Orlando Christian Prep

Warriors Win Debut At City Of Palms Classic

12/19/2021, 8:45am EST

By Bryan Fulford, OCP Athletics

Ft. Myers, FL -- December 17, 2021

Orlando Christian Prep boys basketball team won their opening round game of the 2021 City of Palms Classic 59-48 over St. John's College HS (DC) and advanced to the quarterfinal Monday night against Montverde Academy.

The Warriors (7-1) were led by senior AJ Brown, an Ohio University commit, who had a game-high 24 points (9-19 FG, 4-7 3FG, 2-2 FT) and 8 rebounds. Brown played all 32 minutes of the contest.

Sophomore Ameer Ramadan had the second highest total of the game with 16 points (5-10 FG, 1-3 3FG, 5-5 FT) and a +/- of 19. Senior Ven-Allen Lubin, a Notre Dame commit, also had a +/- of 19 as he scored 9 points and pulled 11 rebounds.

OCP built a 20-8 first quarter advantage on St. John's and outscored them again 12-5 in the 3rd quarter. The Warriors outrebounded their opponent from the renowned Washington DC Catholic School League 36-25 and outscored them 24-14 in the paint.

Playing With A Shot Clock No Bother

The City of Palms Classic is considered one the best high school basketball tournaments in the nation. This year's tournament features 14 of the 16 teams in its main bracket ranked in the Top 50 among all schools teams nationwide. Besides the competition, one of the unique aspects of the City of Palms is that all games are played with the use of a 35-second shot clock.

The use of a shot clock, which is used in professional (24-second) and collegiate (30-second) basketball games, has gained more interest and debate across the US over the past few years as more grassroots tournaments use them in the spring and summer, and some state associations have adopted its usage as well.

The Florida High School Athletic Association (FHSAA) has not adopted it as a rule for regular season or playoff games, but its usage was approved at the City of Palms Classic, which features a mix of FHSAA-sanctioned teams competing against non-FHSAA sanctioned and out-of-state teams.

What was the experience like for OCP playing with a shot clock? It didn't seem to bother the Warriors much.

"Playing with a (shot clock) really wasn't something to worry about. I've played with one all summer and so did some of the players on the team," said Brown who played with 'Each 1 Teach 1' on the Nike EYBL circuit. "So playing with a shot clock really didn't hinder us from making good decisions or anything. It was just something to be mindful of. We still played OCP basketball with it."

NEXT UP

Montverde Academy Eagles defeated Berkmar HS (GA) 74-48 Saturday afternoon in their quarterfinal contest which sets up a contest between two of the winningest programs in Central Florida.

OCP has won nine FHSAA state championships since 2008 in 13 trips total to Lakeland for the State Semifinal or Championship game. Montverde Academy, who does not compete in the FHSAA playoffs, has won six national championships. The Eagles have won four City of Palms championships in seven appearances since 2012.

Tip-off is scheduled for 7:00pm and games will be streamed pay-per-view on the Varsity Sports Network. For more information visit: https://cityofpalmsclassic.com/ .

OCP Hoops Prepares For The Bash

12/10/2021, 3:45pm EST

By Bryan Fulford, OCP Athletics

Columbia, SC --

The OCP boys basketball team travels to Columbia, South Carolina for The Bash IX, an elite international high school showcase on December 9-11. The 3-day event is hosted by Ridge View (SC) High School and features top teams from the palmetto state, neighboring North Carolina, New Jersey, and Canada.

The Warriors (3-1) begin play on Friday evening against host, Ridge View, at 9pm ET, then take on nationally-recognized The Patrick School from Hillside, NJ on Saturday at 7pm.

About Ridge View High School

The Blazers are led by Gregory "G.G." Jackson II – 6’9", PF, 2023. Jackson is 5-star rated by 247Sports.com and is the top rated player in the state of South Carolina. He has offers from the University of South Carolina, Duke, UNC, Florida, Virginia Tech and more; Ridge View was the South Carolina Class 4A State Champions in 2020, 2019 and 2018.

About The Patrick School

The storied history of St. Patrick and The Patrick School is well-know in the state of New Jersey and across the nation. The school touts dozens of famous alums that have earned scholarships to some of the top college programs in the nation, been named McDonald's All-Americans and later have been drafted or played in the NBA. Names such as Kyrie Irving, Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, Shaheen Holloway, Al Harrington, and Dexter Strickland

Follow the action all weekend on social media @TheBashHoops on Twitter. Visit The Bash website for more information about the tournament, schedule and participants.

Lady Warriors Comeback To Defeat Ovideo In Final Quarter

12/08/2021, 12:45pm EST

By OCP Athletics

ORLANDO --

OCP's girls basketball team found themselves trailing by four points at the end of the 3rd quarter, and as much as seven midway through the fourth quarter, when they turned up the defensive pressure, hit some clutch free throws and defeated the Oviedo Lions 50-48 in their first home game since the season opener on November 16.

The Lady Warriors (3-1) were tied at halftime with the Lions then got some clutch stops and baskets by their leading scorers in the fourth quarter. OCP was led by junior Siarah Brown with a game-high 21 points (5-11, 1-4 3FG, 10-12 FT), nine rebounds, six steals and four assists. Sophomore guard Trinity Harden, who played an instrumental role defensively harassing Oviedo's top ball-handler late in the 4th quarter, scored 17 points (7-16 FG, 1-2 3FG, 2-3 FT), had eight rebounds and four steals.

Brown is averaging 22.8 points per game and 8.5 rebounds per game through four games and Harden is averaging 15.8 ppg and 6.3 rpg, shooting 50% from behind the arc (8-16 3FG).

This was the first of three games this week for OCP. On Thursday December 9, the Lady Warriors travel to Trinity Preparatory School, 6pm tip, and return home on Friday December 10 against Foundation Academy for a 5:30pm tip.