High school basketball: Principia stuns No. 4 Columbus 74-62 in first round of City of Palms Classic

Defending Missouri state champion pulls off first-round stunner behind 31 points from Wake Forest signee Quentin Coleman.

By Jordan Divens

Follow Jordan Divens on Twitter

Dec 18, 2025, 8:00pm

Principia (MO) - Quentin Coleman Highlights 0:42

FORT MYERS, Fla. – The final game of the first day of City of Palms Classic saw Principia (St. Louis, Mo.) upset No. 4 Columbus (Miami, Fla.) 74-62 led by 31 points from top 100 Wake Forest signee Quentin Coleman.

After falling behind 30-20 late in the second quarter, Principia flipped the script with four consecutive points to end the half down 30-24.

In the third quarter, Principia went on a 17-0 run to pull ahead 45-34.

Top 100 Wake Forest signee Quentin Coleman went 9 of 20 from the field while contributing four assists and four steals for Principia. (FILE PHOTO: Marty Beck)

The Panthers maintained a 59-47 lead headed into the fourth quarter before cruising to the opening-round win.

Following the upset, Columbus (6-2) moves to the consolation bracket to face the loser of No. 8 St. John Bosco (Bellflower, Calif.) and No. 16 The Villages Charter (The Villages, Fla.) on Saturday. 

Columbus won the City of Palms Classic last season behind Duke freshmen Cameron and Cayden Boozer. The Explorers have won four consecutive state titles in Florida's highest classification and are the defending national champion.

Principia (5-0) advances to the City of Palms Classic quarterfinals where it will meet the winner of No. 1 Wheeler (Marietta, Ga.) vs. No. 7 Bishop McNamara (Forestville, Md.) on Saturday.

Gassim Toure added 19 points and seven rebounds for Principia while Sekou Cisse chipped in 11 points, five rebounds and four assists.

Five-star Miami signee Caleb Gaskins finished with 23 points, seven rebounds and three assists in the loss for the Explorers.

Related Content