City of Palms Day 5: Columbus to face Imhotep in Wednesday's title game

Imhotep Charter (Pa.) 61, Wheeler (Ga.) 52

Relentless defense is part of Imhotep Charter’s basketball DNA.

And it’s the biggest reason why the Panthers will play for the City of Palms Classic championship Wednesday night.

Imhotep (7-0) used an early 11-0 run to grab control of Tuesday’s semifinal against Wheeler (Ga.) and then let its defense do the rest, holding Wildcats’  stars Isaiah Collier and Arrinten Page to a combined 8-for-28 from the field.

The Panthers' backcourt of junior guard Ahmad Nowell and Rahmir Barno, an FGCU signee, combined for 35 points, helping to offset a down offensive game by Imhotep senior forward Justin Edwards, who had just 10 points on 3-for-12 shooting.

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The 6-foot-2 Nowell, who led the Panthers with 21 points, also was the primary defender on Collier, the nation’s No. 1 senior and a USC commit, who shot just 6-for-17 from the field.

“We run some stuff for Justin but we really play through these two guys right here,” Imhotep coach Andre Noble said of Nowell and Barno. “They’re just really difficult to deal with off the bounce both of them.

“I think they’re really underrated nationally. If people just watch what they do they’d have a greater appreciation for both of them.”

Wheeler (6-2) trailed by as many as 13 points in the first half but Collier scored seven consecutive points to make it 48-45 with 5:28 left to play in the game. But the Panthers scored seven straight points, capped by a three-point play by Edwards to propel Imhotep into Wednesday’s title game.

This will be the second City of Palms championship game appearance in the Panthers’ two trips to the tournament. Imhotep finished as the tournament runner-up in its debut appearance in 2018, losing 68-47 to McEachern (Ga.) in the final.

This time the Panthers will face Christopher Columbus, led by twin brothers Cayden and Cameron Boozer.

“They’re a really talented group of guys and they’re big,” Noble said of Columbus. “When we’re playing these national teams, we’re usually always the smaller team so that part won’t bother us. We just need to have a great defensive effort again.”

Christopher Columbus 57, Paul VI (Va.) 55

The Explorers came out on top in a back-and-forth battle to book their spot in Wednesday’s championship game.

In a game with 15 lead changes in the second half, it was Columbus’ defense down the stretch that sealed the win.

“This is great for us,” Columbus head coach Andrew Moran said. “Obviously, this is the beginning of the season, but this is the type of games we want to be in. This is making us stronger, making us tougher, making us better, especially being able to go up against a program that’s been good for such a long time.”

Paul IV had multiple chances to tie or take the lead in the game’s final minute, but the Explorers locked down on defense. Malik Abdullahi, who was tasked with guarding the Panthers’ best player Deshawn Harris-Smith, especially came through in the game’s final moments.

“We know he locks up every position,” Moran said of Abdullahi. “He guards one through five, it doesn’t matter, and at the very end he’s guarding their best players. That’s natural for him. We’re really happy for him – he had a big second half.”

Cameron Boozer, the 6-foot-8 son of former NBA player Carlos Boozer, also played big in the crucial moments. Ranked the top sophomore in the country, Boozer finished the game with a double-double (17 points, 11 rebounds) and several crowd-pleasing dunks.

Paul VI is one of the best rebounding teams in the country but the Explorers kept it close on the boards. After the Panthers had 7 offensive rebounds in the first half, Columbus limited them to just 3 in the second half.

“They get a lot of their baskets off of second chance points,” Moran said.

The team also limited turnovers, committing 3 after giving the ball away 12 times in the first half.

Cameron Boozer’s twin brother Cayden finished with 16 points, 5 assists and 2 steals while Abdullahi put up 14 points.

Harris-Smith was the Panthers’ top scorer with 15 points, plus 4 assists, 4 rebounds and 2 steals. Paul VI’s bench outscored Columbus 18-1.

“It was a great game,” Paul VI head coach Glenn Farello said. “We love competing in this atmosphere. When you get a chance to play in big time games and have big time moments ... it’s painful when you don’t succeed.”

Columbus was invited to the City of Palms last year to compete in the Hugh Thimlar Tribute game. A year later, the defending Class 7A state champions are a game away from hoisting the trophy for the main bracket.

