There was a clear distinction between league teams who had already stepped into the gauntlet that is the Nike EYBL Scholastic last weekend, and teams who were getting their first taste of the season.
The former used the experience in their favor while Montverde Academy, Christ School and Tennessee Collegiate Academy used the Marshall County Hoopfest and the Sunshine Classic as a learning experience to build on.
No. 18 Oak Hill Academy came out on fire from three, connecting on 12 of 26 (46 percent) from deep to roll to a 77-60 win over Utah Prep in its opener. The Warriors capitalized on Utah Prep’s miscues throughout the game, turning 16 turnovers into 18 points.
The Warriors turned in another dominant performance in game two against Veritas Prep, draining 10 3-pointers, six of which came courtesy of LJ Smith, an Ohio State commit, who finished with a game-high 29 points in the 79-57 win.
“In spurts, I thought we really guarded,” Oak Hill coach John Zito said. “We still have some things to clean up, but I like where we’re headed defensively. Then I thought we shared the ball offensively. A good weekend for us and a great event.”
Dream City Christian was determined in its opener against No. 20 Tennessee Collegiate Academy, draining 10 3-pointers at 43 percent and going perfect from the free-throw line to pull off the 62-60 win.
Malachi Jordan led the Eagles with 22 points, while Ikenna Alozie, a Houston signee, pumped in 14 points, seven rebounds, four assists and two steals.
The dynamic duo was even more potent in game two, combining for 51 points, seven rebounds and seven assists in an 83-75 win over No. 15 Montverde Academy.
“We had to get back to our roots and play defense and execute our offense,” Dream City coach Kyle Weaver said. “Too many times in Dallas we played one-on-one and did not trust the offense. Every day we are trying to be more and more disciplined because that’s what great teams have so that’s the rewarding part that we saw this weekend. When we execute great things happen.”
Wasatch Academy had a similar bounce back weekend after an 0-2 start in league play last week.
The Tigers handed Sunshine Classic host Montverde a 68-59 loss in the opener, racking up 17 points off the bench as Junior County, a Connecticut signee, led four players in double figures with 14 points, six rebounds and five assists to secure the win.
In their 66-49 win over Tennessee Collegiate in game two, the Tigers put on a clinic on how to share the ball, posting 22 assists on 26 field goals. Vuk Lazarevic led five players in double figures with 17 points.
Both Veritas Prep and Utah Prep picked up their first league wins of the season.
Utah Prep got 30 points, 14 rebounds and seven steals from Anthony Felesi, a Pitt signee, in its 80-64 win over Christ School, and Boyuan Zhang pumped in 19 points in Veritas’ 68-44 win over the Greenies.
Here’s a quick glance of how it all shook out over the weekend:
Oak Hill Academy 2-0
Dream City Christian 2-0
Wasatch Academy 2-0
Utah Prep 1-1
Veritas Prep 1-1
Christ School 0-2
Tennessee Collegiate Academy 0-2
Montverde Academy 0-2
Currently, 10 teams are ranked in the ESPN SCNext High School Top 25 for Week 2:
2. Link Academy
5. CIA Bella Vitsa
6. AZ Compass Prep
7. Brewster Academy
9. La Lumiere School
11. Spire Academy
12. Long Island Lutheran
15. Montverde Academy
18. Oak Hill Academy
20. Tennessee Collegiate Academy
For in-depth coverage of Nike EYBL Scholastic, including highlights and exclusive content, follow @NikeEYB and @league.ready on Instagram and @NikeEYB and @LeagueRDY on X.