High school basketball: Liam McNeeley leads No. 1 Montverde Academy past No. 3 Prolific Prep 76-71 at Spalding Hoophall Classic

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. – No. 1 Montverde Academy (Montverde, Fla.) faced its biggest challenge of the season Sunday night at the Spalding Hoophall Classic, escaping with a 76-71 victory over No. 3 Prolific Prep (Napa, Calif.). Five-star Indiana signee Liam McNeeley led the victors with 22 points in the showdown between highly-ranked National Top 10 powerhouses.

In addition to McNeeley's contribution for Montverde Academy, five-star senior Derik Queen added 18 points, six rebounds and two blocks. The nation's No. 1 senior prospect Cooper Flagg chipped in 15 points, 10 rebounds and five blocked shots.

A.J. Dybantsa, the top-ranked prospect in the Class of 2025, led Prolific Prep with 21 points, five rebounds and four assists. 

Montverde Academy (19-0) picked up its third win at the Spalding Hoophall Classic in as many nights. The Eagles knocked off No. 7 Oak Hill Academy (Mouth of Wilson, Va.) 80-50 on Friday and No. 8 Brewster Academy (Wolfeboro, N.H.) 91-58 on Saturday. Prolific Prep (19-3) suffered its second loss in the past three games but looked poised for the upset after sophomore star Tyran Stokes, Alabama signee Aiden Sherrell and Dybantsa put together a 6-0 run that gave the Crew a lead in the fourth quarter.

Queen responded with a layup on the other end to give Montverde Academy a 67-66 advantage with 2:32 remaining. Dybantsa knocked down a 3-pointer from the left corner to give the Crew a 69-67 lead with 2:13 to play.

Montverde Academy made a concerted effort to feed Queen the next two trips down the court and he was fouled on both possessions, converting on all four to give the Eagles a 71-69 lead with 1:25 remaining.

Curtis Givens buried a 3-pointer in transition to make it 74-69 with one minute remaining, effectively putting things out of reach for Prolific Prep.

Montverde Academy jumped out to an 8-0 lead in the first three minutes of the game before back-to-back 3-pointers from junior Winters Grady got the Prolific Prep offense started mid-way through the period.

Prolific Prep led 15-14 at the end of the first quarter before Montverde Academy closed the first half on a 10-0 run to take a 41-32 lead into halftime.

Montverde Academy held a 56-52 lead entering the fourth quarter after five-star Georgia signee Asa Newell tipped in a missed shot at the buzzer.