“A lot of people were saying that we couldn’t compete on a national level and that we were just a state team,” Cameron Boozer said. “But I feel like we’re proving everyone wrong and this tournament’s a great statement for us.”

Signature Series Championship: Link Academy (Mo.) 80, The Rock 54

Prep-hoops powerhouse Link Academy came out on top of the battle of the Lions in the Signature Series Championship, 80-54.

Link Academy put on a defensive clinic in the championship win, forcing 14 turnovers in the first half, thanks to several different full-court presses that The Rock struggled to break.

It was more of the same in the second half, with the Rock finishing the loss with 26 turnovers as a team. Of the ten players that saw at least five minutes of action for Link Academy, nine registered at least one steal.

“That’s what we wanted to do, we talked the last few days about getting back to who we are,” said Link Academy head coach Bill Armstrong. “Turning teams over, getting steals, and getting out to run are who we are. That’s who we’ve been over the last 12 games, and we got back to it today. It’s fun to play that way.”

On the other end of the floor, Link Academy’s loaded roster saw nine different players tally at least five points. Cameron Carr (Tennessee), Jacob Cole (Oklahoma), and Ryan Forrest (Memphis) all led with 11 points each in the win, all while combining for 8 steals.

“We were very connected, and when I see that it excites me,” Armstrong said. “Just sharing the ball, cheering for each other, and making the extra pass. I thought we played very well on both sides of the floor.”

Link Academy shot 33-of-56 as a team, highlighted by shooting 62% in the third quarter. Many of those buckets came in the form of open dunks in transition coming off of a steal.

The Rock was held to under 40% shooting as a team in the loss. Kameren Wright led The Rock with 16 points and 5 rebounds.

“When we get in competitive games we can really see how much harder we’ve been working than other teams,” Carr said. “ It really shows down the stretch of the game.”

Centennial (Calif.) 70, Lake Highlands (Texas) 64

The Huskies are still searching for their best at the City of Palms.

The California squad led by as much as 17 points in the third quarter, but a surge by the Wildcats almost led to a dicey finish on Tuesday.

It was sturdiness from the free throw line and the dynamic play of Jared McCain that allowed the team to hold on and advance to Wednesday’s fifth place game against Archbishop Stepinac.

“Through three quarters, I felt really, really good,” Centennial head coach Josh Giles said.

The Huskies were particularly effective on fast breaks, outscoring the Wildcats 17-9.

The team committed a pair of turnovers to start the fourth quarter and it began to snowball as Lake Highlands built momentum.

Tre Johnson, ranked the best junior in the country, had a strong night for the Wildcats with 24 points, 5 rebounds and 3 steals.

“Everything was kind of helter-skelter, but we were able to in the last, probably three minutes, we actually took care of the ball, ran some stuff, got fouled and we stepped up and made our free throws,” Giles said.

The Huskies went 21 of 24 from the charity stripe.

McCain bounced back from a tough shooting night in the team’s loss against Wheeler for a performance his coach described as “monster.”

The Duke commit posted 24 points and 10 rebounds for a double-double. He shot 50 percent from beyond the arc.

“I think it says a lot about his character and who he is as a person and as a competitor,” Giles said.

Aaron McBride led Centennial with 11 rebounds as the team dominated on the boards.

Despite some encouraging signs, Giles wants a full 32-minute effort from his squad. His players are keen to respond.

“Taking the good parts of this game but learning from the bad ones,” McCain said. “These past few games haven’t been our best and we’re not playing to our potential at all.”

Newton (Ga.) 78, Tampa Catholic 51

The fast-paced Crusaders met their match in Tuesday’s consolation bracket semifinals, falling to the Rams swarming defense 78-51.

Newton, led by Five-Star UConn commit Stephon Castle, held Tampa Catholic’s explosive offense to just 28.8% shooting as a team. Castle finished with 13 points, 9 rebounds, and 7 assists in the win, all while being the Ram’s point of attack in their plethora of defensive looks.

The Crusaders entered the second quarter with a 16-10 lead after the Rams shot just 4-of-14 in the opening frame. From There, Newton slipped away with the lead and never looked back

Newton’s transition defense put a halt to the Crusaders’ up-and-down playstyle.The Rams showed everything from a full-court man press to a half court 1-3-1, and everything in between. Their flurry of defensive sets kept Tampa Catholic’s explosive offense in check for the rest of the game.

