Donnie Freeman, IMG Academy beat Jerry Easter, La Lumiere: Live score, high school boys basketball recap (3/2/2024)
There will be postseason implications on the line when two nationally-ranked high school boys basketball squads square off Saturday on ESPN.
La Lumiere (Indiana) and IMG Academy (Florida) are set to meet Saturday afternoon at the Pete Hollis Showcase in Greenville, South Carolina. The Lakers (23-4) enter the matchup at No. 12 in the SBLive/Sports Illustrated Power 25 national rankings, with the Ascenders (17-8) not far behind at No. 16.
It's the final game of the regular season for both teams, who are looking to add one more signature win to their resumes.
The winner will greatly improve their chances of receiving an invitation to Chipotle Nationals, the postseason tournament formerly known as GEICO Nationals, while the loser could be left on the outside looking in.
The game is being streamed by on ESPN+ and is scheduled to tip off at 12:00 p.m. ET.
(FINAL): LA LUMIERE 63, IMG ACADEMY 72
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IMG Academy's Darius Acuff Jr. dribbles up the court in a win against Richmond Heights (Ohio) on Dec. 20, 2023.
Photo by Amanda Inscore/The News-Press USA Today Network-Florida
FOURTH QUARTER
-- IMG Academy wins 72-63. That's a massive win for the Ascenders' hopes of reaching Chipotle Nationals. Syracuse-bound Donnie Freeman recorded 35 points, 16 rebounds and two assists in the victory.
-- Jerry Easter goes 2-for-4 on technical free throws. La Lumiere trails 72-61 but gets the ball coming off the free throw.
-- Officials have been talking with the head coaches for several minutes. In addition to a pair of technical fouls against IMG, it appears Khani Rooths and Donnie Freeman have been ejected from the game.
-- A small scuffle breaks out after a layup by Jerry Easter, so the officials are discussing potential technical fouls. IMG leads 72-59 with 27.7 seconds to go.
-- Darius Adams drives to the hoop for a score and draws a foul. The five-star guard misses the free throw, but La Lumiere has cut the deficit to 11 points, 68-57, with less than two minutes to go.
-- The Lakers might have something going here. After a few quick scores, they have cut it to 64-50 with 3:15 to go.
-- La Lumiere gets a much-needed score, as Darius Adams finishes through contact to stop a 12-0 run for IMG. The junior makes the free throw, cutting the score to 62-45.
-- Donnie Freeman backs down a defender in the post for another bucket. The Syracuse-bound forward has 29 points and 14 rebounds for IMG Academy, which now leads 60-42.
-- Darius Acuff finds Donnie Freeman driving for an and-one dunk off the inbound pass. IMG leads 58-42 and is in full control of the game with six minutes left.
-- Donnie Freeman hits a catch-and-shoot three, and the McDonald's All-American hits Gerard O'Keefe for a fastbreak score on the next possession to put IMG ahead 55-42.
THIRD QUARTER
-- IMG rides a strong third quarter to a 50-40 lead entering the fourth quarter. Will the Ascenders hold on for their third win over a top 20 team in the past month?
-- Darius Adams nails a long three from the corner. Down 46-38 late in the third quarter, La Lumiere is hanging around in this one but IMG has responded every time.
-- Freeman continues going to work in the paint. He snags an offensive rebound and puts it right back up. The Syracuse commit is feasting inside with La Lumiere missing its big center Steven Solano.
-- IMG opens the quarter on a quick 8-0 run to go ahead 39-28, its largest lead of the game. Freeman, McCarty and Rooths all just scored, and all the buckets came in the paint.
SECOND QUARTER
-- Notre Dame commit Cole Certa blocks a shot IMG and it leads to a fastbreak score for Houston commit Chase McCarty. IMG leads by three, 31-28, after one half in this regular sesaon finale for both teams.
-- Jerry Easter grabs his own miss and puts it back in to give La Lumiere its first lead of the day, 28-27.
-- Acuff goes coast-to-coast and finishes through contact. He makes the free throw and now has nine points on the game.
-- The EYBL Scholastic league's leading scorer, Darius Acuff Jr. hasn't been scoring much today. The five-star junior goes 1-for-2 from the free throw line to put IMG ahead 24-19.
-- Amari Allen finds Chase McCarty open in the paint for an IMG bucket. The Ascenders lead 23-19 halfway through the quarter.
-- Another five-star junior for La Lumiere, Darius Adams gets on the board with a three ball. The Lakers trail 19-17 early in the quarter.
-- Five-star juniors Jalen Haralson and Jerry Easter score a quick four points for La Lumiere to make it a 17-14 game.
FIRST QUARTER
-- A halfcourt shot at the buzzer by Darius Acuff Jr. bounces off the rim. No. 16 IMG Academy leads 17-10 over No. 12 La Lumiere after one quarter.
-- Columbia commit Gerard O'Keefe and Michigan commit Khani Rooths hit back-to-back threes for IMG to put the Ascenders up 17-10 on the Lakers.
-- Easter grabs an offensive rebound then drops in a floater for his fourth bucket of the quarter. The five-star junior has eight of the 10 points for La Lumiere, which trails 11-10 late in the quarter.
-- IMG Academy leads 8-4 at the first media timeout of the game. Jerry Easter has all four points for La Lumiere in the first four minutes.
-- La Lumiere is playing without injured senior Steven Solano, a 6-foot-11, three-star center. IMG should have a size advantage inside with Freeman, Khani Rooths and Chase McCarty.
-- La Lumiere's Jerry Easter and IMG's Donnie Freeman trade baskets in the opening minute. There's plenty of talent to go around for both teams, but those two will likely be vital to a win for their team.
-- It's about time for tipoff in Greenville. Here are the starting fives for both teams:
IMG Academy Ascenders
Darius Acuff, Cole Certa, Chase McCarty, Khani Rooths, Donnie Freeman
La Lumiere Lakers
Jerry Easter, Darius Adams, Melvin Bell Jr., Jalen Haralson, Chuck Love II
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Saturday, 12:00 p.m. (ET) | Legacy Early College, Greenville, SC
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-- Zach Shugan | zshugan@gmail.com | @SBLiveSports
