Montverde Academy boys' basketball outlasted Paul VI 69-62 in the semifinal round of the 2023 City of Palms Classic in Fort Myers on Friday evening.
With the win, the Eagles improved to 12-0 on the season and are now just one game away from winning its sixth City of Palms Classic championship in program history. The Eagles will face Long Island Lutheran for the top prize on Saturday at 9:00 pm.
In Friday's win, Derik Queen led the Eagles with a team-high 20 points and seven rebounds. Liam McNeeley added 16 points in the victory, while Robert Wright had 15 points and six assists. Cooper Flagg scored 10 points for MVA.
Paul VI led early and had a 21-18 lead by the end of the first quarter, before the Eagles outscored the Panthers 18-9 in the second quarter to grab a 36-30 lead at halftime. Paul VI did not go away, and outscored the Eagles 17-12 in the third quarter to pull to within one point of the lead before the start of the fourth quarter, before the Eagles put the game away in the final eight minutes.
The seven point win by the Eagles marks the first time all season long that MVA boys' basketball won by less than double figures this season. The Eagles had a pair of 12 point wins at the Nike Event in Las Vegas over Link Academy and AZ Compass on December 8 and 9.
MVA dominated inside and held a 42-24 advantage on points in the paint. The Eagles also held a 19-4 advantage in second chance points and 13-2 on fastbreak points.
