Everything fell in place during bracket play for Hillcrest Prep and Moravian Prep to compete in a star-studded matchup at the John Wall Holiday Invitational. Hillcrest entered this game with a ton of talent, the coaching of Mike Bibby, and a strong reputation over the last handful of years. Meanwhile, Moravian just recently found national relevance behind Josh Hall, Antonio Lowe, and the program’s ability to secure quality prospects from the most talent-rich state in the country. With at least a dozen high-major prospects between these two teams, the storylines write themselves. 

The game began with a certain buzz and excitement swirling but neither team showed any anxiousness or signs of weakness. It wasn’t until around the three-minute mark when these teams stopped trading baskets and Hillcrest started to break away with a six-point lead. Moravian largely looked like themselves, leading with defense, getting ideal looks on offense, and maximizing transition opportunities whenever available. They were led by the big three, Hall, Jamarhi Harvey, and Shakeel Moore while Hillcrest enjoyed phenomenal play from Keon Edwards and a more upbeat Makur Maker. Hillcrest entered halftime with a 38-30 lead over Moravian. 

The second half opened with Hillcrest starting to pull away, doubling their lead in just four minutes. Puff Johnson’s shooting was a major difference maker, especially in the third quarter, and made Hillcrest even more difficult to contain. However, a massive surge from Moravian (scoring from Hall and Moore, hustle plays from Tyriq Brown and Darrius Davis) made this a three-point game with just less than five minutes remaining. It remained a one to two possession game until the final buzzer, when Hillcrest Prep ultimately secured a 69-65 victory over Moravian Prep. 

Hillcrest Prep saw quality performances from Johnson (16 points and 9 rebounds), Maker (14 points and 9 rebounds), Edwards (12 points (4-4 3PM), and Sadraque Nganga (13 points). On the other side, Moravian Prep was led by Hall (27 points and 6 rebounds) and Moore (21 points and 4 rebounds) with contributions from Harvey (10 points).