City of Palms Classic Day 1: Top Teams, Elite Talent Shines in Nation's Premier High School Basketball Showcase

From Owasso's upset victory to Montverde Academy’s dominance, Day 1 of the 51st City of Palms Classic delivered standout performances and thrilling matchups

The Montverde Academy Eagles compete against the Archbishop Carroll Patriots in the first round of the 51st annual City of Palms Classic at Suncoast Credit Union Arena in Fort Myers, Fla., on Wednesday, Dec. 18, 2024. Montverde Academy won 96-77. / Jonah Hinebaugh/Naples Daily News/USA Today Network-Florida / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

FORT MYERS, FLORIA – The 51st Annual City of Palms Classic officially tipped off on Wednesday with eight Top 25 nationally ranked boys high school basketball teams and 40 of the Top 100 players in the nation on display.

High School On SI is on the grounds of the Suncoast Credit Union Arena in Fort Myers throughout the week.

Game 1: Owasso (Oklahoma) 64, Long Island Lutheran (New York) 60

Owasso (Oklahoma) and Long Island Lutheran (New York) battled in the opening game. The Rams pulled away in the fourth quarter to seal off the upset of the second-seeded Long Island Lutheran Crusaders, 64-60 to advance to the quarterfinals against either Bishop McNamara or Oak Ridge on Friday at 5:30 p.m.

6-7 junior forward Jalen Montonati led the Rams with 28 points in the win. 6-2 junior combo guard Boden Williams added 13, while 6-4 junior small forward Julius Wilson added 8 points.

For the Crusaders, 6-5 junior guard Dylan Mingo led the way with 16 points on 6-of-13 shooting from the field. 6-8 sophomore power forward Moussa Kamissoko added 13 of his own in the loss.

Long Island Lutheran will play in the consolation bracket against Gateway Charter on Thursday at 10:30 a.m.

Game 2: Grayson (Georgia) 96, Central Catholic (Oregon) 55

It was a one-sided affair from the opening tip where Grayson got off to a 21-7 run to start the game and took a 25-10 lead after the opening quarter. The Rams continued to pile it on in the second quarter where they took a 44-21 commanding lead heading into halftime.

In the second half, Grayson led by as many as 41, where they pulled away for the 96-55 victory.

Grayson led from wire-to-wire as they advanced to the quarterfinals, where they will play the Columbus-Great Crossing (Ky.) winner on Friday at 7:15 p.m.

6-5 junior guard Caleb Holt, The No. 3 ranked player in the nation for the Class of 2026, according to 247Sports finished with a game-high 20 points on 7-of-13 shooting from the field. 5-10 senior point guard Chris McLavish Jr. finished with 20 as well for the Rams. 6-8 senior power forward Amir Taylor added 17 points and 16 rebounds in the win.

For Central Catholic, 6-0 junior guard Zamir Paschal led all scorers with 24 points.

Jacob Wilkins, forward for the Grayson High (GA), brings the ball up-court against Central Catholic (OR) during the first day of action at the 2024 City of Palms Classic basketball tournament at Suncoast Credit Union Arena in Fort Myers, Wednesday, Dec. 18. / Ricardo Rolon / USA TODAY NETWORK-FLORIDA / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Central Catholic will play Friday at 12:20 p.m., where they’ll meet Archbishop Carroll (Pennsylvania) loser in the consolation bracket.

“I thought I did a good job finding Jacob (Wilkins) and Chris (McLavish) where they could get some open shots against their 2-3 zone,” Holt said on the win.

“We did a good job on the scouting report and getting our guys to buy into the system.” Head Coach Geoffrey Pierce said following the win.

Game 3: Millennium (Arizona) 64, Gateway Charter 53

In the third game of the day, The Millennium Tigers ranked No. 11 in the Top 25 in the nation, according to SportsCenter Next pulled away late in the fourth quarter to pull off the double-digit win over Gateway Charter.

The Tigers led wire-to-wire where they took a 16-11 lead after the opening quarter where Holmes led all scorers with 9 points after the first eight minutes.

Gateway Charter High School faced off against Millennium High (AZ) during the first day of action at the 2024 City of Palms Classic basketball tournament at Suncoast Credit Union Arena in Fort Myers, Wednesday, Dec. 18. Millennium won with a final score of 64-53. / Ricardo Rolon / USA TODAY NETWORK-FLORIDA / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

In the second quarter, The Tigers outscored the Griffins 17-15 to take a 33-26 lead heading into halftime.

Millennium will play Montverde Academy in the quarterfinals on Thursday at 9:00 p.m.

6-5 junior small forward Cameron Holmes led all scorers finishing with 22 points, on 9-of-14 shooting from the field. Utah State signee Kingston Tosi added 17 of his own and 6-1 sophomore combo guard Adrian Higuera added 8 for the Tigers in the win.