“If they scouted us, we probably play more man-to-man, so we thought it’d be a little bit of a change to go zone the second half.” said Rams’ head coach Charlemagne Gibbons. “We try to play man-to-man because I think that gives us a better chance to rebound. But I felt like zone kind of stymied them. Because they have some good players, one of the things we wanted to do was stay in front of those guys.”

Castle guarded Karter Knox for the duration of the game. Knox, one of the highest-rated recruits in the class of 2024, struggled to gain consistent momentum on offense with Castle’s 6-foot-7 frame glued to him. Knox finished the night with 17 points on 6-of-16 shooting while reeling in 8 rebounds.

“We knew coming into this game we had to bring a lot of energy,” Castle said. “So that’s what I tried to do, starting on defense. I knew if I started  it, my teammates would follow behind.”

Newton’s run-and-gun offense was on full display in the win. Their fast-break offense set up easy looks for the Rams, who shot 33-of-61 as a team. When they did slow down in the half-court, they got two feet in the paint and kicked out to the open man and created open shots early and often. Newton finished with an impressive 19-to-5 assist-to-turnover ratio.

Tim Prather led Newton with 18 points on 7-of-9 shooting, including 4-of-6 from deep. Jabez Jenkins added 12 points and 7 rebounds to the winning effort.

Vashon (Mo.) 51, Winter Haven 45

The Wolverines started off their day with a win in the consolation bracket semifinal, defeating the Blue Devils 51-45.

Kennard Davis Jr. led Vashon to the early morning victory, tallying 24 points on 10-of-20 shooting along with 8 rebounds. No other Wolverine broke double-digits.

The game, which started at 8 a.m., saw both teams struggle to get going offensively. After shooting 50% in the opening quarter, Vashon shot 3-of-14 from the floor in the second quarter.

Winter Haven didn't fare much better, going 9-of-25 in the first half. The Wolverine outscored the Blue Devils in the closing frame to secure the win, despite going 2-of-9 from the field.

Archbishop Stepinac (N.Y.) 61, Myers Park (N.C.) 58

The Crusaders advanced in the consolation bracket on Tuesday morning after defeating the Mustangs 51-45.

Danny Carbuccia’s efficient offensive outing led Archbishop Stepinac in the win with 21 points, 4 assists, and 2 rebounds. Caruccia shot 5-of-10 from the floor, including 4-of-7 from deep. Boogie Fland, a top-rated class of 2024 guard, added 17 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists, and 5 steals.

Bishop Boswell led the Mustangs with 16 points, 7 rebounds, and two assists. Sadiq White Jr., had 12 points and 12 rebounds, while Sir Mohammed added 12 points and 3 rebounds.

Tuesday's Scores

Consolation semifinal: Vashon (Mo.) 51, Winter Haven 45

Fifth-place semifinal: Archbishop Stepinac (N.Y.) 61, Myers Park (N.C.) 58

Signature Series third place: Patrick (N.J.) 60, Saint Frances (Md.) 57

Signature Series championship: Link Academy (Mo.) 80, The Rock 54

Consolation semifinal: Newton (Ga.) 78, Tampa Catholic 51

Semifinal: Christopher Columbus 57, Paul VI (Va.) 55

Semifinal: Imhotep Charter (Pa.) 61, Wheeler (Ga.) 52

Fifth-place semifinal: Centennial (Calif.) 70, Lake Highlands (Texas) 64

Wednesday's Schedule

Challenge-round game: Canterbury vs. North Laurel (Ky.), 9:30 a.m.

Challenge-round game: Charlotte vs. Isidore Newman (La.), 11:10 a.m.

Consolation Championship: Newton (Ga.) vs. Vashon (Mo.), 12:50 p.m.

Fifth-place championship: Centennial (Calif.) vs. Archbishop Stepinac (N.Y.), 2:30 p.m.

Third Place Final: Paul VI (Va.) vs. Wheeler (Ga.), 5 p.m., ESPNU

Championship: Christopher Columbus vs. Imhotep Charter (Pa.), 7 p.m., ESPNU

This article originally appeared on Fort Myers News-Press: City of Palms Classic: Imhotep to face Christopher Columbus for championship