By CHARLIE PARENT
BROWNSBURG, Ind. — No. 1 overall recruit Cooper Flagg exploded for 28 points and 6 rebounds Friday as Montverde Academy took care of Christopher Columbus 84-70 to advance to the Chipotle Nationals Championship.
Flagg displayed a three-level range of scoring while also helping on defense with 2025 No. 1 prospect Cam Boozer.
“Cooper was exceptional tonight,” head coach Kevin Boyle said postgame. “Not just athletically, defensively, but making the three ball, and when he does that, he’s at a different level.”
The Eagles on Saturday will take on Paul VI, which is led by two of Flagg’s future Duke teammates, Darren Harris and Patrick Ngongba. Tip time is set for 12:00 p.m
“Darren is an outstanding shooter, and we have to make sure we run him off the line,” Boyle said. “If we can limit his number of attempts, then I think we have a good chance to be successful.”
Ngongba started off the bench today as he just returned to action Thursday after suffering an ankle injury back in November. He looked comfortable with increased minutes and will be key to stopping Montverde’s length.
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