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published: Friday, February 05, 2010
Montverde beats nation's second-ranked team for title
FRANK JOLLEY
Staff Writer
MONTVERDE -- Venerable Roberts Gymnasium may need some shoring up after Saturday's Montverde Academy Invitational Tournament championship game.
James Bell scored 23 points, including five 3 pointers, and tournament Most Valuable Player Kaleb Clyburn hit 1 of 2 free throws with 38 seconds to play to lift Montverde Academy to a 54-51 victory against Henderson (Nev.) Findlay Prep, the Eagles' third tournament championship in seven years in front of standing room only crowd.
"This is a huge win for our program," Montverde Academy coach Kevin Sutton said. "We beat a great team, a nationally known team, and our community and student body came out to support us and this tournament. We've beaten a lot of great teams in my time here and this one might be the biggest."
Sutton was noticeably emotional after the game as he hugged his players, as well as many of the fans who stormed the court after the final buzzer. The veteran coach said his emotion was a result of realizing what his team had accomplished.
Sutton said the Eagles have poured their "hearts and soul" into every practice. The goal, he said, was to play the best teams possible and to return to the level that earned Montverde Academy to 2007 national championship.
Beating the defending national champions and second-ranked team in the country, was a step in that direction.
"I'm so proud of the way these players have come together," Sutton said. "They've never complained about the teams they have to play and they've never asked for any special treatment. We've come together and victories like this are possible when teams play together.
"This is just as big a win for our community, too. They've supported since I came to this campus and have never wavered. I'm really happy that we won this on our home floor in front of the best high school basketball fans in the country."
Bell and Clyburn proved to be the difference, producing all of Montverde Academy's offense over the final two minutes as Henderson Findlay Prep, the MAIT's defending champion, made a furious charge.
The Pilots entered the game having won 66 of its previous 68 games. Henderson Findlay Prep was vying to become the first back-to-back champion in MAIT history.
Montverde Academy led 13-12 after the first period and stretched its lead to 11 with two minutes left in the second quarter before Henderson Findlay mounted a comeback with a 3 pointer by Nick Johnson and a lay-up by Cory Joseph sliced the Eagles' advantage to 28-22.
Hernderson Findlay appeared ready to put the game away early in the first quarter, jumping out to a quick lead. As Montverde Academy's defense and the near-deafening roar from the standing-room only crowd began to take affect, the Pilots began to struggle.
"You're not ready to play!" Henderson Findlay coach Michael Peck told the defending national champions in the closing minutes of the first half.
The Pilots played with renewed enthusiasm in the third quarter and sliced the Eagles' lead to one with a putback by Joseph at the 1:01 mark.
Bell, however, gave the Eagles a four-point cushion heading in the final period on a 3 pointer at the buzzer.
Montverde Academy (20-4) stayed close in the opening minutes on the strength of its 3-point shooting. The Eagles hit six 3 pointers in the first half and, including a pair of free throws that were courtesy of shooting foul behind the 3-point line, 20 of Montverde Academy's first half points came from behind the arc.
Jamail Jones was Montverde Academy's second-best scorer with nine points, followed by Clyburn with eight and Haukur Palsson with seven.
Henderson Findlay (25-2) was led by Josephy with 23, followed by Godwin Okonji with 12 and Johnson with 10.
In the third-place game Jacksonville Arlington Country Day overcame a sluggish start to upset Rockville (Md.) Montrose Christian 76-59.
The Apaches got an offensive spark midway through the first quarter by stepping up its defensive pressure. Jacksonville Arlington Country Day, with former Montverde Academy standout Justin Jackson anchoring the defense, began to create offense with its defense and eventually turned a 15-6 deficit at the midway point of the opening frame into a 34-21 at halftime.
For nearly five minutes of the second quarter and into the third, Rockville Montrose Christian managed to score only two points.
Rockville Montrose Christian got out to quick start behind the long-range shooting of Terrance Ross and Justin Anderson. The Mustangs offensive approach forced Jacksonville Arlington Country Day to extend its defense farther away from the basket.
The tactic, which was designed to open up the lane for Rockville Montrose Christian's low-post players, backfired when it ignited a fire under the Apaches.
In the second half, the Apaches maintained their double-digit lead and eventually stretched the advantage to 20 points by hitting their first three shots of the second half.
Rockville Montrose Christian tried to mount a comeback, beginning with a thunderous dunk by Justin Anderson at the 5:53 mark of the third quarter . It marked the Mustangs' first field goal and closed the margin to 11 with four minutes left in the game.
For every action by the Mustangs, Jacksonville Arlington Country Day had a reaction and fought off every threat by Rockville Montrose Christian.
Jackson paced the Apaches (17-5) with 20 points, followed by Wesley Blackman with 19 and John Brown with 15.
Ross led the way for Rockville Montrose Christian (13-3) with 22 points, with Tyler Hubbard contributing seven.
In the tournament's Consolation Bracket championship game, Orlando Oak Ridge stunned Orlando Christian Prep 57-52.
The Pioneers overcame a sluggish third period which saw them trade a halftime advantage for a six-point deficit. Orlando Oak Ridge regained its rhythm in the fourth quarter and took a 52-49 lead at the 4:17 mark of the period on a 3 pointer by Guito Ervilus. A dunk by 6-foot-9 center Cady Lalanne with 1:40 to play gave the Pioneers a 54-51 advantage and sealed the win, despite several 3-point attempts in the final minute by the Warriors.
Orlando Christian Prep went without a field goal for the final three-plus minutes of the game.
Antonio Ansley scored 17 points to lead the Pioneers (15-8) and Corey Billingsley added 13. Lalanne scored 11, but missed five of six free throws, including three down the stretch.
Orlando Christian Prep (19-3) were led by Josh Castellanos with 15 points, followed by Adonis Burbage with 14. Jordan Montgomery and Orlando Parker also reached double figures in scoring with 10 points apiece.
In Saturday's opening game, Dania Beach Woods Haven Academy earned a 77-60 victory against Hollywood Chaminade in the tournament's Consolation Bracket third-place game.
Dania Beach Woods Haven picked up the win, despite a tournament high 33-point effort from Hollywood Chaminade junior standout Darius Perkins. The game was a back-and-forth affair until midway through the fourth quarter, when the Seminoles closed out the Lions with a 26-5 run.
The Seminoles outscored the Lions 32-12 in the fourth quarter. Until Dania Beach Woods Haven's final-period outburst, neither team led by more than seven points and the lead changed hands 12 times.
Dania Beach Woods Haven was led by Shamar Franklyn with 27 points and Ramon Mercado, who poured in 26. Hurley Johnson added 17.
Perkins scored 13 points in the first quarter and finished the first half with 21 points, but struggled in the second half and particularly in the fourth quarter. He fouled out with less than a minute to play.
In addition to Perkins, the Lions got production from Rey Valez, Joey Hernandez and Taylor Spear, who had eight points each.
