The Montverde Academy boys basketball team lost to CIA Bella Vista 63-60 in the quarterfinal round of the inaugural Nike EYBL Scholastic postseason tournament in North Augusta, South Carolina on Thursday afternoon.
With the loss, the Eagles were eliminated from the tournament and are 19-7 overall and will await to see if they receive a bid into the 2025 Chipotle High School Nationals tournament in Fisher, Indiana next month.
In Thursday's game, the Eagles fell behind 11-0 in the first couple of minutes, before trailing 20-12 by the end of the first eight minutes of play. MVA continued to rally in the second quarter and held a one point lead at halftime as the Eagles were ahead 31-30 at the break.
CIA Bella Vista retook the lead early in the third quarter and led most of the way thereafter before securing the win in the closing seconds of the contest. Up by one, a three-point shot with six seconds left gave them a four point lead en route to the win.
The Eagles were led by CJ Ingram with 19 points and seven rebounds, while Trent Sisley added 17 points and seven rebounds.
Despite the loss, MVA held major advantages in several key facets of the game, including rebounding and second chance points. The Eagles held a 36-16 rebounding advantage and an 18-3 advantage on second chance points.
