Ben Simmons tallied 20 points, 11 rebounds and six assists in his final high school game as Montverde Academy wrapped up the 2014-15 national title with a win over Oak Hill Academy.
Photo by Steven Ryan
The premier high school basketball program in the land added more hardware to its impressive collection Saturday as
Montverde Academy (Fla.) beat
Oak Hill Academy (Mouth of Wilson, Va.) 70-61 in the Dick's Sporting Goods High School Nationals final at Madison Square Garden.
Montverde Academy (31-1) entered the contest ranked No. 2 nationally by MaxPreps and trailed by as many as nine in the first half. But the Eagles turned the tables on top-ranked Oak Hill Academy in the second half and pulled away for a stress-free finish.
Head coach Kevin Boyle's Montverde Academy program also beat Oak Hill Academy in last year's final by an incredibly similar score (71-62) and topped
St. Benedict's Prep (Newark, N.J.) for the 2013 title. The Eagles will be recognized as national champion by MaxPreps for the second time in three years and improve to 107-7 in four seasons under Boyle.
Saturday on the big stage at Madison Square Garden, it was No. 1 senior prospect
Ben Simmons once again leading the charge for the Eagles. The 6-foot-9 forward and native of Australia finished with 20 points, 11 rebounds and six assists.
The Eagles also got a huge lift from unheralded senior guard
Fard Muhammad, who knocked down five 3-pointers en route to 20 points. Florida-bound forward
Noah Dickerson added 14 points.
Despite an incredible 47-1 record this season, the finish will be bitter for Oak Hill Academy. The Warriors were on the cusp of securing their ninth national title under head coach Steve Smith but were outclassed by Montverde Academy in the Dick's Nationals final for the second year in a row.
Missouri-bound point guard
Terrence Phillips led the Warriors with 15 points and five assists. MaxPreps National Player of the Year candidate
Dwayne Bacon totaled 14 on just 4 of 18 shooting from the field.
