Link Academy defeats Columbus: City of Palms Classic updates, recap
Holiday season is also a time for some of the top high school basketball tournaments of the year.
The City of Palms Classic in Fort Myers, Florida, continues Thursday with a monster triple-header of quarterfinal matchups featuring four of the top five teams in the country.
Link Academy (Missouri) and Columbus (Florida) are set to face off in a battle of two top-five teams, with the winner advancing to the tournament semifinals on Friday.
The Lions (12-2) enter the contest at No. 3 in the latest SBLive/Sports Illustrated Power 25 national rankings, with the Explorers (6-2) two spots behind at No. 5.
The winner will advance to the semifinals Friday night to take on No. 6 Long Island Lutheran (New York). The Crusaders secured a spot in the semifinals with a 58-55 win against No. 25 Don Bosco (New Jersey) on Wednesday.
The game is being streamed live on YouTube by League Ready and is scheduled to tip off at 7:00 p.m. ET.
Here is a closer look at Link Academy vs. Columbus in the City of Palms Classic quarterfinals:
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FINAL: LINK ACADEMY 68, COLUMBUS 61
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Link Academy senior Tre Johnson dribbles the ball up the court during the Lions' win over SEMO Prep in their 2023-24 season opener.
Photo by Nate Latsch, SBLive Sports
FOURTH QUARTER
-- After Cameron Boozer misses on a three pointer for Columbus, Tre Johnson hits both free throws for Link Academy. The Lions lead by nine points with 17 seconds left, so that should do it for this one.
-- Jase Richardson misses a three pointer, and Link Academy gets the rebound once again. Labaron Philon goes back to the free throw line and hits one of two shots.
-- Jase Richardson misses a tough shot in the paint. Link Academy gets the rebound, and Labaron Philon heads to the free throw line on the other end with 41.5 seconds left. The Kansas signee knocks down both to make it a six point game.
-- The defenses for both teams are grinding out stops. After Columbus gets another stop, Andrew Moran calls a timeout to draw up a scoring play for the Explorers. Link Academy leads 62-58 with 1:07 left on the clock.
-- After Columbus cut the lead to two points with a bucket by Cayden Boozer, Link Academy is once again up by four after Jasper Johnson goes 2-for-2 from the free throw line. Only three minutes remain.
-- Benny Fragela nails a three pointer for a much-needed Columbus bucket, but Tre Johnson responds with a deep three on the other end to push Link Academy's lead right back to four.
-- T.O. Barrett misses both free throws for Link Academy, but he makes up for it with a steal and assist to Jasper Johnson in transition. It's a 16-1 run for the Lions, whose lead is back up to four points.
-- Link Academy is back in front. Tre Johnson hits a floater off the backboard to give Link Academy the lead. What a swing for the Lions, who trailed by 11 points not too long ago.
-- James Brown goes 1-for-2 from the free throw line to tie the game up at 53 with 6:37 remaining.
-- Jasper Johnson does his thing and drains a three pointer for Link Academy. Buckle up, it's a one point game with seven minutes left.
-- Cameron Boozer hits one of two free throws after taking a foul while going up near the basket, so Columbus' lead is back up to four points.
THIRD QUARTER
-- A quick run by Link Academy has it back to a three point game after three quarters. Tre Johnson sinks a three from the top of the key, and Labaron Philon gets a steal and bucket in transition for the final points of the quarter.
-- Link Academy stops the bleeding with a three pointer by Jalen Shelley to cut Columbus' lead to eight points.
-- The run continues for Columbus, now 16-0, as Cayden Boozer throws a lob to Jase Richardson for the alley-oop. Bill Armstrong wants a timeout for Link Academy.
-- Wow, Jase Richardson. The Michigan State signee makes a reverse layup driving the baseline. It's now a 14-0 run for the Explorers, who lead by nine with three minutes left in the quarter.
-- All of the sudden the Explorers lead by seven points, as Cayden Boozer dishes it off to Benny Fraglea on the wing for a three pointer. Columbus has its biggest lead of the night, 48-41.
-- Columbus takes the lead on a turnaround jumper near the free throw line by Cayden Boozer. After a stop on the ensuing possession, Cayden goes right back down and extends the Explorers lead to four points with a tough finish in the paint against Jalen Shelley.
-- Cameron Boozer evens the score for Columbus with a transition three. The Boozer twins are balling tonight, per usual.
-- Cayden Boozer hits both free throws after taking a foul while driving to the basket. For seemingly the 100th time tonight, the lead is back down to three points for Link Academy.
-- Columbus scores the first points of the third quarter on another tough floater from Cayden Boozer. The Explorers trail by three points, but it's short-lived as Labaron Philon pulls up and hits a mid-range jumper on the other end for Link Academy.
