For the second year in a row, Montverde Academy has proven itself as the best girls basketball team in the country. On Saturday, the Eagles took down Long Island Lutheran 60-54 to win the GEICO Nationals championship.
With the win, the Eagles finish their season with a record of 26-1, dismantling practically every opponent in their path.
This game was not one of those in which Montverde led wire-to-wire. The Eagles trailed by 16 points in the third quarter, needing a massive comeback to get ahead.
That comeback was led by Sahnya Jah, who had 15 points in the second half alone to finish with a game-high 20. The University of South Carolina commit, ranked No. 40 on ESPN’s top 100 list, was a bully in the post during the comeback, and topped it off by picking up the offensive rebound, putting it back up, and getting fouled as the layup dropped:
South Carolina commit Sahnya Jah had a game-high 20 points including the crucial offensive rebound and-1 in the finals seconds 🔥🔥 @jah_sahnya @MVAGBB pic.twitter.com/5U07u4NLJC
— SportsCenter NEXT (@SCNext) April 1, 2023
Cori Allen contributed 15 points during the game, making three 3-pointers.
The Montverde defense also picked up in the second half, allowing Long Island Lutheran to make just six field goals in the final two quarters, according to SportbookLive. LuHi missed all nine 3-point attempts they took in the second half.
With the victory, Montverde caps off a wildly successful run led by their three players on ESPN’s top 100 list: Jah, Baylor commit Letycia Vasconcelos and Mississippi State commit Mjracle Sheppard. Just because those three are heading off to Division I basketball doesn’t mean the Eagles’ cupboard is empty — led by 2024 four-star Vivian Iwuchukwu, Montverde will aim to be right back at the GEICOs next year.
