If the general theme among teams in the Nike EYBL Scholastic this season has been
intensity than the tone at both the Bob McKillop Invitational in New York and the NBA All Star Weekend Future Game in California was
relentless.
“You can tell that everyone’s energy has stepped up,” CIA Bella Vista Prep coach Brandon Rosenthal said. “Everyone knows what’s at stake and it’s becoming more and more real. The competition is at an all-time high right now because everyone can see the light at the end of the tunnel.”
Rosenthal and his No. 8 Bears were intent on keeping their light bright, opening with a double overtime thriller against No. 5 IMG Academy at the Bob McKillop Invitational.
Naturally, the league is no stranger to elite head-to-head backcourt battles, but the duel between Bears point guard Miles Sadler and Ascenders point guard Darius Acuff may very well have been the best in-show this season.
Acuff, an Arkansas signee who is ranked No. 5 overall in the ESPN 100, posted 32 points, three rebounds and four assists, but, in the end, Sadler’s all-around production helped the Bears escape with the, 91-82, win.
Sadler, who is ranked No. 37 overall in the ESPN 60, posted 31 points, five rebounds, five assists and three steals in the win.
He was just as potent in the Bears’, 71-57, win over No. 24 Oak Hill Academy on Saturday, posting 22 points, eight rebounds, seven assists and five steals to secure the win.
Perhaps just as impressive was that the Bears got 26 points a game from its bench in New York.
“We play nine guys and all of us are relentless and not afraid to go out there and hoop,” said Sadler, whose Bears remain on top of the league standings at 8-1. “We all play with confidence; we play loose. We’re not worried about making mistakes and playing free like that makes us more effective. I just think that every team is stepping up at this point in the year, but that’s our mentality too. For me, one of the one of the most fun parts of the game is finding different ways to beat all these good teams.”
Tied at 65 with 21 seconds remaining in regulation, No. 6 Long Island Lutheran found a way as Kayden Mingo, a Penn State signee, whipped a pass over to his brother, Dylan Mingo, who sunk a 3-pointer from the right wing to knockoff IMG, 68-65, on Saturday.
“It was surreal,” Dylan said. “The play was for Kayden to go downhill, but two plays before that I told him I noticed that they were helping, and I told him to find me. He found me and it was history from there. I knew it was going in when I shot it.”
It’s an even more impressive feat considering that Dylan, who finished with 14 points in the win, was shooting 20 percent from three coming into the Bob McKillop Invitational. He finished the weekend draining 70 percent in the two wins.
Kiyan Anthony, a Syracuse signee, led the Crusaders with 15 points.
“I was putting up 800 shots a day coming into the weekend,” Dylan said. “I found out that when I get tired, I stop jumping on my shot, so I corrected that this week. That adjustment made all the difference.”
That marked the second Top 25 win in as many days for the Crusaders; on Friday they were a defensive juggernaut in their opener, rolling Oak Hill, 76-41. The Crusaders held the Warriors to 23.7 percent from the field and scored 20 points on 15 Oak Hill turnovers in the win.
Anthony and Dylan scored 15 points apiece to lead the Crusaders.
Out west, No. 17 Link Academy prevailed, 40-39, in a defensive struggle with No. 2 Montverde Academy.
The Lions owned the offensive glass, snagging 12 in the win led by Chris Cenac Jr., a Houston signee who grabbed a game-high 12 total rebounds. Lions guard Davion Hannah, an Alabama signee, led all scorers with 15 points.
Link coach Chad Myers said it was an “ideal” scenario to closeout the regular season with a statement win over the defending Chipotle Nationals champs a week after knocking off No. 18 Sunrise Christian Academy on its home floor.
“It gives us momentum and for the first time since December we’ll be fully healthy headed into the conference tournament,” Myers said. “Finding a way to win these last two games despite being shorthanded should only add confidence and depth for us. We’re a completely different team when we’re at full strength, so we’re very confident right now. At the same time, this is the EYBL Scholastic, and you could lose to literally anyone on any given night, but, that said, it’s a good time to be trending upward and getting healthy.”
Here’s a quick glance of how it all shook out over the weekend:
- CIA Bella Vista Prep 2-0
- Link Academy 1-0
- Long Island Lutheran 2-0
- IMG Academy 0-2
- Montverde Academy 0-1
- Oak Hill Academy 0-2
Currently, 10 teams are ranked in the ESPN SCNext High School Top 25 for Week 12:
2. Montverde Academy
3. Brewster Academy
5. IMG Academy
6. Long Island Lutheran
8. CIA Bella Vista
9. AZ Compass Prep
11. Wasatch Academy
17. Link Academy
18. Sunrise Christian Academy
24. Oak Hill Academy
Next up, league teams will again split coasts to compete at events in California and Florida from February 21-23 to close out the regular season.
For in-depth coverage of Nike EYBL Scholastic, including highlights and exclusive content, follow @league.ready on Instagram and @LeagueRDY on Twitter.