Orlando Christian Prep

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/ .