Jaden Bradley leads IMG Academy over Montverde in 2022 Hoophall Classic

In their second matchup of the season, No. 2 IMG Academy beat in-state rival Montverde Academy 57-53 Monday on the final day of the Spalding Hoophall Classic in Springfield, Mass.

IMG Academy also won their first matchup, a 65-64 victory on Dec. 3 in the National Interscholastic Basketball Conference (NIBC) Tip-Off Classi.

The Ascenders were led by Alabama commit Jaden Bradley who finished with a game-high 17 points. Houston commit Jarace Walker and Michigan commit Jett Howard each added 13 points for the Ascenders.

No. 4 Montverde Academy was led by Indiana commit Jalen Hood-Schifino who finished with a game-high 19 points, 8 rebounds, 5 assists and 3 steals. Duke commit Dariq Whitehead finished with 9 points, while Texas commit Dillon Mitchell finished with 8 points for the Eagles.

IMG Academy held a 17-12 lead after the opening quarter and a 28-25 lead heading into halftime.

There were multiple highlights in the fourth quarter, including a Mitchell put-back dunk following his own miss, to make it 45-44 Ascenders. Walker followed up with an "and-one" highlight dunk of his own that started a 5-0 run for the Ascenders to push the lead to six with just over three minutes to play.

With Montverde Academy trailing 55-53 late in the game junior guard Kwame Evans tried to call a timeout, but the Eagles did not have any remaining which resulted in a team technical foul. Bradley split the free throws to make it a three-point game with 3.3 seconds remaining. 

Next Up for IMG Academy: Friday vs Imhotep Charter (PA)- 7:30 p.m.

Next Up for Montverde Academy: Saturday vs Riviera Prep- 7:00 p.m.

Box Score 1 2 3 4 Total

Montverde 12 13 11 17 53

IMG Academy 17 11 11 18 57