High school basketball: National Top 10 No. 3 Montverde Academy cruises by No. 4 Sunrise Christian Academy 64-51 behind balanced effort

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. – In a battle of National Top 10 powerhouse programs, No. 3 Montverde Academy (Montverde, Fla.) ran past No. 4 Sunrise Christian Academy (Bel Aire, Kan.) 64-51 on Monday at the Spalding Hoophall Classic behind a balanced effort that saw eight players score five or more points.

Four-star junior Curtis Givens led the way with 13 points, Oregon signee Kwame Evans had 11 points, four-star junior Liam McNeeley chipped in 10 points and seven assists and five-star sophomore Cooper Flagg finished with eight points, four rebounds, three assists and three steals

Montverde Academy (14-2) jumped out to a 12-0 lead and never looked back in a rematch of a 66-62 win on Jan. 5 at the La Porte Invitational.

Flagg got the scoring started with a slam dunk in the opening seconds of the game before McNeeley and Evans hit back-to-back 3-pointers. Following a pair of Evans free throws, Derik Queen hit a jump shot to push the Eagles ahead by a dozen just over two minutes into the contest.

The Eagles methodically stretched their advantage throughout the first three quarters, leading 21-9 at the end of the first quarter, 41-23 at halftime and 54-34 headed into the fourth quarter.

Although Sunrise Christian opened the fourth quarter on a 7-0 run to cut the deficit to 54-41 with 5:45 remaining in the contest, Montverde responded to maintain the double-digit victory.

Montverde Academy now moves to 8-1 in NIBC play and have won eight consecutive conference games since its 65-54 upset loss to No. 5 AZ Compass Prep (Chandler, Ariz.) back on Nov. 22.

Coming off a 72-66 loss to No. 1 Link Academy (Branson, Mo.) in the the Bass Pro Shops Tournament of Champions title game Saturday night, the Buffaloes looked overwhelmed throughout the NIBC showdown after playing three games in as many days in Springfield, Mo., over the weekend.

Baylor signee Miro Little had 17 points, four rebounds and three assists on 7 of 9 from the field and 3 of 5 from 3-point range in the loss

Montverde Academy returns to the court Saturday to face Central Pointe Christian Academy (Kissimmee, Fla.), while Sunrise Christian Academy (12-4) has a 10 day layoff before returning to the court on Jan. 27.