Prior to the season, Nike EYBL Scholastic coaches were straightforward and downright excited about the perceived parity in the league, predicting that as many as eight teams had a legitimate chance to take home the conference crown by the end of the regular season.
This past Sunday, as the regular season concluded, that prediction fell just a few teams shy of coming to fruition as CIA Bella Vista Prep, Wasatch Academy and Brewster Academy finished tied for first at 9-2.
Wasatch will take the No. 1 overall seed headed into next week’s conference tournament per the league tie-breaker criteria, which considers head-to-head matchups, winning percentages, etc.
Brewster is the No. 2 seed and CIA Bella Vista is No. 3.
“From day one, back in September when we all arrived on campus you could tell that we had a special group,” Brewster coach Jason Smith said. “They’re high character kids that just genuinely like being around each other on and off the court. I’m definitely proud of how hard they’ve worked.”
CIA Bella Vista first-year coach Brandon Rosenthal was especially excited for his group after the dramatic turnaround from last season when the Bears finished in the league’s cellar at 1-11.
“I couldn’t be prouder of this group,” Rosenthal said. “The core of the team came back and had a truly incredible turnaround to say the least. It’s a testament to their hard work and dedication. These guys remained locked in, and I’m excited about what’s possible for them moving forward.”
The No. 6 Bears went 1-1 this past weekend, storming back from 16 down in their opener but ultimately fell short, 70-66, to No. 7 Wasatch.
The Bears bounced back in game two against Veritas Academy, draining 10 3-pointers, snagging 18 offensive rebounds and getting 34 points off the bench to roll to the, 70-42, win.
“It was a little bittersweet because we came out flat in the first game,” Rosenthal said. “We controlled our own destiny, but we didn’t capitalize this time. It’s a great lesson that I’m hoping we’ll learn from.”
Wasatch capped off its hot weekend with an impressive 3-point shooting barrage, draining 15 threes at 57.7 percent to cruise to an 85-60 win over Oak Hill Academy.
Isiah Harwell, a Houston signee, connected on 5 of 7 from the perimeter and scored 23 points, as did his backcourt mate Mariano Manciel, who connected on 6 of 7 from three in the win.
Wasatch assistant coach Johnathan Loyd said the team’s turning point came after a, 60-52, loss to AZ Compass Prep on January 2. In the aftermath of the fall the Tigers stayed up into the wee hours of the next morning breaking down film and “soul searching” as they charted their path forward.
“We came a long way, it’s been a long season, but the guys came together and accomplished what we set out to do,” Loyd said. “A lot of people were counting us out in the beginning, but we knew what we had in-house. We just needed everyone to buy in. Ever since that loss that’s what we’ve had. Now, everyone’s playing together and for each other.”
IMG Academy held serve at home this past weekend, reeling off two impressive wins, first over Orangeville Academy and capping the weekend off with a win over intra-conference rival Montverde Academy.
Ascenders point guard Darius Acuff, an Arkansas signee, was unstoppable in the win, posting 26 points, four rebounds and five assists for the No. 4 Ascenders.
“It’s a momentum boost to have success and be playing well going into the postseason for sure,” IMG coach Sean McAloon said. “We’re not worried about seeding in the tournament or anything like that, we’re just focused on what we need to do. We can beat anyone, and we can lose to anyone. It’s just one of those years in the league. We’ve lost six games to teams that were in the top 10 at the time. We’re basically the SEC and we’re all pounding on each other.”
Currently, nine league teams are ranked in the ESPN SCNext High School Top 25 for Week 14.
2. Brewster Academy
3. Long Island Lutheran
4. IMG Academy
6. Montverde Academy
7. Wasatch Academy
8. CIA Bella Vista
10. AZ Compass Prep
13. Link Academy
19. Sunrise Christian Academy
Now the league’s top 10 teams will converge on Riverview Park Activities Center in South Carolina from March 5-8 to duke-it-out for the conference tournament crown and an automatic bid to Chipotle Nationals.
Tournament Seeding/Matchups
March 5
No. 10 Oak Hill Academy vs. No. 7 Long Island Lutheran
No. 9 AZ Compass Prep vs. No. 8 Link Academy
March 6
No. 3 CIA Bella Vista Prep vs. No. 6 Montverde Academy
No. 2 Brewster Academy vs. TBD
No. 4 Sunrise Christian Academy vs. No. 5 IMG Academy
No. 1 Wasatch Academy vs. TBD
March 7
Semifinals TBD
Semifinals TBD
March 8
Finals TBD
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