High school basketball: No. 1 Montverde Academy defeats No. 3 Sunrise Christian Academy 61-57 to win inaugural NIBC championship

Top-ranked Montverde Academy (Montverde, Fla.) defeated No. 3 Sunrise Christian Academy (Bel Aire, Kan.) 61-57 on Friday night at Arlington High School in Memphis, Tenn., to capture the inaugural NIBC championship. The win secures the top seed in the upcoming GEICO Nationals for the Eagles and gives them a 2-1 edge over the Buffaloes in the season series.

Montverde Academy (21-1) outscored Sunrise Christian (19-3) 22-15 in the third quarter to gain a 49-43 advantage heading into the final quarter. The Buffaloes battled back to tie things up at 49-49 with a 6-0 run to start the fourth quarter.

After trading a pair of baskets, Montverde Academy went on a decisive 10-1 run sparked by a personal 6-0 run from five-star junior Dariq Whitehead. That extended the lead to 61-52 with under two minutes remaining. Whitehead finished with a team-high 18 points to go along with nine rebounds and six steals.

Montverde Academy won the first meeting 58-52 on Jan. 9 before Sunrise Christian Academy snapped the Eagles' 44-game win streak with a 69-66 overtime victory Feb. 5.

Kansas commit Gradey Dick scored 18 points and grabbed six rebounds in the loss for Sunrise Christian. The recent Kansas pledge scored 11 points in the third quarter.

Along with Whitehead, the Eagles had three other scorers in double figures as Baylor signee Langston Love chipped in 15 points and five rebounds, Jalen Duren finished with 13 points and seven rebounds and Michigan signee Caleb Houstan scored 12.

Both teams are expected to return to the court next month for GEICO Nationals.