SECOND QUARTER
-- James Brown pulls in the offensive rebound and finishes through contact near the rim. The North Carolina commit sinks his free throw to convert the and-one, pushing Link Academy's lead to 39-34, right before halftime.
-- Cayden Boozer hits a three pointer in transition to make it a two-point game. It's been a great first half between these highly talented teams.
-- Igoudala buries a three pointer to push Link's lead back to seven points, but Columbus responds with a quick two from Malik Abdullahi on the other end.
-- In case this game didn't have enough NBA pedigree with the sons of Carlos Boozer and Jason Richardson, now Andre Igoudala Jr. just checked in for Link Academy.
-- Jasper Johnson showing he's more than a sharpshooter. That's the second time tonight the lefty has made a tough finish near the hoop. Link Academy's lead is back up to eight points after Columbus cut it to two points.
-- Speaking of smooth, Tre Johnson sinks a deep stepback 3-pointer to give Link some breathing room on the scoreboard.
-- Cayden Boozer cuts the lead to two points with a floater near the free throw line. The junior has a smooth flow to his game offensively.
-- Cameron Boozer with a vicious slam coming off an offensive rebound. The Explorers are hanging with the Lions, who currently lead 26-21.
-- Jase Richardson goes 2-for-2 from the charity stripe, then Randy Smith drains a three on the next possession to make it an 8-0 run for Columbus. Link Academy calls timeout.
FIRST QUARTER
-- Columbus scores the final points of the first quarter, as Cameron Boozer finds Cayden Boozer in the corner for a three to cut into Link's lead with 8 seconds left.
-- Now Labaron Philon gets in on the fun with a stepback three-pointer. Link Academy leads by 11 late in the first quarter.
-- Johnson and Johnson are at it again for Link Academy. Tre Johnson hits a deep three with a hand in his face, and Jasper Johhnson finishes a tough layup on the next possession to make it an 8 point lead for the Lions. Columbus head coach Andrew Moran calls a timeout.
-- North Carolina commit James Brown checks in for Link Academy and goes to work right away. He finishes inside off the assist from Jasper Johnson to put the Lions up by three.
-- Malik Abdullahi scores for the second time to bring Columbus back within one point, 8-7, after a three-pointer by Jasper Johnson helped Link extend its lead momentarily.
-- Cameron Boozer gets the scoring started with a 3-pointer for Columbus, then Tre Johnson responds with an immediate 3-pointer on the other end to even the score for Link.
-- About time to tip off. Link Academy goes with Tre Johnson, Labaron Philon, Jasper Johnson, Jalen Shelley and Brandon Benjamin in place of usual starting center James Brown. For Columbus it's the typical starting five of Cayden Boozer, Jase Richardson, Benny Fragela, Malik Abdullahi and Cameron Boozer.
PREGAME READING
7 p.m. Thursday (ET) | Suncoast Credit Union Arena, Fort Myers, FL
Coming off a national championship last season, second-year head coach Bill Armstrong leads a new look Link Academy squad replenished with top talent.
The Lions feature what is arguably the nation’s best collection of guards. Leading the way is Texas signee Tre Johnson, the nation’s No. 4 overall recruit. He’s joined in the starting five by Labaron Philon (Kansas) and five-star junior Jasper Johnson. Four-star guard T.O. Barrett (Missouri) typically comes off the bench as a sixth man.
Rounding out Link's usual starting lineup is four-star forward Jalen Shelley (Arkansas) and four-star center James Brown (North Carolina).
Other than two losses to No. 1 Montverde Academy (Florida) and No. 2 Prolific Prep (California), the Lions (12-2) have passed every test this season and looked strong while doing so. A win over Columbus would be their best of the young season, which includes a victory against No. 12 AZ Compass Prep (Arizona).
Fifth-year head coach Andrew Moran calls the shots for a Columbus squad coming off back-to-back FHSAA 7A state championships.
The headliners for the Explorers are the Boozer twins, Cameron and Cayden, five-star juniors whose father is former NBA star Carlos Boozer. While both are five-star prospects, Cameron Boozer is considered an early candidate for the No. 1 pick in the 2026 NBA Draft.
The Explorers also have four-star senior guard Jase Richardson (Michigan State) and five-star sophomore forward Jaxon Richardson, the highly-touted sons of former NBA standout Jason Richardson, along with Princeton commit Malik Abdullahi at forward.
Columbus (6-2) started the season with a bang, hosting and beating No. 2 Prolific Prep in an overtime thriller to open the year and then beating No. 23 McEachern (Georgia) in its second game. The Explorers have now won four games in a row since dropping back-to-back games to No. 8 Wasatch Academy (Utah) and No. 1 Montverde Academy.
A win over Link Academy would the be Columbus' second victory of the season against a top three team in the country, giving the Explorers a strong argument to be ranked in the top three themselves.
-- Zach Shugan | zshugan@gmail.com | @SBLiveSports
