Montrose Christian (Rockville, Md.) won't have the opportunity to defend its title Saturday at the ESPNHS National High School Invitational.
First-year head coach Kevin Boyle and
Montverde Academy (Fla.) knocked the Mustangs out of the proceedings in semifinal play Friday, 50-47, getting a team-high 20 points and seven assists from junior point guard
Kasey Hill. The event is being played at Georgetown Prep in North Bethesda, Md.
Kasey Hill, Montverde Academy
File photo by Jim Redman
Boyle, who built his reputation as one of the nation's top high school coaches during a 23-year run at
St. Patrick (Elizabeth, N.J.), and his Orlando-area squad will take on Findlay Prep in Saturday's championship game.
Senior guard
Michael Frazier – a future Florida Gator – added 14 points for Montverde Academy, who received scoring from just five players. Hill is also committed to Florida.
Venezuela native
Michael Carrera posted 22 points and 14 rebounds to lead Montrose Christian. The Mustangs struggled to overcome a rough outing for star senior
Justin Anderson – a University of Virginia signee. Anderson finished with three points in his final high school game on 1 of 14 shooting.
Montverde Academy, ranked No. 7 in MaxPreps.com's Academy Top 10, improved to 23-3 on the season while No. 6 Montrose Christian heads home with a 21-3 record.
No. 2 Findlay Prep (Henderson, Nev.) 68, No. 3 St. Benedict's Prep (Newark, N.J.) 55Findlay Prep will play for its third NHSI title in four years Saturday after a big second quarter propelled the Pilots past St. Benedict's Prep in the semifinals.
For the second day in a row, the Nevada program got double figures scoring from four players, led by
Winston Shepard with 17 points and seven rebounds. Oregon-bound point guard
Dominic Artis added 12 points and four assists.
The Pilots (31-1), who outscored the Gray Bees 13-4 in the decisive second quarter, won the National High School Invitational in 2009 and 2010.
St. Benedict's Prep (34-3) received a team-high 17 points from freshman guard
Isaiah Briscoe.
