Cooper Flagg and Montverde beat Prolific Prep, but for the second time this season, the AJ Dybantsa-led team pushed them to their limit.
With 1:38 remaining in Saturday’s game between national powerhouses Prolific Prep (Napa, Calif.) and Montverde Academy (Fla.), Prolific Prep led the undefeated Eagles by two points.
Montverde has yet to be truly tested this season. Running out a lineup of three McDonald’s All-Americans (and arguably five worthy of consideration), the Eagles entered the game 22-0 with an average win margin of about 32 points per game.
With just half a minute left, Prolific Prep was as close to beating them as any team had been since Jan. 14, when the team faced, well, Prolific Prep. The score was tied in that game with about a minute remaining before Montverde grabbed it.
On Saturday, Prolific Prep did not score over the final minute-and-a-half as Montverde clamped its defense, forcing a shot-clock violation and an offensive foul. The Eagles went on an 8-0 catalyzed by a pair of field goals by Robert Wright III, a basket by Cooper Flagg, and then a pair of free throws by Derik Queen and Flagg. The final score was 78-72, a game that was even closer than the final indicated.
How did No. 1 @MVABasketball pull out the 78-72 win over No. 3 @ProlificPrep and claim the #MAIT title on Saturday night?
Held the Crew scoreless over the final 1:35
— League Ready (@LeagueRDY) January 28, 2024
Liam McNeeley led with 19 points, while Flagg recorded 17 points, nine rebounds, four assists, and three steals and blocks apiece. AJ Dybantsa led Prolific Prep with 18 points, four rebounds, and four assists, though Montverde forced him into six turnovers.
The finish was similar to that Jan. 14 game, when Prolific Prep led by as many as three points with less than three minutes to play. The Eagles went on a quick 5-0 run behind a pair of free throws and a Curtis Givens 3-pointer and closed it out with a 76-71 win.
Only one other team this season has come close to beating Montverde: No. 3 Paul VI, which kept the deficit within two points entering the final minute of the contest before McNeely hit a 3, Montverde forced a turnover, and Wright added another pair, per MaxPreps’ scoretracker. That made the difference, as the Eagles won by seven.
These games could mean a couple of different things. One is that Montverde is not a team that dominates only until it faces pressure. It’s a mature group that meets the pressure and has stayed strong against all of the top teams it has played so far this season.
The other is that Prolific Prep is darn near close to taking them down. The team knows it must play just about perfect to win. And twice, they’ve toed that line of perfection.
Montverde might not want to see them a third time.