6-4 senior guard Myles Jones led the Griffins with 17 points as he was one of three players in double-figures. Patrick Johnson added 12 and Elijah Dantley added 10 for the Griffins in the loss.

Gateway Charter will play Long Island Lutheran in the consolation bracket on Thursday at 10:30 a.m.

“Hats off to them, I thought they came out with a great game plan. I thought they came out in a zone, catching us in a wrinkle,” Head Coach Ty Amundsen said following the game. “We are just 6-7 games into the season and finding a rhythm, whether it’s Cam (Holmes) or Kingston (Tosi), they are going to be guards at the next level, so we try to play them at that position,” Amundsen added.

“I was seeing a lot of the open court, where they were running a 2-2-1 zone against us, so I was told to keep attacking,” Holmes said following the win.

“Having two tough losses this early in the season showed a lot about our toughness.” Gateway Charter Head Coach RJ Jones said following the loss. “Playing one of the toughest schedules in the state will get us prepared for moments like this moving forward” Jones added.

Game 4: Bishop Verot 59, Charlotte 43 (Hugh Thimlar Tribute Game)

The Vikings were led by 6-7 senior forward Jerry Ashley finishing with a double-double (30 points and 11 rebounds). 6-0 senior guard Gavin Williams added 10 points on 4-of-9 shooting from the field and 2-of-4 from behind the arc.

Leading the way for the Tarpons was 6-2 senior guard Jordan Attia, finishing with 16 points and five rebounds in the loss. 5-10 senior guard Dior Evans added seven points in the loss.

Bishop Verot High School defeated Charlotte High in the Hugh Thimlar Tribute game at the 2024 City of Palms Classic basketball tournament at Suncoast Credit Union Arena in Fort Myers, Wednesday, Dec. 18. Verot won with a final score of 59-43. / Corey Perrine / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

“I am proud of how we played a complete game,” Bishop Verot head coach Matt Herting said following the game. “Playing in a matchup zone has been our bread-and-butter, but it’s not a secret was the key in the second half,” Herting added.

“Feels good to get a win in this event, where we played Fort Myers in this event last year, and we would always play them the Wednesday before Thanksgiving for like 10-15 years, where we would get all the alumni out,” Herting added as well.

Game 5: Montverde Academy 96, Archbishop Carroll (Pennsylvania) 77

The Montverde Academy Eagles made a big second-half push to advance to the Quarterfinals where they will face Millennium (Arizona) on Thursday at 9:00 p.m.

Villanova signee Dante Allen finished with a game-high 30 points and six rebounds in the win. Florida commit CJ Ingram added 13 points and nine rebounds, while Hakeem Weems added 12 for the Eagles.

6-5 junior small forward Luca Foster led the Patriots with 28 points while shooting 13-of-21 from the field, 2-of-7 from behind the arc, and nine rebounds in the loss.

The Montverde Academy Eagles compete against the Archbishop Carroll Patriots in the first round of the 51st annual City of Palms Classic at Suncoast Credit Union Arena in Fort Myers, Fla., on Wednesday, Dec. 18, 2024. Montverde Academy won 96-77. / Jonah Hinebaugh/Naples Daily News/USA Today Network-Florida / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Patriots will face Central Catholic (Oregon) in the Consolation bracket on Friday at 12:20 p.m.

“We brought more intensity in the second half on the defensive end, where Coach (Boyle) got on us at the half,” Allen said following the win.

“It’s a lot more fun when we get Kayden (Allen) and Dante (Allen) involved, makes scoring a lot easier for the rest of us,” Ingram said following the win.

Game 6: La Lumiere (Indiana) 85, Westminster Academy 82

In the final game of Day 1, The Lakers had four players score in double-figures led by UConn signee Darius Adams finishing with a team-high 25 points, on 10-of-15 shooting from the field and nine rebounds. San Jose State signee Melvin Bell Jr. added 21 points on 8-of-13 shooting from the field and 5-of-8 from behind the arc.

“Westminster is a great team, and Alex (Constanza) returning is a huge factor for them where he scored 40 points in his first game back, so my hat goes off to them on playing a great game,” Associate Coach Brian Torino said following the game.

“I also give a ton of credit to Alex (Lloyd) where he did a great job at getting to the free-throw line in the second half where he scored 33 of his 41 points” Torino added.

La Lumiere will play either IMG Academy or Faith Family Academy (Texas) in the Quarterfinals on Friday at 9:00 p.m.

The Lions were led by Lloyd’s 41 points and 6-9 junior guard Alex Constanza adding 23 on 6-of-19 shooting from the field in the loss.

Westminster Academy will play the Great Crossing (Ky.)-Columbus loser in the consolation bracket on Friday at 10:40 a.m.