Kevin Boyle was seeking a unique repeat at the City of Palms Classic.
Having won the event for the first time last year as coach at Elizabeth (N.J.) St. Patrick, Boyle was attempting to capture it in his first year at Montverde (Fla.) Academy.
Instead, Montverde lost Tuesday in the semifinals to Arlington (Texas) Grace Prep, 53-45.
“They outhustled us,” Boyle, who led St. Pat’s to five runner-up finishes at the event before finally breaking through in 2010, told News-Press.com. “We had a very tough shooting night.”
Montverde shot just 18-of-57 from the field and star junior guard Kasey Hill, returning from a two-game suspension, scored just seven points on 3-of-14 shooting.
The championship game on Wednesday will feature an all-Texas showdown between Grace Prep and Plano (Texas) Prestonwood Christian, which beat Reserve (La.) Riverside, 71-66.
The two Texas teams played last Thursday, with Grace Prep winning 79-64 in an ESPN game.
Prestonwood junior forward Julius Randle, who poured in 31 points and 15 rebounds in the semifinal, told MaxPreps.com his team can win the rematch.
“We just need to step up,” he told the site.
Kansas-bound senior Zach Peters added 14 points for Prestonwood.
For Riverside, former St. John’s commit Ricardo Gathers tallied 13 points and nine boards in the loss.
In the first semifinal, Grace Prep got 10 points and seven assists from point guard Emmanuel Mudiay and 11 points, 12 rebounds and five blocks from Baylor-bound big man Isaiah Austin.
“We missed a lot of shots with [Austin] in there that normally we make,” Boyle told News-Press.com. “You can’t go 18-of-57. You’re not going to win any games shooting like that.”
FREE THROWS
Grace Prep junior forward Jordan Mickey, who had 10 points, told News-Press.com he’s receiving interest from Texas, Texas A & M, Providence, Baylor, Kentucky and Kansas….Shabazz Muhammad went for 28 and 15 in Bishop Gorman’s 62-50 victory over Lithonia (Ga.) Miller Grove. Tony Parker tallied 15 points, 13 boards and three blocks for Miller Grove….Mater Dei (Calif.) downed St. Raymond’s of The Bronx, 63-58, but Shane Rector (18 points) and Kerwin Okoro (17) combined for 35 in the loss…Alex Mitola went for 25 points and Jaren Sina had 23 and eight assists to lead Gill St. Bernard’s past Lakes Wales, 72-59. “There aren’t many teams with kids better than those two,” Gill St. Bernard’s coach Mergin Sina told News-Press.com. “If one falters, the other will step up.”
Photo: Naples Daily News
