Skip to main content

Montverde Academy (Fla.) and Columbus (Fla.) set for City of Palms Classic title clash

Collin-headshotby:Collin Ginnanabout 12 hours

GinnanCollin

City of Palms afi

After three wins each in Fort Myers (Fla.), Montverde Academy (Fla.) and Columbus (Fla.) are set to clash in the City of Palms Classic championship Monday night.

Montverde is looking for its seventh City of Palms title after beating Oak Ridge (Fla.) 83-74 on Saturday night in the semifinals.

Four-star shooting guard and Florida commit CJ Ingram finished 8-of-10 from the field for 22 points. Villanova signee Dante Allen scored 20 points of his own.

In addition to Ingram and Allen, the Eagles’ roster features several other high-major talents. Shooting guard Kayden Allen is the No. 11 prospect in the 2026 class. Hudson Greer has signed with Creighton and Trent Sisley is on his way to Indiana.

Columbus blasted No. 1 Grayson (Ga.) 85-48 on Thursday to advance to the semifinal game against IMG Academy (Fla.), where Columbus pulled out a 77-71 win.

Top 10

  1. 1

    Predicting AP Top 25

    Top 10 shakeup coming

    New
  2. 2

    Duce Robinson commits

    FSU lands highly-rated transfer WR

  3. 3

    Kirk Herbstreit

    Shot fired at First Take, Stephen A. Smith

    Hot
  4. 4

    Ohio State vs. Oregon odds

    Early Rose Bowl line released

  5. 5

    Updated CFP Bracket

    Quarterfinal matchups set

View All

Star forward Cameron Boozer put up a 22-point, 10-rebound double-double for the Explorers while Jaxon Richardson scored 23 points of his own.

Like Montverde, Columbus is loaded with elite talent. Cameron Boozer and his brother, Cayden Boozer, have signed with Duke. Caleb Gaskins and Jaxon Richardson are top-30 recruits in the junior class.

If Columbus were to beat Montverde Academy on Monday, it would be the first City of Palms champion from Dade County in 28 years.

The game is scheduled to tip off at 8:30 p.m. Eastern.

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

Montverde Academy is the nation’s No. 11 team and the No. 3 program in the state of Florida, according to the On3 Composite High School Basketball Team Ranking. Columbus is the nation’s No. 6 team and sits atop the Sunshine State.

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.