The Eagles were led by four-star Florida signee
C.J. Ingram who finished with 22 points and eight rebounds on 8 of 10 from the field and 6 of 7 from the free throw line. Four-star Villanova signee
Dante Allen chipped in 14 of his 20 points in the second half and also added four rebounds and four assists, while four-star Indiana signee
Trent Sisley finished with 16 points and 10 rebounds in the win.
A high-paced first two quarters saw Oak Ridge jump ahead 22-21 at the end of the first quarter before slightly increasing their lead to 41-39 at the half. Four-star LSU signee
Jalen Reece led the charge for the Pioneers in the first half as he scored 17 points on 6 of 8 from the field and 4 of 5 from beyond the arc.
The action-packed first half of action saw four lead changes and five ties.
Oak Ridge went on a 13-0 spurt from late in the first quarter to early in the second to stretch their lead to as many as nine. Montverde Academy scored 11 straight points in the first quarter to take a lead by as many as eight points in the first 16 minutes of action.
Four-star Florida signee C.J. Ingram finished with 22 points and eight rebounds in the big-time victory for Montverde Academy. (Photo: Eugene Alonzo)
A three-pointer from the left corner from Ohio Signee
CeZanne Mosley gave Oak Ridge a 44-41 advantage with seven minutes remaining in the third quarter before the Eagles began to impose their will.
Following the basket from the Pioneers, Montverde Academy went on a 10-2 run and held Oak Ridge scoreless from the field over the next three plus minutes of game-action before a layup from four-star Providence signee
Jamier Jones.
Four-star Villanova signee Allen started the run with a 3-pointer from top of key before connecting on a deep three-pointer on the next possession. Five-star junior
Kayden Allen then grabbed a rebound off his teammates' miss and finished a layup and Ingram converted a tough left-handed layup to spark the Eagles run.
Following the layup from Oak Ridge, the Eagles continued their strong third quarter by finishing the period on a 11-5 spurt to take a 62-51 advantage into the fourth quarter.
Although both teams began trading baskets again in the fourth quarter, Oak Ridge was unable to sustain enough stops to slow down the perennial powerhouse.
Oak Ridge (7-2) never fell behind by more than 13 points in the fourth quarter, but they were unable to cut the deficit under five points down the stretch as the Eagles continued to respond with big baskets to extend their advantage back to double-digits.
Montverde Academy (8-1) looks to capture their second consecutive City of Palms Classic title on Monday night when they take on the winner between MaxPreps Top 25 No. 1 Columbus (Miami, Fla.) and National Top 10 No. 1 IMG Academy (Bradenton, Fla.).
Dante Allen of Montverde Academy contributed 20 points in the win. Jamier Jones of Oak Ridge had a team-high 22 points in the loss. (Photo: Eugene Alonzo)
