Taylor Hendricks leads Calvary Christian Academy to 54-51 win over Dr. Phillips
MONTVERDE, Fla. - Taylor Hendricks scored 17 points to lead Calvary Christian Academy to a 54-51 win over Dr. Phillips Friday night in a battle of nationally ranked teams at the Montverde Academy Invitational Tournament.
Calvary Christian Academy came into the game ranked No. 7 in the SBLive/SI Power 25 national boys basketball rankings, while Dr. Phillips is ranked No. 14.
Junior guard Carl Cherenfant added 12 points for Calvary Christian, while LSU commit Marvel Allen finished with 10 points. Hendricks is committed to Central Florida.
It was the ninth consecutive win for the Eagles and moved their overall record to 14-1 on the season.
The Panthers were led by Mississippi State commit Riley Kugel who finished with a game-high 23 points, including 15 of them in the first half. Kansas commit Ernest Udeh added 12 points, while Florida commit Denzel Aberdeen added 9 points for Dr. Phillips.
The loss snapped an 11-game winning streak for the Panthers, who fell to 19-4 on the season.
Here are three takeaways from the game:
CALVARY CHRISTIAN ACADEMY LOOKS LIKE NATIONAL CONTENDER
The Eagles started out slow and trailed 20-9 after the opening quarter. But they did not quit and showed incredible toughness the rest of the game. They were the more physical team for the remaining three quarters.
DR. PHILLIPS WENT COLD FROM DOWNTOWN
Coming off a 66-60 win over Long Island Lutheran (New York) in the opening round of the Montverde Academy Invitational Tournament, the Panthers shot just 25-percent from 3-point range against Calvary Christian.
BOTH PROGRAMS HAVE HIGH EXPECTATIONS
With the field of the GEICO Nationals being revealed on March 16, there is a good chance we could see both Dr. Phillips and Calvary Christian Academy in a rematch in late March in Fort Myers.
What’s Next for Calvary Christian Academy?
Calvary Christian Academy will be back in action Saturday night, as they face Montverde Academy in the MAIT Championship Game at 7:15 p.m.
What’s Next for Dr. Phillips?
Dr. Phillips will face Long Island Lutheran Saturday afternoon in the MAIT 3rd Place Game at 3 p.m.
Box Score 1 2 3 4 Total
CCA 9 14 13 18 54
Dr. Phillips 20 9 10 12 51
