The Montverde Academy boys' basketball team had a battle on their hands in the first half, but the Eagles outscored the opponent 57-36 over the final sixteen minutes en route to their 21st win of the season as MVA beat Oak Ridge High School 97-66 in day two of the 2024 Montverde Academy Invitational Tournament (MAIT) in the Nest on Friday evening.

The score was tied twice and the lead changed six times during the first quarter and early stages of the second quarter. MVA gained momentum over the final few minutes of the second quarter and began to distance itself from the visiting Pioneers, and the Eagles established a 40-30 lead by halftime.

In the second half, the Eagles size and depth began to ware on Oak Ridge, who are ranked fourteenth in the nation and sixth in the state of Florida.

Overall, the Eagles held a 68-22 advantage on points in the paint and 42-3 on points off the bench. MVA held an enormous 60-27 rebounding advantage, leading to a 25-14 advantage on second chance points.

The Eagles were led by Cooper Flagg and Derik Queen who both had double-doubles. Flagg had 22 points and 14 rebounds, to go along with six blocked shots. Meanwhile Queen came off the bench and scored 23 points and had 12 rebounds. Asa Newell added 12 points and eight rebounds, while Robert Wright had 11 points and nine assists. Curtis Givens scored 10 points in the win.

MVA will now play for the tournament championship against Prolific Prep on Saturday at 7:00 pm in a rematch of their game on January 14 when MVA won 76-71. It was the narrowest margin of victory for the undefeated Eagles this season and the only game to date this season that MVA trailed at any moment in the fourth quarter this season.