Montverde (FL) Academy held off a furious comeback by St. John’s College Prep (Washington D.C.) for a 52-48 victory to capture the 2015 Beach Ball Classic Championship.
Montverde (15-1), the #2 ranked team in the nation, scored the last six points of the first half to take a 32-23 lead into the locker room. After trading baskets to open the second half, Montverde appeared to blow the game wide open with a 12-0 run to take a commanding 45-25 lead with 9:29 to play.
St. John’s (12-1), trailing 47-30 with 7:44 to play in regulation, scored 16 unanswered points to close the gap to just one point on Jeffrey Dowtin’s 3-point basket with 1:06 to play. Montverde, which had gone scoreless for 7:07 finally tallied a point with 37 seconds remaining on a free throw by Devonta Jordan. St. John’s last chance at victory came when Anthony Cowan’s 3-point attempt with six seconds remaining and down two at 50-48 went in and out. Micah Potter sealed the victory with a pair of free throws at the final buzzer.
Montverde, playing in its first Beach Ball Classic, was led by Potter’s 19 points while freshman sensation RJ Barrett posted 16 points and eight rebounds. St. John’s was led by Dowtin’s 11 points.
