Devoe drains a buzzer-beater
MONTVERDE — In a heavyweight bout of a basketball game, tournament MVP Michael Devoe threw the knockout punch with a 3-point swish from the left corner with one second left to give the Montverde Eagles a 69-67 victory Saturday over Nevada powerhouse Findlay Prep in the championship game of the Montverde Academy Invitational Tournament.
Devoe, a Georgia Tech signee, finished with 26 points, including 14 in the fourth quarter for the consensus national No. 1 Eagles (27-0). After Devoe hit a layup with 40.3 seconds remaining to bring the Eagles to within 67-66, Findlay’s Kyler Edwards turned the ball over on a bad pass with 25.5 to go.
Montverde tried to work for a winning shot, but Devoe was trapped on his baseline and called timeout. After Findlay followed with a timeout, Andrew Nembhard inbounded from under the basket to Devoe in the left corner, who pumpfaked to lose a defender and swished his fifth 3-pointer of the night to win it.
“I felt it coming in from the out-of-bounds play,” DeVoe said. “Coach [Kevin Boyle] said, ‘Mike, get in the corner and shoot it.’ He believed in me, and I believed in my shot. I pump-faked, sidestepped. It was a great follow-through. I’m truly blessed to have this opportunity.”
Until then, it appeared as if the Pilots (25-3) would knock their second consecutive foe from the ranks of the unbeaten. Bol Bol, a 7-foot-3 Oregon signee, scored 19 points and blocked three shots.
But Montverde’s R.J. Barrett persistently went after the taller Pilots. The Duke signee scored 24 points and grabbed 13 rebounds despite struggling at the free throw line. Barrett made just 7 of 13 tries from the line, while the Eagles as a whole hit just 13 of 30.
“I try to win every way I can,” Barrett said. “Today was rebounding.”
Bol led four Findlay Prep players in double-figure scoring. Reggie Chaney had 16 points and 10 rebounds.
Immanuel Allen scored 17 of his 20 points in the second half to lead Phoenix (Ariz.) Shadow Mountain past Madison Prep of Louisiana in the third-place game. The Matadors (17-1), who arrived in Florida with a top-10 national ranking, recovered from their first loss — vs. Findlay in a Friday semifinal.