Video: R.J. Barrett City of Palms Classic highlightsSophomore star was on his game in Fort Myers.FORT MYERS, Fla. – For the third time in the last five years,
Montverde Academy (Fla.) is the champion of high school basketball's most prestigious regular season tournament.
The Eagles beat
Memphis East (Memphis, Tenn.) and head coach Penny Hardaway 63-54 on Wednesday night at Florida SouthWestern State College to cap another successful run at the event.
Montverde Academy (11-0) entered ranked No. 2 nationally in MaxPreps Independent Top 10 while Memphis East (9-2) was No. 9 in the High School Top 25.
Montverde five-star sophomore
R.J. Barrett put on a show, scoring a team-high 15 points with four rebounds. He was named City Of Palms Classic MVP.
Memphis East four-star guard
Alex Lomax dropped a game-high 18 points, including two 3-pointers.
Montverde Academy is 17-2 at the City of Palms Classic since 2012 with back-to-back titles in 2012 and 2013 in addition to Wednesday night's triumph.
The Eagles were knocked out by eventual winners
Wheeler (Marietta, Ga.) in 2014 and
Chino Hills (Calif.) in 2015.
Montverde head coach Kevin Boyle also led
Patrick School (Elizabeth, N.J.) to the tournament title in 2010, giving him a hand in four of the past seven winners in Fort Myers.
Montverde Academy won the 2016 City of Palms Classic championship on Wednesday night.
Photo by Jim Redman
