The 16th edition of the Montverde Academy Invitational Tournament features a loaded eight-team field, highlighted by a pair of Top 5 programs and the top-ranked junior in the nation.
Eight teams from five different states take the court in one of the biggest tournaments of the high school basketball season — running Thursday, Jan. 24 through Saturday, Jan. 26.
The hosts enter the event as favorites to capture their 11th tournament championship in their 16th appearance, as they enter the event ranked fourth in the Top 25. The defending GEICO Nationals champions begin the event with a 12-2 overall record and an opening round matchup against
Westminster Academy (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.).
No. 4
Montverde Academy (Montverde, Fla.) is coming off its most dominant win of the season at the Spalding Hoophall Classic, throttling then No. 4
Sierra Canyon (Chatsworth, Calif.) 77-58. A deep 10-man rotation appears to be finding its mid-season groove as the balanced attack features elite speed, length and a ferocious defense that's the calling card for the uber-talented group.
Wasatch Academy overcame a late 62-42 deficit against Clark (Las Vegas,) to win 71-69 in their last contest. The Beehive State powerhouse is well on their way to a third GEICO Nationals berth in the past four years after narrowly missing the event last season. Results this weekend will be crucial to the Tigers chances of returning to the postseason championship event. The
most even first-round matchup may be the elite guard battle between
Vashon (St. Louis) and Long Island Lutheran (Brookville, N.Y.), as a pair
of teams who were earlier featured in the Top 25 battle in the Sunshine State. Long Island Lutheran will enter
the event with just one loss on the season, sitting just outside the
Top 25 —
led by star junior guard Andre Curbelo. The Crusaders have the
opportunity to re-enter the rankings if they're able to make a run in
one of the game's most difficult tournaments.
Vashon
has been on a bit of a slide recently, losing three of its last five
games, including each of their last two contests. Their most recent loss
came at the Spalding Hoophall Classic against an injury-ridden Christ the King (Middle Village, N.Y.) squad in a game the Wolverines lacked any flow on the offensive end. This will be a major opportunity for
the Missouri Class 3A state title favorites to bounce back behind
junior wing Cam'ron Fletcher, having a strong season
averaging 19.6 points and five rebounds per contest.
No. 19 Rancho Christian (Temecula, Calif.) also travels to the Montverde Academy Invitational as the Eagles look to maintain their Top 25 ranking with an opening-round showdown with Miami Christian (Miami). Rancho Christian is a serious contender to take home the event title behind their dominant big man Evan Mobley, the top-ranked junior by 247Sports and widely regarded as the top prospect in the nation regardless of class.
Miami Christian made national headlines last week as senior guard Diego Rivera scored a jaw-dropping 76 points, connecting on 14-of-24 3-pointers and going 30-of-44 overall from the field. The unbelievable performance was a significant outlier from the senior's previous season-high of 23 points against No. 2 McEachern (Powder Springs, Ga.) at the City of Palms Classic. Can Rivera and the Victors keep the momentum going and pull off the upset of the event?
Montverde Academy hosts its 16th annual tournament starting Thursday and featuring top competition including No. 5 Wasatch Academy of Utah.
Photo by Mike Braca
