High school basketball: No. 2 Paul VI and Archbishop Stepinac advance to City of Palms Classic title game.

No. 2 Paul VI came from behind to knock off Principia 78-68 while Archbishop Stepinac outlasted No. 14 Bartlett 76-66.

Thumbnail image of this articles writer: Jordan Divens

By Jordan Divens

Dec 22, 2025, 9:30am

Highlights from Game 1 of the 2025 City of Palms Classic

Paul VI (VA) - Jordan Smith Jr Highlights 261,207 views 3:12

FORT MYERS, FLA. — The City of Palms Classic tipped off Thursday, Dec. 18 and runs through Tuesday, Dec. 23. MaxPreps is providing live updates from the Suncoast Credit Union Arena throughout the six-day event.

The semifinals of the 52nd annual City of Palms Classic are set as No. 2 Paul VI (Chantilly, Va.) faces off against No. 30 Principia (St. Louis, Mo.) on Monday at 6:30 p.m. (Eastern) on one side of the bracket, while No. 14 Bartlett (Tenn.) takes on No. 27 Archbishop Stepinac (White Plains, N.Y.) at 8 p.m. on the other side.

CITY OF PALMS: 16-team Classic Bracket

Paul VI was the first team to punch their ticket into the City of Palms Classic semifinals after knocking off No. 10 Calvary Christian Academy (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.) 71-54 in the nightcap Friday. Junior Brian Mitchell Jr. was the catalyst in the win, finishing with 23 points, nine rebounds and three assists while shooting 9 of 14 from the field and 4 of 6 from 3-point range.

Principia knocked off No. 1 Wheeler (Marietta, Ga.) 69-63 in the City of Palms Classic quarterfinals Saturday, marking its second consecutive win over a top-five opponent. Top 100 Wake Forest signee Quentin Coleman was the star of the game again for the Panthers, pumping in a high of 34 points and eight rebounds while shooting 11 of 17 from the field, 4 of 8 from 3-point range and making all eight of his free throws.

Bartlett became the third team to punch its ticket to the City of Palms Classic semifinals Saturday, knocking off No. 3 Petersburg (Va.) 63-44. Three players scored in double figures for Bartlett led by four-star junior Dylan Jones with 16 points, sophomore guard Braylon Williams with 14 and top 10 sophomore D.J. Okoth with 13.

In the final quarterfinal contest, Archbishop Stepinac defeated No. 16 The Villages Charter (The Villages, Fla.) 66-57. The Crusdaers were led by a game-high 21 points from Fordham signee Hassan Koureissi.

Top five senior Jordan Smith started off the loaded tournament with a signature performance for Paul VI, dropping 40 points in a 93-60 victory over Garfield Heights (Ohio).

The headlining game of the first round of action saw top-ranked Wheeler (Marietta, Ga.) outlast No. 7 Bishop McNamara (Forestville, Md.) in a 78-74 thriller. Top 25 Connecticut signee Colben Landrew put on a show in the win, pouring in 37 points and eight rebounds while shooting 12-of-18 from the field, 6-of-10 from 3-point range and 7-of-8 from the free throw line.

In another matchup of nationally-ranked teams in the first round, Calvary Christian Academy outlasted No. 18 Owasso (Okla.) 62-52 behind a strong effort from five-star junior Cayden Daughtry who finished with 28 points and seven rebounds.

Other first round results included No. 14 Bartlett (Tenn.) knocking off perennial National Top 10 powerhouse Long Island Lutheran (Brookville, N.Y.) 71-57, The Villages Charter downing No. 8 St. John Bosco (Bellflower, Calif.) 65-59, No. 3 Petersburg outlasting Imhotep Charter (Philadelphia, Pa.) 70-60, Archbishop Stepinac blowing out Sarasota (Fla.) 89-62 and Principia knocking out defending event champion No. 4 Columbus (Miami, Fla.) 74-62.

Montverde Academy (Montverde, Fla.) pulled off a major upset in the Signature Series title game on Sunday, knocking off a loaded Prolific Prep (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.) squad 78-73 behind 21 points and four assists from Kent State pledge Dhani Miller.

The Signature Series tipped off Friday as Prolific Prep blew past CIA-Bella Vista (Phoenix, Ariz.) 80-58 paced by 27 points, five rebounds and three steals from top five senior Caleb Holt while Montverde Academy took down Gillion Academy (Springfield, Va.) 67-61 in the other semifinal contest.

The Sunshine Series title game on Sunday saw top 40 Arkansas signee Abdou Toure put on a show for the second consecutive day, pouring in 37 points and 11 rebounds in a 72-62 victory for Notre Dame (West Haven, Conn.) over St. Thomas Aquinas (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.).

On Saturday, Toure posted 41 points, eight rebounds and four steals while leading Notre Dame to a 75-61 victory over Olympia (Orlando, Fla.). St. Thomas Aquinas defeated Victory Christian Academy (Lakeland, Fla.) 74-58 in the other semifinal game.