High school basketball: Columbus outlasts IMG Academy 77-71 in battle of top-ranked teams to advance to City of Palms Classic title game

Top 40 junior Jaxon Richardson scores 17 of his team-high 23 points in the second half for the Explorers.

In the second City of Palms Classic semifinal showdown, MaxPreps Top 25 No. 1 Columbus (Miami, Fla.) outlasted National Top 10 No. 1 IMG Academy (Bradenton, Fla.) 77-71 in a thrilling contest throughout.

Top 40 junior Jaxon Richardson provided the spark in the second half as he scored 17 of his team-high 23 points in the second half, while connecting on 10 of 15 shots from the field. Five-star Duke signee Cameron Boozer contributed 22 points, 10 rebounds, three assists and three blocks on 7 of 11 from the field and top 25 Duke signee Cayden Boozer chipped in 16 points, seven assists and five rebounds on 7 of 14 in the win.

The first half of action saw five lead changes and two ties as Columbus jumped out to a 18-16 lead after the first quarter before the Ascenders responded strong in the second quarter to take a 31-27 advantage into the halftime intermission despite the Explorers leading for over 10 minutes of action in the first 16 minutes.

Top 40 junior prospect Jaxon Richardson turned things up in the third quarter for the Explorers, scoring 11 points and knocking down a trio of 3-pointers to give Columbus a 52-49 advantage headed into the fourth quarter.

Following a contest layup from Cayden Boozer to make things 54-52 early in the fourth quarter, the Ascenders responded with a pair of alley oops to Top 25 Syracuse signee Sadiq White Jr. ...

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