High school basketball: No. 1 Montverde Academy among 12 ranked teams participating in The St. James NIBC Invitational next month

By Jordan Divens Dec 21, 2020, 11:00am

No. 2 IMG Academy, No. 3 Sunrise Christian Academy among teams joining top-ranked Eagles in Virginia.

A high school basketball bubble of sorts, The St. James NIBC Invitational has announced the schedule for 11 days of competition next month. Twelve nationally-ranked teams – including seven of the top 10 teams in MaxPreps Top 25 – are slated to take the floor at The St. James Sports, Wellness and Entertainment Complex in Springfield, Va.

No. 1 Montverde Academy (Montverde, Fla.), No. 2 IMG Academy (Bradenton, Fla.) and No. 3 Sunrise Christian Academy (Bel Aire, Kan.) will all participate in what is also being billed as The St. James Super League. The event will ultimately feature 20 matchups between ranked teams, including Montverde Academy facing Sunrise Christian Academy on Jan. 9 and No. 2 IMG Academy on Saturday, Jan. 17 in a game set to air on ESPN.

Other ranked teams set to compete include No. 4 Paul VI (Chantilly, Va.), No. 5 DeMatha (Hyattsville, Md.), No. 9 Legacy Early College (Greenville, S.C.), No. 10 La Lumiere (La Porte, Ind.), No. 11 Wasatch Academy (Mt. Pleasant, Utah), No. 13 Oak Hill Academy (Mouth of Wilson, Va.), No. 15 AZ Compass Prep (Chandler, Ariz.), No. 17 St. Frances Academy (Baltimore, Md.) and No. 22 Marshall (Richmond, Va.).

Seven other games are scheduled to air on the ESPN family of networks. See the complete schedule below.



Friday, Jan. 8, 2021
3:30 p.m. – Bishop Walsh (Cumberland, Md.) vs. Montverde Academy (Montverde, Fla.)
5:15 p.m. – Sunrise Christian (Bel Aire, Kan.) vs. Hamilton Heights Christian (Tenn.)
7 p.m. – Oak Hill Academy (Mouth of Wilson, Va.) vs. Legacy Early College (S.C.)

Saturday, Jan. 9
1:45 p.m. – La Lumiere vs. Bishop Walsh
3:30 p.m. – Legacy Early College vs. Hamilton Heights Christian Academy
5:15 p.m. – Wasatch Academy vs. Oak Hill Academy
7 p.m. – Montverde Academy vs. Sunrise Christian Academy

Sunday, Jan. 10
Noon – Bishop Walsh vs. Wasatch Academy
1:45 p.m. – Hamilton Heights Christian Academy vs. Oak Hill Academy
3:30 p.m. – La Lumiere vs. Montverde Academy
5:15 p.m. – Sunrise Christian Academy vs. Legacy Early College

Tuesday, Jan. 12
1:45 p.m. – Wasatch Academy vs. Sunrise Christian Academy
3:30 p.m. – Oak Hill Academy vs. Bishop Walsh
5:15 p.m. – Montverde Academy vs. Legacy Early College
7 p.m. – Hamilton Heights Christian Academy vs. La Lumiere

Friday, Jan. 15
1:45 p.m. – Bishop Walsh vs. Hamilton Heights Christian Academy
3:30 p.m. – Legacy Early College vs. Wasatch Academy
5:15 p.m. – La Lumiere vs. Sunrise Christian Academy
7 p.m. – Oak Hill Academy vs. Montverde Academy
8:45 p.m. – Westtown (West Chester, Pa.) vs. IMG Academy (Bradenton, Fla.)

Saturday, Jan. 16
1:45 p.m. – Hamilton Heights Christian Academy vs. Wasatch Academy
3:30 p.m. – iSchool (Lewisville, Texas) vs. St. Frances Academy (Baltimore, Md.)
5:15 p.m. – Westtown vs. AZ Compass Prep (Chandler, Ariz.)
7 p.m. – Marshall (Richmond, Va.) vs. DeMatha (Hyattsville, Md.)



Sunday, Jan. 17
11 a.m. – St. Frances Academy vs. Marshall
1:30 p.m. – Legacy Early College vs. Bishop Walsh, ESPN3
3:30 p.m. – La Lumiere vs. Oak Hill Academy, ESPN3
5:30 p.m. – AZ Compass Prep vs. Sunrise Christian Academy, ESPN3
7:30 p.m. – Montverde Academy vs. IMG Academy, ESPN

Monday, Jan. 18, 2021
9 a.m. – DeMatha vs. St. Frances Academy
11 a.m. – La Lumiere School vs. Legacy Early College, ESPNU
1 p.m. – Oak Hill Academy vs. iSchool of Lewisville, ESPNU
3 p.m. –Sunrise Christian Academy vs. IMG Academy, ESPNU
5 p.m. – Wasatch Academy vs. Montverde Academy, ESPNU
6:45 p.m. – Paul VI (Chantilly, Va.) vs. Westtown
Jalen Duren of Montverde Academy is introduced during a game earlier this season.
Jalen Duren of Montverde Academy is introduced during a game earlier this season.
Photo by Annette Wilkerson