WASHINGTON, D.C.- On Saturday night, The No. 18 ranked Paul VI Panthers upset the No. 2 IMG Academy Ascenders, 67-63 in the penultimate game of the day at the National Hoop Fest.
In a back-and-forth game, the Panthers were led by 6-2 junior shooting guard Jordan Smith who led the way with 19 points (13 in the second half) on 9-of-23 shooting from the field and 1-of-5 from behind the arc. Smith was one of four Panthers who scored in double figures where he was joined by 6-7 senior center Jaquan Womack (Towson commit) finishing with 12 points while 6-8 senior power forward Adlan Elamin (Utah State commit) and 6-3 freshman guard Aaron Bryant each had 11.
For the Ascenders, 6-3 senior point guard Darius Acuff (Arkansas commit) led all scorers with 27 points on 11-of-18 shooting from the field and 3-of-6 from behind the arc. 6-2 junior combo guard Trey Beamer added 12 of his own for the Ascenders in the loss.
Paul VI took a 17-14 lead after the opening quarter, followed by IMG Academy taking a 32-28 lead heading into the halftime locker room.
It was a big third quarter for the Panthers that sparked the comeback, where Smith just took over and they outscored the Ascenders, 25-14 in the frame.
Paul VI will return to action on Sunday night where they will take on Sidwell Friends (D.C.), while IMG Academy will return to the Sunshine State when they travel to Tampa Catholic on Tuesday night.
