Hoop Hall Classic Monteverde vs La Lumiere

Coming in with giant expectations For a clash between two NIBC schools, and 2 Nationally ranked programs, it didn't take long into warmups to really the size and athleticism of Montverde. I thought La Lumiere had injuries, but checking the program they had only 7 players listed. montverde had 9 players ESPN nationally ranked for their respective class. It was also worth noting that Montverde had a big size advantage heading into the game. Montverde looks like a serious threat to win another high school national championship. Out of the gate La Lumiere was able to jump out to the early lead due to the play and a few baskets from 6-8 forward Gus Yalden. Although Gus might not be as physically intimidating as some of the bigs on Montverde, Yelden more than held his own in the game. He showed his ability to stretch the floor. The Wisconsin Commit was able to position himself well in the paint, in large part to his phenomenal footwork, and pivot game, that threw off Montverde's opposing bigs on multiple plays. Yalden finished with an impressive 21 points and 9 rebounds. Montverde counted the early run with a great show of athleticism, capitalizing many plays off turnovers. And went on a big run of their own. Trenton walters 5-7 G La Laumeir, Class of 2023 was a able to help his team from falling apart. He is a lightning quick guard. He made a lot of great reads on the defense, and also made some nice baskets himself. Kaleb Glenn, La Lumiere 6-6 SF Early on I thought kaleb was settling for his jumper. He was frustrated with the size and switch ability of Montverde's defense. Montverde's defense caused problems for the whole La Lumiere team. I thought Glenn played really well in the second half. He got to the line more and attacked the basket. After seeing some shots go in, he started playing more freely. He made some nice finishes down the stretch. Montverde seems to be just too much for most teams to handle. Montverde had many stars in the game. The game MVP was 6-8 2025 Forward [player_tooltip player_id='1454289' first='Cooper' last='Flagg']. Cooper played a very efficient game going 8-10 from field, scoring 21 points, 5 rebounds, 5 steals and 5 assists. He also only had 1 turnover. Cooper is a very high level talent. The Duo of [player_tooltip player_id='1454289' first='Cooper' last='Flagg'] and 6-7 2024 PF Liam McNeeley was a force. They both were swarming on defense, showed athleticism, hit shots from the outside, and were frequently contributing on the rebounds. Montverde will have both Cooper and Liam back next year. Other standouts for Monteverde included Derik Queen, HT 6-9, Position Center, Class 2024 Derik had an impressive game. He finished with 8 points, and 5 rebounds, while shooting a high percentage from the field. He is A very strong built and can body people in the paint. He has a great touch for his size around the rim, and even has shown the ability to extend his range to the outside. He shows the potential to be a dominate inside out player. Kwame Evans, Position PF, HT 6-9, Class 2023 Evans had a very efficient game from the field, shooting 80 percent, going 8-10. He finished the game with 19 points and 8 rebounds. He is a versatile defender. He moves very well for his size, and can guard multiple positions. On offense he does a little bit of everything. He is good in transition, and really good off cuts and screens. A very high ceiling in his game.