Following four consecutive made free throws from junior sensation
A.J. Dybantsa to tie
the game at 74-74 in double-overtime, Texas signee
Tre Johnson set up Missouri signee
T.O. Barrett
for an and-one layup to put Link Academy ahead 77-74 with 50 seconds
remaining. Dybantsa knifed through the defense for a floater to cut the
deficit to one point with 33 seconds remaining but Barrett slipped
behind the defense on the other end to put Link Academy back up by three
points.
Arkansas signee
Jalen Shelley then made the play of the game
as he blocked a -point attempt from the top of the key from
Dybantsa to seal the victory for the Lions. Shelley finished with 15
points and nine rebounds in the triumph.
After
Prolific Prep (33-6) built the largest lead for either team at 53-44
with 4:37 remaining in regulation, Link Academy (26-6) went on a 12-0
run to take a 56-53 lead late in the fourth quarter.
Johnson scored his first field goal of
the game mid-way through the fourth quarter before Shelley converted a pair of free throws. Following multiple empty
possessions from both teams, Johnson slammed home a thunderous dunk in
transition off a turnover to cut the lead to three points with 1:34 remaining.
North
Carolina signee
James Brown then made a reverse layup to cut the deficit to
53-52 with 58 seconds to go before Philon converted one of two free throws. After the rebound on
the missed free throw was knocked out of bounds, Link Academy took
advantage of an additional possession as Philon connected on a 3-pointer from the
right corner to give Link Academy a 56-53 lead.
Dybantsa, who finished with 21 points, eight rebounds and seven assists in the loss, was fouled with 2.8 seconds
remaining on a 3-point attempts, sinking all three free throws to tie the game at 56-56
and send it to overtime.
After
a free throw from Philon extended Link Academy's lead to 64-61, Dybantsa
drove to the basket and quickly banked home a layup to cut the deficit
to one point with 32 seconds remaining in the first overtime. Top 10 junior
Jasper Johnson calmly knocked
down a pair of free throws for Link Academy before Dybantsa knocked down
a stepback 3-pointer over the outstretched arm of his defender with
four seconds remaining to send the game to a second overtime period.
Paul VI 101, IMG Academy 89
Harris scored 19 of his points in the third period to help the Panthers win the stanza 36-13 and extend a 37-31 halftime lead to 73-44 at the end of the third quarter. Although the Ascenders shot 17 of 23 from the field and 7 of 10 from 3-point range to scorch the nets for 45 points in the fourth quarter, they were unable to cut the deficit to single digits in the final eight minutes.
Duke signee
Patrick Ngongba
of Paul VI made his season debut in the contest after sitting out the entire
season following foot surgery in November. The 6-foot-11 center provides
a key paint presence for the Panthers at Chipotle Nationals as he
contributed six points, five rebounds and two assists in just nine
minutes of action in his return for Paul VI (34-2).
IMG Academy (20-9) scored the first eight points of the contest before maintaining a 20-13 advantage at the end of the first quarter. Paul VI quickly established their dominance in the contest and left no doubt who the better side was in the second half as they put up 64 points in the final 16 minutes of action.
Despite the loss, Notre Dame signee
Cole Certa contributed a team-high 24 points, top 25 Syracuse signee
Donnie Freeman chipped in 21 points and unsigned senior
Khani Rooths scored 19 points for the Ascenders.
Montverde Academy 64, AZ Compass Prep 49
Two nights after the McDonald's All American Game, the Eagles' three selections to the game showed out in the defining third quarter stretch as Flagg, Maryland signee
Derik Queen and unsigned
Liam McNeeley accounted for the first 17 points of a 25-5 third quarter run that spanned the entire period to give the top seed a 49-33 lead going into the fourth quarter.
Montverde Academy (32-0) never let the lead slip below 12 points in the fourth quarter, securing its 29th double-digit victory of the season.
The Eagles fell behind 12-1 to start the game and looked out of sync early on. They were behind 17-11 at the end of the first quarter and trailed at halftime for the first team this season at 28-24 before flipping the script in the second half.
Queen contributed 14 points, eight rebounds, two assists and two steals in the victory. Baylor signee
Robert Wright III chipped in 14 points, four rebounds and four assists.
AZ Compass Prep (27-6) was led by a game-high 18 points from LSU commit
Vyctorius Miller while Illinois commit
Jeremiah Fears finished with 14 points, six rebounds and five assists.
Columbus 71, Long Island Lutheran 58
Following a 3-pointer from junior
Kayden Mingo to cut the Explorers' lead to 60-55 with 2:30 remaining, Columbus (28-4) put the game away with a 7-0 spurt over the ensuing minute.
Sophomore
Jaxon Richardson double-clutched a layup through contact to begin the run before Princeton signee
Malik Abdullahi corralled an offensive rebound and converted a layup with two minutes to go to extend the lead to 64-55. Michigan State signee
Jase Richardson made a transition layup on a deep inbound pass from under the basket by top 20 junior
Cayden Boozer and Cameron Boozer converted an and-one with 1:17 remaining to put the game out-of-reach at 69-55.
Long Island Lutheran (21-5) appeared to be in control in the first half, surging ahead 18-13 at the end of the first quarter and leading 34-30 at the half. Columbus took momentum in the third quarter by outscoring the New York program 18-10.
For Columbus, Jase Richardson finished with 16 points, seven rebounds and five assists, Cayden Boozer chipped in 14 points and seven assists and Jaxon Richardson provided a spark off the bench with 10 points, four rebounds and three blocks on 5 of 6 from the field.
No. 2-ranked junior prospect Cameron Boozer filled the stat sheet with 20 points, 10 rebounds, five assists and four blocks in a 71-58 win for Columbus at Chipotle Nationals. (Photo: Julie L. Brown)
