Montverde wins the 2021 Geico National Championship
The one seed Montverde Academy (FL) won their fifth Geico National Championship in the last nine years after defeating second seeded Sunrise Christian (KS) 62-52 on Saturday. Montverde got their third win against the Buffaloes in four meetings this season.
The two teams went back and forth in the first half, and the Eagles went into the break with a two point lead, led by Ryan Nembhard’s nine points on 3-3 from the field. Kennedy Chandler and Kendall Brown had seven each for Sunrise. Nembhard finished the game with 12 points and seven assists.
View this post on Instagram
Montverde came out firing on all cylinders in the third quarter, shooting 12-12, and Baylor signee Langston Love hit three triples.
With under two minutes to go in the game, Nembhard banked in a three to put the Eagles up 12, and less than a minute later, Michigan commit Caleb Houstan knocked down a right wing three to put Montverde up by 13 and ice the game.
Nembhard, Love, and Houstan all scored in double figures. Five-star junior Jalen Duren added nine points and grabbed nine rebounds.
Montverde Academy has been a powerful force in High School basketball for a long time. On Saturday, the claimed their 5th Geico National Championship in 9 years. Photo courtesy of Geico Nationals / Who’s Next
Last year, it seemed like no team was going to stop MVA, with a25-0 record. The team featured Cade Cunningham, Moses Moody, Day’Ron Sharpe and Scottie Barnes. The tournament was canceled in the midst of the pandemic.
This year’s Montverde team, with eight ESPN ranked players,took just one loss all season. That loss came from Sunrise on February 5.
After his stint at St. Patrick in New Jersey, Kevin Boyle has turned Montverde Academy into a national powerhouse, while Sunrise Christian was playing for their first Geico National Championship in program history.
***Cover photo courtesy of Geico Nationals / Who’s Next