Photo courtesy of Montverde Academy.
By David Cordova
This weekend at the Dick’s Sporting Goods High School Nationals in New York City, there was plenty of talent on display. Some of the nation’s top talent were in attendance in the Big Apple this weekend to compete for the ultimate prize: a national championship.
This weekend, the games that were played at Christ the King & Madison Square Garden had a lot of excitement & attracted raucous crowds.
The teams that were in attendance were none other than perennial powerhouses such as Oak Hill Academy (VA), Wheeler (GA), Huntington Prep (WV), Findlay Prep (NV), & defending National Champions, Montverde Academy (FL).
The championship featured a rematch of last year’s championship between Oak Hill & Montverde. This game had all the makings of a classic as Montverde & Oak Hill played tough throughout the game. Unfortunately, there could only be one winner. And that ONE winner ended up being Montverde, who repeated as national champions for the third time with a 70-61 victory.
Here is a list of five players that were outstanding this weekend:
Ben Simmons, Montverde Academy (FL), Class of 2015 – Simmons was a monster on both ends of the court this weekend. He dominated with 24 points & 13 rebounds against Findlay Prep and 20 points & 11 rebounds against Oak Hill. Simmons is a lean, mean rebounding machine, is deceptively quick & can finish above the rim. He will be starting his freshman season in the fall at LSU.
Allonzo Trier, Findlay Prep (NV), Class of 2015 – Trier is a pure scorer & a great offensive threat. He scored 27 points on Montverde & also had 8 rebounds. He made some clutch baskets along the way to get Findlay to within a few points of the opposition during crucial moments. He will be starting his freshman year at Arizona in the fall.
Dwayne Bacon, Oak Hill (VA), Class of 2015 – Bacon is a long-athletic forward that can get to the rim easily. He made his presence felt on the court & held his own. He had two solid performances with 17 points against Huntington Prep & 14 points against Montverde Academy. He will be starting his freshman year at Florida State.
Thomas Bryant, Huntington Prep (WV), Class of 2015 – Bryant was an offensive terror on the low post & dominated on the rebounding edge. He had an impressive stat line of 12 points & 6 rebounds. He will be starting his freshman year at Indiana in the fall.
Miles Bridges, Huntington Prep (WV), Class of 2016 – Bridges was a beast in the post and made his presence felt in many ways on the court. He dominated with 19 points & 9 rebounds against Oak Hill. He will be playing AAU circuit with The Family on the Nike EYBL circuit this summer.
Daniel Giddens, Oak Hill (VA), Class of 2015 – Giddens was a big threat in the low post. He was is also very aggressive towards the rim. Had a great showing against Huntington Prep with 13 points and 9 rebounds. He will start his freshman year at Ohio State in the fall.
Joe Hampton, Oak Hill (VA), Class of 2016 – Hampton was a good shooter with a soft touch. He’s a player that can shoot mid-range jumpers and shoot the three. He had a good performance against Huntington Prep with 12 points and 5 rebounds. He will be playing in the Under Armour Association with DC Premier this summer.
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