The City of Palms Classic is now guaranteed to feature a Florida program in this weekend’s championship game, as No. 7 Oak Ridge (Fla.) used a big shooting performance to knock off Owasso (Okla.) 73-50 in the quarterfinals on Friday night.
The Pioneers connected on 13 of 27 3-point attempts and shot over 53 percent from the field in the win. Elite small forward Jamier Jones led the way with 23 points while also adding six rebounds and five assists.
Point guard Jalen Reece and small forward Ce’zanne Mosley each added 18 points. Reece also had eight assists and five boards, while Mosley poured in nine rebounds and a pair of assists. Oak Ridge assisted on 15 of their 26 makes.
Owasso kept pace early, leading at the end of the first quarter and keeping the deficit at just 36-31 at halftime. Star junior small forward Jalen Montonati had 17 points at halftime and finished with 22 on 8-18 shooting.
The Rams lost the battle in the paint 24-14 and also managed just one fast-break basket. Senior center Jax Kerr had nine points, nine rebounds and six assists in the losing effort.