Peach Jam: Cooper Flagg, Maine United upset Cameron Boozer, Nightrydas
NORTH AUGUSTA, S.C. — At least one scout from every NBA team lined the seats along the sidelines or packed the bleachers for the 9 a.m. ET game, featuring the top two players in high school basketball, Cameron Boozer and Cooper Flagg. This is the second year in a row the Nightrydas (Florida) have squared off with Maine United at Peach Jam with Boozer's Nightrydas getting the commanding win last year, 79-36.
Boozer and Flagg just went head-to-head last week at the NBPA Top 100 Camp, with Flagg taking home MVP honors. There was a lot riding on Wednesday's game with the Nightrydas entering the tournament as the heavy favorite to repeat a championship run by beating every team by at least 30 points before facing Maine United. It was a competitive game from start to finish with Maine United upsetting Nightrydas, 73-65.
"Coming into this game we didn't really have anything to lose, and it was just our mentality and belief in ourselves," Flagg told Yahoo Sports after the game. "The win didn't come from one person, it was really just a team effort and everyone did their part today. That was a fun one and I know we were all glad to put Maine on the map like that."
Flagg, a 6-foot-8 forward, finished with 21 points, 10 rebounds, seven assists and two blocks in the win. His twin brother, Ace, was the difference-maker, leading his team with 22 points (9-for-13 from the field), 11 rebounds and only one turnover. Guard Landon Clark was also a top performer with 19 points, including five 3-pointers.
"The whole team came in more focused and everyone was locked in from the start," Ace Flagg told Yahoo Sports.
Ace and Cooper Flagg weren't the only pair of twins on the court with Cameron and his twin brother, Cayden, on the other side of the ball, with both sets making incredible passes and plays throughout the game.
"It's great playing together," Ace Flagg said. "We have a good connection on the court, obviously, so it's easy to play together and I always know where he wants the ball and vice versa. We grew up competing against one another and it's just pushed us both to be better players."
It was a one-point game at halftime with Nightrydas up, 35-34. Maine United came out hot in the second half, extending the lead to 10 points with under 10 minutes to go in the game. The Nightrydas closed the gap and made it a six-point game with one minute to go, but Maine United broke the press, giving Cooper Flagg an easy dunk as an exclamation point in the win with 20 seconds remaining.
Cameron Boozer finished with 22 points, 12 rebounds and two blocks, while Cayden Booozer added 11 points and five assists, and four-star guard Dante Allen finished with 17 points and four rebounds in the loss.
Coming into Wednesday's game, Cameron Boozer was averaging 14.5 points, 13.5 rebounds, 7.5 assists and 7 blocks in the first two games of the tournament. Cooper Flagg, considered the best rim protector in high school basketball, recorded 10 blocks in his first game Monday. The pair are the best high school prospects coming up, and many NBA scouts are tracking their development before they both hit the NBA in three years.
"They're two of the best prospects to ascend the high school rankings in the past 10 years," one NBA scout told Yahoo Sports. "Cooper has a two-way skill set and is the best versatile defender in high school basketball, while Boozer might be the most polished offensive player in America. They both have a floor of a starting-level player in the NBA with the chance of developing into all-league players with longevity."
Boozer and Flagg are ranked Nos. 1 and 2, respectively, in the 2025 high school class and have competed against one another at a high level the last two years.
"It's a rivalry that people like to make, but it's always fun playing against him because of how good he is," Flagg said of Boozer. "It's always fun battling at the highest level like that. He's a great player."
Boozer currently holds offers from Duke (where his dad, Carlos, played), Miami, Arkansas, Kentucky, North Carolina, Michigan and Florida State. Flagg has offers from Duke, UCLA, Michigan, UConn, Iowa, Kansas State, Villanova and West Virginia.
Maine United is now 2-0 in pool play and will face Proskills (Texas) on Thursday, while the Nightrydas drop to 2-1 in pool play and square off with PSA Cardinals (New York) the same day. The top two teams from each pool advance to the playoff round starting Friday.
