City of Palms Day 2: Riverside stuns Miller Grove

Miller Grove (Lithonia, Ga.) lost a nationally-televised showdown against Oak Hill Academy (Mouth of Wilson, Va.) on Thursday night, but Saturday's setback at the City of Palms Classic in Fort Myers, Fla., will hurt much more.

The Wolverines, ranked No. 3 in this week's Xcellent 25 presented by the Army National Guard, were bounced in the quarterfinals of the prestigious event by Riverside Academy (Reserve, La.), 59-55. The three-time defending Georgia Class AAAA champions received a first-round bye, giving them back-to-back losses in the span of three days after losing just one game officially during the entire 2010-11 season.

Riverside Academy was led once again by the "Bayou Bull" Ricardo Gathers, a 6-foot-7, 240-pound forward who compiled 19 points and 15 rebounds in the victory.

Miller Grove star Tony Parker tallied 14 points and six rebounds in the losing effort. While the Wolverines hadn't previously participated in the City of Palms Classic, they were holiday tournament-tested with a victory at the Beach Ball Classic last December. Parker was the MVP of that event.

Riverside will play in the second semifinal contest Tuesday night at 9:30 p.m. The Rebels were eliminated by Austin Rivers and Winter Park (Fla.) in the opening round of the City of Palms Classic last season, but bounced back to beat Bishop Gorman (Las Vegas, Nev.) and Melrose (Memphis, Tenn.) in consolation play.

Grace Prep (Arlington, Texas) 65, Taft (Cincinnati, Ohio) 62

In a battle of nationally-ranked defending state champions, Baylor-bound 7-footer Isaiah Austin piled up 20 points, 12 rebounds and nine blocks to lead No. 8 Grace Prep to a narrow victory over No. 16 Taft.

Oklahoma signee Jelon Hornbeak added 15 points for Grace Prep. Ohio State football commitment Adolphus Washington notched a team-high 18 points for Taft, the Buckeye State's defending Division III champ.

The Lions advance to face Mater Dei (Santa Ana, Calif.) with a trip to the semifinals on the line Monday at 4:15 p.m.

St. Raymond (Bronx, N.Y.) 73, Trinity (Louisville, Ky.) 70 (OT)

St. Raymond trailed by 21 points with just over seven minutes remaining but outscored Trinity 28-7 the rest of the way to force overtime and eventually advance to Monday's quarterfinals against Montverde Academy (Montverde, Fla.).

Trinity took a four-point lead in overtime but St. Raymond senior forward Daniel Dingle was clutch at the free throw line in the final minute of the extra session, connecting on all four attempts and finishing with 24 points. Future Iowa State Cyclone Nkereuwem Okoro added 19 points.

Morehead State signee Charles Foster paced Trinity with 22 points while highly-touted junior Darryl Hicks added 16.

St. Raymond will take on Montverde Academy at 8:15 p.m. Monday.

Prestonwood Christian (Plano, Texas) 70, Constitution (Philadelphia, Pa.) 63

Prestonwood Christian's twin towers – 6-9 Kansas signee Zach Peters and 6-9 super junior Julius Randle – combined for 33 points in a win over Constitution as the Lions set up a Monday quarterfinal matchup with Bishop Gorman.

Peters notched a team-high 17 points while Randle, the No. 2 prospect in the Class of 2013, was right behind with 16.

Daiquan Walker led Constitution with 18 points.

Prestonwood Christian lost to aforementioned Grace Prep back in Texas on Thursday night but both teams will be playing for an opportunity to reach the semifinals Monday.

Mater Dei (Santa Ana, Calif.) 76, Lake Wales (Fla.) 70

Mater Dei, ranked No. 2 nationally in the Xcellent 25, got a tougher-than-expected test from Lake Wales in its opener. The Monarchs led by 13 at the end of three quarters and held off a fourth-quarter rally from the Florida school.

The defending California Division I state champs received a team-high 20 points from junior guard Elijah Brown, the son of Los Angeles Lakers head coach Mike Brown. Mater Dei took third place in last year's Classic and won the prestigious event in 2006 and 2008.

Consolation
Gill St. Bernard's (Gladstone, N.J.) 71, Bishop Verot (Fort Myers, Fla.) 62

Sunshine Series (non-tournament showcase game)
Norland (Miami, Fla.) 54, Mariner (Cape Coral, Fla.) 31