Instant Classic: St. Francis Prep vs. Montverde Academy
The Florida Prospects Christmas Tournament set the stage for one of the best high school basketball games I have seen in some time. One of the more comparable matchups was probably the championship game of the Nike TOC between Sierra…
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Continue ReadingThe Florida Prospects Christmas Tournament set the stage for one of the best high school basketball games I have seen in some time. One of the more comparable matchups was probably the championship game of the Nike TOC between Sierra Canyon and La Jolla Country Day with both teams out of California. This one definitely had more of an east coast and international flavor to it as far as talent, but it was just some truly great talent all the way around. The three day Florida Prospects tournament started off with a bang as Montverde Academy (FL) and St. Francis Prep (NY) squared off in what could have potentially been the championship game if they were on opposite sides of the bracket. In a truly heated back and forth battle, Montverde would take the victory by a score of 56-54 on a buzzer beating basket. Here are some takeaways from the epic showdown.
1) Montverde’s Nina De Leon is LEGIT
The 5’6 senior guard out of Puerto Rico had outstanding moments throughout the game, with her biggest moment being the game winning floater as the buzzer sounded. The thing that impressed me most about the shot was what happened just two plays prior. With Montverde up two, Nina drove baseline and threw an ill-advised baseline pass that was stolen by St. Francis and resulted in them being able to tie the game with 8 seconds left. Her short memory allowed her to have the confidence and drive to still take the big shot at the buzzer and she nailed it. Besides that moment, Nina made some big outside shots and handled St. Francis’ intense pressure out up top. On defense she was ferocious and went head to head with their future D1 point guard and did not shy away from the matchup one bit. Nina De Leon proved herself to be a legitimate Division 1 prospect.
2) St. Francis Prep is as good as expected
St. Francis Prep has a really strong program that can compete with just about anyone. With multiple Division 1 signees including West Virginia’s 6’4 4 star recruit JeAnna Cunningham, Xavier recruit Mackayla Scarlett and Howard signee Destiny Howell. The team also featured multiple underclassmen that will play at the D1 level someday. 2022 D1 PG recruit Skye Owen already has multiple offers and 2023 6’0 W Brianna Camaj showed some potential as a freshman. The team plays pretty well together all around and they have multiple players that can hurt you. Scarlett and Owen are dynamic on the perimeter with the ability to really cause havoc out front. Then Cunningham, with her plus wing span, can easily clean up anything that gets passed the front line defense where St. Francis loves to run and jump and rotate around for steals. An impressive group all around!
3) Fans got to witness some well coached basketball teams
Probably the best thing to watch in high school basketball is super talented teams with truly great coaching. While the players still make mistakes and plenty of them, you can easily spot when coaches know what they are doing and that was the case here. Coach Joann Wagner does a great job of getting St. Francis to defend with intensity and she lets her ball handlers Mackayla Scarlett and Skye Owen make plays on the offensive end, while still dialing in on ball movement. Coach Laura Harper made great play calls at crucial moments during the game, slowing down the sped up Montverde Eagles so they could get some quality looks. In the end, Montverde executed a little more than St. Francis did, but the game obviously could have gone either way.
4) Montverde’s international talent is fun to watch
2021 6’1 SF Maria Myklebust (Norway) is a knockdown shooter that can really stretch the defense out. She also has a strong frame that can allow her to be more than a shooter. 2021 6’2 P Mariana Valenzuela (Mexico) reminds me a lot of Venezuelan professional men’s player, Luis Scola. She plays at her own pace and has this knack for just making plays that is hard to describe. She will have lots of college attention before the end of the season. 2021 5’11 F Valentina Ojeda (Chile) does a little bit of everything for Montverde and is a nice glue piece. She also has these moments where she can finish inside with impressive strength and body control as well. 2021 5’6 PG Carolina Fernandez-Nion (Uruguay) has very good handles and can be a one person press breaker at times with her speed, vision and handle. She is also a solid outside shooter to keep the defense off balance. 2021 6’0 SF Fernanda Ovalle (Chile) has that burst of speed that college coaches love. She can really get to the basket and make game changing plays finishing in the paint. All of these girls play well together displaying an unselfish brand of basketball. Some can’t-miss prospects for college coaches.