High school basketball: No. 9 Wheeler downs No. 5 Centennial 57-53 to advance to City of Palms Classic semifinals

FORT MYERS, FLA. — In the most highly anticipated quarterfinal showdown at the City of Palms Classic on Monday, No. 9 Wheeler (Marietta, Ga.) upset No. 5 Centennial (Corona, Calif.) 57-53 paced by 22 points and five rebounds from USC signee Arrinten Page.

Wheeler looks for its second straight win over a top 5 program on Tuesday when it battles No. 4 Imhotep Charter (Philadelphia) in the semis while Corona Centennial draws Lake Highlands (Dallas, Texas).

Sparked by an 11-0 run toward the end of the period, the first quarter was all Wheeler as the Wildcats jumped out to a 22-10 edge. Centennial quickly bounced back, however, as the Huskies went on a 6-0 run in the second quarter on a pair of layups from Loyola Marymount commit Aaron McBride and a reverse by Duke signee Jared McCain.

Page answered with a deep 3-pointer from the top of the key before a pair of McCain free throws from McCain and a layup from Mike Price cut the deficit to 28-23 at intermission.

Iowa State signee Jelani Hamilton opened up the scoring in the second half with a 3-pointer from the left corner for Wheeler, but baskets from McCain and McBride cut the deficit to four points before Page began to impose his will. The future Trojan scored eight of his game-high 22 points in the quarter to help the Wildcats maintain a 47-40 lead entering the fourth quarter.

Both teams traded baskets to start the fourth quarter as a reverse layup from McBride was quickly answered with a 4-0 spurt that saw Page continue his dominance with a layup in traffic before a nice reverse from top-ranked senior Isaiah Collier. A dunk from UCLA signee Devin Williams and a pair of freebies from Mike Price fueled Centennial's 4-0 run to cut the lead to 51-46. The teams traded baskets down the stretch as Price matched Page's mid-range. McBride's jumper cut the Wheeler lead to 53-50 before a Collins layup extended the Wildcats' advantage to five.

Another McBride with just over a minute left, cut the lead to one possession for the first time since early in the game. McCain split a pair of free throws with eight seconds remaining to pull Centennial within two at 57-55, but Hamilton iced the game with a pair from the charity stripe at the other end.

Collier finished with 16 points, eight rebounds and six assists in the win, while McBride contributed 16 points and 12 rebounds on 8-of-12 from the field in the losing effort.