4 St. Paul VI. The Eagles came out on top 69-62, marking the first time this season they didn't win by double digits. 

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

That's not to say Montverde hasn't played tough competition until this week. The Eagles have already racked up seven wins against teams ranked in the top 25, and they have a chance to make it eight tonight. 

Despite all the Eagles' success, they could lose their spot atop the national rankings with a loss to Long Island Lutheran — and miss out on winning another trophy in Fort Myers.

Long Island Lutheran Crusaders

Long Island Lutheran (also known as LuHi) might be the underdog against Montverde, but don't count out the Crusaders.

In addition to the uncommitted five-star VJ Edgecombe, LuHi boasts four-star recruits Kiyan Anthony, Kayden Mingo, Alier Maluk (Florida State) and Nigel James, among others.

Kiyan Anthony, son of Carmelo Anthony, transferring to nationally-ranked Long Island Lutheran (New York)

The Crusaders dominated No. 3 Link Academy (Missouri) in the semifinals after taking down top 25 Don Bosco (New Jersey) in the quarterfinals. They also defeated No. 9 Oak Hill Academy (Virginia) last month in their season opener.

If LuHi hands Montverde its first loss of the season, the Crusaders would have a strong argument to take over the No. 1 spot in the national rankings.

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

Top 25 national high school boys basketball rankings: No. 1 Montverde dominating (12/12/2023)