Look ahead: 19th annual MAIT attracts formidable boys and girls field

The Montverde Academy Invitational Tournament has grown steadily into one of the country’s top high school basketball events.

Now in its 19th year, the MAIT annually attracts some of the best boys basketball talent in the nation to Lake County for three full days of hardwood action.

And this year’s gathering, set for Jan. 27-29 at The Nest – The Center for Sportsmanship and Wellness – features 10 games, including the nationally ranked Eagles boys and girls teams. Among the other teams in the field: Orlando Dr. Phillips, American Fork (Utah), Fort Lauderdale Calvary Christian, Dallas (Texas) Justin R. Kimball, Brooksville (New York) Long Island boys teams, along with girls teams from Punta Gorda Charlotte and Orlando Lake Highland Prep.

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Montverde Academy, the defending GEICO National Champions, sports an 11-3 record and is the top-ranked boys team in Florida, based on the most recent MaxPreps rankings. In those same rankings, Dr. Phillips, also with an 11-3 record, is ranked fourth and Calvary Christian, with an 8-1 record, is ranked eighth.

In MaxPreps National Top 25, Calvary Christian is ranked sixth, followed by Long Island Lutheran at No. 12. The expanded rankings include Dr. Phillips at No. 35.

In MaxPreps National Top 20, which consists of teams which play nationally oriented schedules, Montverde is ranked third.

All told, the combined records of the six boys teams in this year’s MAIT field, as of Monday, is 55-20.

For the girls, Montverde Academy is 12-3, as of Monday. The Eagles are ranked second in the state, based on the MaxPreps rankings and No. 11 in the country, while Lake Highland Prep (14-3 record) is fourth in the state and 16th nationally.

Charlotte (8-6) is ranked 17th in the state, according to MaxPreps. Montverde Academy will play Charlotte at 5 p.m. on Jan. 27 and will host Lake Highland Prep at 5 p.m. Jan. 29 as preliminary for the boys championship game.

Combined, the girls teams competing at the MAIT have a record of 34-12.

Play will begin at 3 p.m. on Jan. 27 and again on Jan. 28, with three games scheduled for each of the first two days of the tournament. Four games will be played on the final day, beginning at 1 p.m. and culminating with the boys championship game at 7 p.m.

Montverde Academy has won nine of the last 10 MAITs and 13 overall since the tournament began in 2004. The Eagles have lost only two games in The Nest since it was opened in 2012, both of which came during the MAIT.

In 2017, Montverde Academy was stunned by Imhotep Charter out of Philadelphia 57-48 for the tournament championship. Last year, the Eagles was upset by Bel Aire (Kansas) Sunrise Christian 69-66 in overtime.

Montverde Academy avenged that loss with a 62-52 win in April in the title game of the GEICO High School Nationals. It marked the Eagles fifth mythical national championship since 2013.

Tickets for the MAIT though events.ticketspicket.com and search “Montverde Academy.”

This article originally appeared on Daily Commercial: Montverde Academy tournament brings top national basketball talent