Oak Ridge (Fla.) snipes way into City of Palms Classic semifinals with big win over Owasso (Okla.)

The City of Palms Classic is now guaranteed to feature a Florida program in this weekend’s championship game, as No. 7 Oak Ridge (Fla.) used a big shooting performance to knock off Owasso (Okla.) 73-50 in the quarterfinals on Friday night.

The Pioneers connected on 13 of 27 3-point attempts and shot over 53 percent from the field in the win. Elite small forward Jamier Jones led the way with 23 points while also adding six rebounds and five assists.

Point guard Jalen Reece and small forward Ce’zanne Mosley each added 18 points. Reece also had eight assists and five boards, while Mosley poured in nine rebounds and a pair of assists. Oak Ridge assisted on 15 of their 26 makes.

Owasso kept pace early, leading at the end of the first quarter and keeping the deficit at just 36-31 at halftime. Star junior small forward Jalen Montonati had 17 points at halftime and finished with 22 on 8-18 shooting.

The Rams lost the battle in the paint 24-14 and also managed just one fast-break basket. Senior center Jax Kerr had nine points, nine rebounds and six assists in the losing effort.

Pioneers advance to face in-state powerhouse in semifinals

Oak Ridge, the No. 7 team in the On3 Composite Rankings, rolled in its first game of the tournament, too, crushing Bishop McNamara (Md.) 103-61. Jones had 25 points, nine assists and eight rebounds, forward Treyvon Maddox added 23 points while Mosley dominated with 17 points and 16 boards.

The Pioneers will now take on Montverde Academy (Fla.) on Saturday night for a spot in the City of Palms Classic championship game. The Eagles won their quarterfinal game 68-63 over Millennium (Ariz.).

Owasso opened the week with a massive 64-60 win over Long Island Lutheran (N.Y.). The Rams will now take on the loser of No. 15 IMG Academy (Fla.) and No. 20 La Lumiere (Ind.) in the consolation bracket on Saturday.

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.”