The Flagg brothers struck again on Day 2 of the Maine Event, lighting up a jam-packed Portland Expo as the No. 1 Montverde Academy Eagles cruised past CATS Academy Boston 105-58 on Saturday night.
Similar to their rout of No. 16 Gonzaga College Prep on Friday at the Cross Insurance Arena, the Eagles broke the game open early, but Cooper and Ace Flagg kept the crowd engaged with their awe-inspiring play.
In the first quarter, Cooper and Ace teamed up to score eight of Montverde’s first 12 points, including Cooper’s first jaw-dropping play of the night: an alley-oop to Cooper in transition — which at first appeared to be underthrown — before he suddenly leaped from outside the paint, corralled the ball with two hands and thunderously slammed it home, sending the Expo into a frenzy.
It was the first of many high-flying plays for the Newport, Maine, native and the nation’s top prospect.
Flash forward to the final seconds of the third quarter, Cooper was at it again, putting his athleticism on display for the home crowd. After snagging a loose ball at midcourt, the 17-year-old accelerated past the last CATS Academy defender and tomahawked home a buzzer-beating windmill dunk.
In the fourth quarter, Cooper rounded out his sensational performance with solid 3-point shooting, something scouts consider his one weakness. In the span of 90 seconds, Flagg hit three straight 3-pointers, including two on back-to-back possessions for the Eagles.
“It’s just a great feeling, knowing all the hours and reps are going to show,” Cooper said. “It’s about being confident and letting them fly.”
Cooper finished with 29 points on 12-for-17 shooting, plus nine rebounds, two assists and three blocks. Ace tacked on five points and five rebounds.
“It was surreal,” Ace said. “Seeing all the support and love from the community.”
Saturday night’s opener between St. Paul’s and Kimball Union Academy, both of New Hampshire, drew similar support from Maine basketball fans, with juniors Landon Clark of Bangor and Teigan Pelletier of South Paris — longtime friends and Maine United AAU teammates of the Flagg brothers — starting for St. Paul’s.
The St. Paul’s Big Red ended up losing 65-46, but the versatile duo showed off their length and chemistry on Saturday night. Pelletier finished with a double-double (11 points, 11 rebounds, two assists), and Clark tacked on nine points, eight rebounds, four assists and two blocks.
