Video: IMG Academy vs. Patrick SchoolSee highlights from City of Palms Classic showdown in December.The high school basketball season may have hit a crescendo of sorts last weekend with dramatic finishes in several showdowns between ranked teams.
Between the CBS Sports Network and ESPN, there were eight games broadcast nationally and most of them provided a high-level entertainment.
But let's not to write off this weekend's slate of games – there's still plenty to follow from a national perspective.
Especially in Florida at the ARS Rescue Rooter Tampa National Hoopfest, where four ranked teams will hit the floor in addition to a couple of hopefuls.
The Peachtree Corners Invitational in Georgia will also be a hot spot with five teams who have appeared in the High School Top 25 this season in action.
Read on for a breakdown of the weekend's biggest games:
Top 10 prospect Kevin Knox and Tampa Catholic will get a crack at Montverde Academy this weekend in the ARS Rescue Rooter Tampa National Hoopfest.
Photo by Jim Redman
beat Patrick School on Tuesday, so this is a must-win for the Celtics if they have hopes of maintaining a spot in the High School Top 25. It won't be easy as this is usually right around the time Roselle Catholic flips the switch and starts ramping up for a state title run. The Garden State powers split a four-game series a year ago.
Greensboro Day (Greensboro, N.C.) vs. Wheeler (Marietta, Ga.)4 p.m. (EST) Saturday @ Peachtree Corners Invitational (Norcross, Ga.)
Both of these teams are down but not entirely out of the High School Top 25 picture. Greensboro Day enters with a 23-3 record while Wheeler is 14-4 against one of the nation's toughest schedules. The Georgia school is coming off a pair of impressive wins at Flyin' to the Hoop in Ohio.
* No. 3 Montverde Academy (Montverde, Fla.) vs. Tampa Catholic (Tampa, Fla.)6 p.m. (EST) Saturday @ ARS Rescue Rooter Tampa National Hoopfest (Tampa, Fla.)Head coach Kevin Boyle's Montverde Academy program is still in the thick of things when it comes to the Independent Top 10 national title. Tampa Catholic is led by 2015-16 MaxPreps National Junior of the Year
Kevin Knox, who is putting up 28.9 points, 10.8 rebounds and 2.5 steals per game. Travis Haddock's Hoopfest is once again loaded this year with
Huntington St. Joseph Prep (Huntington, W.Va.),
IMG Academy (Bradenton, Fla.),
Oak Hill Academy (Mouth of Wilson, Va.) and
St. Benedict's Prep (Newark, N.J.) also taking the floor in Tampa.
* No. 1 IMG Academy (Bradenton, Fla.) vs. * No. 9 The Rock (Gainesville, Fla.)6:30 p.m. (EST) Saturday @ Vince Murray Memorial Challenge (Ocala, Fla.)Sneaky-big game here. The Rock enters with a 19-1 record and itching to get a crack at new Independent Top 10 No. 1 IMG. Top 100 junior forward
Darius Days is among the headliners for The Rock. IMG is battle-tested already with nine games against teams that have appeared in the High School Top 25 or Independent Top 10 this season.
No. 10 DeMatha (Hyattsville, Md.) vs. Greenforest (Decatur, Ga.)7 p.m. (EST) Saturday @ Peachtree Corners InvitationalUpset alert in this one. Greenforest is on the outside looking in to the High School Top 25, but the Eagles have played a brutal schedule with plenty of quality wins along the way. DeMatha has prior experience this season with Georgia powers, however. The Stags knocked off aforementioned Wheeler in December at the National High School Hoopfest Festival.
* Independent Top 10 ranking
