FORT MYERS, Fla.- The 51st Annual City of Palms Classic wrapped up on Monday night with a battle between two Top 10 nationally ranked teams.
The No. 2 ranked Columbus Explorers defeated The No. 1 Montverde Academy Eagles, 59-57, to take home the City of Palms Classic title on Monday night at a nearly sold-out Suncoast Credit Union Arena.
The Explorers had a 54-47 lead with just under a minute left in regulation where Montverde Academy got huge buckets by Creighton commit Hudson Greer to lift his team back within one possession.
It’s the first City of Palms Classic title in school history for the Explorers and is the first Miami-Dade County program to win the prestigious event since Miami High in 1996.
Columbus defeated Great Crossing (Kentucky) 90-39 in their opening-round game, defeated Grayson (Georgia) 85-48 in the quarterfinals, and defeated IMG Academy 77-71 in the semifinals to get to the Championship Game.
Four-star junior small forward Jaxon Richardson led in scoring with 18 points on 7-of-12 shooting from the field. Duke signee Cameron Boozer added 14 points on 3-of-9 shooting from the field and nine rebounds for the Explorers. Four-star small forward Caleb Gaskins finished with 13 points on 5-of-10 shooting from the field.
Boozer was named the Co-MVP of the event, where he scored in double figures in all four games of the tournament for the Explorers. Boozer shares the award with IMG Academy’s Darius Acuff Jr. (Arkansas signee)
Montverde Academy defeated Archbishop Carroll (Pennsylvania) 96-77 in their opening round matchup, defeated Millennium (Arizona) 68-63 in the quarterfinals, and defeated Oak Ridge 83-74 to get to the Championship Game.
Four-star small forward Hudson Greer (Creighton signee) led the Eagles with 18 points on 7-of-13 shooting from the field and 4-of-8 from behind the arc. Villanova signee Dante Allen added 12 points on 6-of-12 shooting from the field and six assists in the loss.
