Gilbert Perry’s Koa Peat shines as USA U17 team advances to the gold medal game

Gilbert Perry forward Koa Peat scored 19 points as the United States U17 World Cup team advanced to the gold medal game after a decisive 145-65 semifinals win versus New Zealand.

Along with his 19 points, Peat had seven rebounds, an assist and shot nine of fifteen from the field.

Peat was among four players, along with Team USA’s Brandon McCoy Jr. (19 points), Cameron Boozer (18 points) and JJ Mandaquit (18 points), who nearly scored 20 points in the game.

This was the USA’s highest margin of victory in a U17 tournament game ever, shattering its previous high of 49 points in a 120-71 win against Canada in 2018. The USA improved their all-time record at the U17 World Cup to 50-0.

The 6-foot-8, 235-pound Peat has won the Open Division championship in each of his three seasons at Perry. He was also named Arizona Gatorade Player of the Year in both of the last two years. Peat is a top-5 overall prospect in the 2025 class.

Peat will be the first player to play in two U17 gold medal games. Peat was a member of the 2022 team that won gold in Malaga, Spain.

The USA will play for its seventh-straight gold medal Sunday against Italy. The game will be at 10 a.m. Arizona time and can be seen on the FIBA YouTube channel.

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