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Lake Highland Prep’s streaking boys basketball team dominated on both ends of the floor in running away with the championship of the 16-team Holiday Hoopfest boys basketball tournament, hosted by Bishop Verot in Fort Myers.
The Highlanders, 13-1 and No. 1 in the MaxPreps Class 3A state rankings, cruised through the first two rounds on Saturday and Sunday and then knocked out two heavy-hitters to claim the championship.
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Loyola Academy was 14-1 and ranked No. 9 in Illinois by the Chicago Sun-Times before Lake Highland embarrassed the Ramblers with a defensive clinic in a 59-21 semifinal win on Monday. Loyola scored just six points in the first quarter and five in each of the next three periods.
Tuesday’s championship game opponent, Cardinal Gibbons of Fort Lauderdale, was 13-1 before getting blitzed by LHP, 82-55. The Highlanders made 7-of-14 3-point shot attempts in the first half, then bettered that marksmanship by hitting 10-of-13 with seven different players making treys in the second half.
“We were concerned going into halftime because it was a 9-point game and we didn’t think we could shoot any better than (7-of-14),” Highlanders coach Ben Fratrik said. “But the guys played great. “We put five guys on the floor who can shoot from range. They went on a burner.”
Senior guard RJ Ingram scored 26 points with 6 rebounds and 2 steals in the final and was named tournament MVP. Mike Madueme, a senior, and junior Brandon Grow scored 14 points apiece and both made the All-Tournament team.
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They are joined by seniors Shiva Atwal and Robert Oskarrson and junior Mark Dadlani in what amounts to a six-guard rotation.
“We don’t have a big post guy, but we have good enough length and athleticism that we can switch (defensively) a lot and match up well,” Fratrik said.
The Highlanders have won nine games in a row since losing to The Rock, a Gainesville basketball academy that plays outside the Florida High School Athletic Association. The victory list includes a 73-44 rout of Mount Vernon of Georgia, which was 10-0 before running into Lake Highland — along with in-state quality wins against Windermere (7A No. 7), Oak Ridge (7A No. 9), Edgewater (6A No. 6) and Orlando Christian Prep (1A No. 9).
LHP climbed to No. 2 across all eight classifications in Monday’s MaxPreps ratings. They trail only 7A Miami Columbus, a top 10 national team shooting for its fifth consecutive 7A championship.
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Lake Highland gets six days rest before playing Altamonte Christian on Tuesday night and hosting Cornerstone Charter on Thursday of next week. Both of those teams have 5-7 records. Then the schedule again becomes challenging with road games to The First Academy (2A No. 10), Jan. 13, and Windermere Prep (3A No. 8), Jan. 16.
Lake Highland stuns Oak Ridge with basketball rally | Varsity Weekly
Boys basketball
Olympia (10-4) went 1-2 against top teams from three different states in the The Classic at Bristol tournament in Tennessee. The Titans opened with an 84-65 win against Fairdale, Kentucky, before losing 75-62 against tournament champ Webb (16-2), rated No. 2 in Tennessee; and falling 71-53 vs. North Carolina’s No. 1, North Mecklenburg (10-1), a state champion the past two seasons.
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Evans (11-4), ranked No. 1 in 6A, lost against state-ranked foes Santa Fe Catholic, 66-62; and host Mainland, 63-61; in the Vince Carter Hall of Fame Classic. Mainland (11-1) figures to move up in the 6A rankings with the win.
Lake Howell, 11-1 and No. 8 in 6A, has won eight in a row.
Oviedo (9-3) has won five straight since losing to Olympia.
Windermere Prep (12-3) went 2-1 at the King Cotton Classic in Arkansas. The loss was 75-73 to St. Michael’s of Austin, Texas.
Kissimmee Osceola (11-4) won the Greg O’Connell Holiday Shootout in Springstead.
Wrestling
The 35th Ron Peters Tournament of Champions has girls competing on Friday and boys on Saturday at Lake Mary.
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Winter Springs is also hosting a girls invitational on Friday.
The postseason is underway with duals district tournaments this week and next. Winter Springs and Kissimmee Gateway host district meets on Saturday.
Soccer
Host Bishop Moore (12-2-4) played New Smyrna Beach (10-1-1) in Wednesday’s championship game in the Mike Stone Invitational boys tournament.
Top-ranked area girls teams are:
1. Montverde (11-1-1)
2. Lake Mary (11-1-1)
3. West Orange (9-1-1)
4. Oviedo (10-1-1)
5. Lake Highland Prep (5-2-2)
6. Winter Park (5-2-1)
7. Lake Brantley (9-2)
8. Bishop Moore (3-5-4)
9. Lake Nona (7-2-2)
10. Timber Creek (6-3-1)
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Girls basketball
Here’s how MaxPreps ranks the top Orlando area FHSAA playoff contenders:
1. Lake Highland Prep (9-6)
2. Gateway (13-0)
3. Bishop Moore (10-2)
4. Ocoee (10-2)
5. Edgewater (9-4)
6. Windermere Prep (6-9)
7. Lake Mary (10-4)
8. Colonial (12-4)
9. Oak Ridge (8-4)
10. Lake Howell (10-3)
Independent power Montverde Academy (9-2), the area’s top-rated team, comes off the holiday break to play at Ocoee on Jan. 8.
Varsity content editor Buddy Collings can be contacted by email at bcollings@orlandosentinel.com.
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