Cooper Flagg, Montverde dominate VJ Edgecombe, Long Island Lutheran: Live score, high school boys basketball recap (2/16/24)

One of the most anticipated matchups of the 2023-24 high school boys basketball season is here.

Cooper Flagg and undefeated Montverde Academy (Florida) will look to continue their reign as the nation’s top team when they take on VJ Edgecombe and Long Island Lutheran (New York) on Friday at Hofstra University.

Montverde (26-0) has spent the entire season atop the SBLive/Sports Illustrated Power 25 national rankings. Long Island Lutheran (16-3) hasn’t fell outside the top six and enters this matchup at No. 4 in the country.

Montverde won 73-59 when the two teams met earlier this season in the championship game of the City of Palms Classic. While the Crusaders lost by double digits, they played the Eagles closer than most of the other teams who have tried and failed to take them down.

Friday’s game between Montverde and Long Island Lutheran is being streamed on YouTube by League Ready and is scheduled to tip off at 8:00 p.m. ET.

(FINAL): MONTVERDE ACADEMY 90, LONG ISLAND LUTHERAN 58

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FOURTH QUARTER

-- Montvere reserve Lucas Lima throws a dunk in the final seconds to cap off a dominant win for the Eagles. Liam McNeeley leads the way with 21 points for the Eagles, and Cooper Flagg goes for 20 points in their 32-point victory over the No. 4 team in the country.

-- Edgecombe goes 2-for-2 from the free throw line then heads to the bench, likely ending hs night with the game out of reach. If that's all tonight for the Baylor commit, he finished with 17 points. 

-- VJ Edgecombe misses a three pointer, but Ben Michaels grabs the rebound and finds the five-star driving the lane for a thunderous slam dunk. 

-- Liam McNeeley sinks a three from the corner, as Montverde's lead grows to nearly 30 points, 76-47.

-- Nigel James hits a mid-range jumper for Long Island Lutheran. The Crusaders are finding more success offensively, but they can't slow down Montverde on the other end. The Eagles lead 73-47 with less than five minutes to go.

THIRD QUARTER

-- Asa Newell scores again in the final seconds, ending a dominant quarter for the future Georgia Bulldog. Montverde is up 67-41 going into the fourth quarter.

-- Kiyan Anthony steps up and kncoks down a three for LuHi to stop the run by Montverde. Let's see if tit starts something for the Crusaders with time winding down in the third quarter.

-- Curtis Givens dishes it to a driving Asa Newell for another Montverde bucket. The Eagles lead 63-38.

-- Asa Newell gets to work for Montverde. The five-star senior who came off the bench has scored a few points in a row for the Eagles, whose lead is up to 61-38.

-- Montverde holds a 20-point lead over LuHi with 3:23 remaining in the quarter. The Eagles seem to have a strong grip on the steering wheel in this game, but there's plenty of time left for the Crusaders to make a run.

-- Cooper Flagg throws down a jaw dropping alley-oop out of an inbound pass. That one will be a candidate for dunk of the year.

-- Long Island Lutheran's Ben Michaels cleans up a miss by VJ Edgecombe to give the Crusaders the first points of the second half.

SECOND QUARTER

-- Montverde ends the second quarter on a 17-8 run to grab a 17-point lead at halftime. Liam McNeely scored a team-high 15 points for the Eagles in the first half. With VJ Edgecombe being held to four points for LuHi, junior Nigel James has paced the group with nine points.

-- Derik Queen finds Cooper Flagg for a corner three to give Montverde its biggest lead of the night, 45-30.

-- Montverde is playing with high energy on defense, and it's creating a high amount of turnovers by LuHi. McNeeley goes 2-for-2 at the free throw line to extend the Eagles' lead to 40-28.

-- Liam McNeeley again. The future Indiana Hoosier is feeling it from long range. 

-- Nigel James buries a much-needed three for LuHi after Liam McNeeley hits a three for Montverde. The Eagles lead by eight, 30-22.

-- Curtis Givens scores in transition to extend Montverde's lead to double digits, 27-17.

FIRST QUARTER

-- Montverde wins the first quarter, 23-17. The Eagles have done a good job containing VJ Edgecombe so far. 

-- Cooper Flagg makes a defender fall to the ground with a crossover then hits the open three-pointer. Montverde leads 21-17.

-- The first substitutions of the game show the wealth of talent for both teams. Five-star Georgia signee Asa Newell comes in for Montverde, and four-star junior Kiyan Anthony, whose father is NBA legend Carmelo Anthony, enters the game for Long Island Lutheran.

-- VJ Edgecombe scores his first points of the night with an acrobatic finish at the rim. Long Island Lutheran trails 9-8. 

-- Montverde opens the scoring, as Derik Queen finishes inside for two. Liam McNeeley knocks down a three on the next possession to give the Eagles an early 5-0 lead.

-- Starting lineups are being introduced in front of a packed arena at Hofstra University. Here are the starting five for both teams, including their college commitments:

Montverde: Robert Wright (Baylor), Curtis Givens (LSU), Liam McNeeley (Indiana), Cooper Flagg (Duke), Derik Queen (undecided)

Long Island Lutheran: Nigel James (undecided), Kayden Mingo (undecided), VJ Edgecombe (Baylor), Ben Michaels (undecided), Alier Maluk (Florida State)

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8:00 p.m. ET Friday | Hofstra University, Hempstead, NY

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-- Zach Shugan | zshugan@gmail.com | @SBLiveSports