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"The man the myth the legend": Hoops fans react as Arkansas signee Darius Acuff leads IMG to another comeback at the City of Palms Classic

Modified Dec 22, 2024 02:08 GMT

Darius Acuff shone yet again at the City of Palms Classic as he led IMG Academy to a hard-won 78-75 victory over La Lumiere School. IMG came back from being behind 42-33 at halftime to win by just three points. Acuff featured prominently in the comeback with 33 points and six assists, generating reactions from fans on Instagram.

A fan on Instagram, Curtjack3, wrote,

“The man, the myth, the legend.”

Another fan, Tybourne30, ranked him only behind AJ Dybantsa in high school hoops, writing,

“He No. 2 right after AJ respectfully.”

An Instagram user, Player_chandler, predicted he’d go straight out of high school into the leagues. They wrote,

“He could go straight out of hs.”

For another fan, Barlow_b_, Acuff is about the big moments. They wrote,

“Nobody better in the big moments

Reactions to Darius Acuff's performance v. La Lumiere

How Darius Acuff led IMG to a comeback win over La Lumiere

As Darius Acuff led IMG onto the court, La Lumiere had Jalen Haralson and Darius Adams within its ranks. La Lumiere got an early 8-0 lead with scores from Melvin Bell, Haralson and Chuck Love III. A bucket from Acuff put IMG on the board before La Lumiere extended its lead to 13-4. Subsequent 3-pointers from Sadiq White and Acuff brought IMG within three points.

However, La Lumiere was up 23-16 with one minute to play in the first quarter. Acuff scored two free throws, but Adams restored La Lumiere’s seven-point lead, which it maintained into the second quarter. The lead had extended to nine points by the end of the first half, with La Lumiere having a 42-33 lead.

IMG trailed La Lumiere by 15 points in the third quarter but staged a remarkable comeback. They cut the lead to 10 with 6:32 left and then went on an 11-0 run to take a 69-68 lead with 3:18 left.

La Lumiere briefly regained the lead, but IMG took it back with a basket and a three-pointer. La Lumiere cut the lead to one with under a minute left, but IMG's Acuff scored on a drive to seal the win. IMG won 78-75.

Darius Acuff and the IMG Academy Ascenders will face Columbus in the semifinal of the City of Palms Classic by 9 pm on Saturday. Columbus is led by five-star power forward Cameron Boozer, who is signed with the Duke Blue Devils. The winner of the game will face the winner in the Oak Ridge v. Montverde Academy semifinal game.