Columbus (Fla.) makes statement at City of Palms Classic, steamrolls No. 1 Grayson (Ga.)

Highlighting Friday’s action in Fort Myers at the City of Palms Classic was an elite matchup between two of the nation’s top programs.

Grayson (Ga.) entered the day as the No. 1 team in the On3 Composite Rankings, but that likely won’t be the case for much longer, as Columbus (Fla.) pulverized the Peach State program 85-48 to punch a ticket into the semifinals.

After pouring in 23 points on Thursday night, Duke signee and five-star forward Cameron Boozer led the way once again with 22 points on 9-14 shooting while also adding nine rebounds. Junior forward Jaxon Richardson went 8-10 for 17 points, while forward Caleb Gaskins collected 14 points, eight boards and four steals.

Grayson was hit with a haymaker right out of the gates, entering the second quarter down 25-8. The Rams weren’t able to recover and didn’t score more than 15 points in a quarter. KJ Garris had 10 points while superstar junior forward Caleb Holt finished with just 9 points on 3-10 shooting. Grayson shot 34 percent from the field in the loss.

Columbus, which led the entire game, shot 63.5 percent from the field and went 6-11 from 3-point range. Point guard Cayden Boozer tallied a game-high six assists, turning the ball over just once in the win for the Explorers.

Explorers cruise to City of Palms Classic Semifinals

Columbus, which also crushed Great Crossing (Ky.) on Thursday, now moves on to face the winner of No. 15 IMG Academy (Fla.) and No. 20 La Lumiere (Ind.) on Saturday night. If IMG is able to pull out a victory, then the semifinals will feature four Sunshine State programs.

The other semifinal on Saturday night will feature No. 7 Oak Ridge and No. 11 Montverde Academy. The championship game is set to tip off on Monday at 8:30 p.m. ET.

Top performers from Day Two of the City of Palms Classic can be found HERE.

The On3 Composite High School Basketball Team Ranking is a proprietary algorithm that compiles rankings listed in the public domain by respected High School media and data companies. It includes Massey, Max Preps, ESPN and SI, creating the industry’s most comprehensive and geographically balanced High School Team Ranking.

More about the City of Palms Classic

A brief history on the City of Palms Classic from the tournament website:

“In December 1973, the City of Palms Classic began, like so many events, as a simple, local Christmas basketball tournament — the brainchild of legendary Edison Community College head coach Hugh Thimlar and a small group of high school coaches and administrators. Over the years, the “City of Palms Classic” (named by Donnie Wilkie in 1987) has grown and expanded its scope to include many of the nation’s finest players and teams, setting the standard during the past four decades by which all other holiday basketball tournaments are compared.”