With roughly a month to go until the inaugural Nike EYBL Scholastic Conference Tournament, the intensity among league teams has kicked into overdrive as they scramble to add needle-moving wins to their resumes.
“For us, right now we’ve got more of a sense of urgency with our whole team,” AZ Compass Prep point guard Kaden House said. “We feel like our backs are up against the wall and we need these wins. We want to make Chipotle Nationals, but first we have to get to the Nike EYBL Scholastic Conference Tournament, so we’re concentrating on that right now.”
That focus paid off big for the No. 10 Dragons, one of four league teams competing at the Air Capital Hoopfest in Wichita, Kan., this weekend.
AZ Compass managed its first undefeated weekend in league play this season, despite being without Gonzaga signee Davis Fogle (11.3 ppg.).
House led all scorers with 19 points to lead the Dragons to a, 61-44, win over No. 18 Link Academy in its opener on Friday.
The Dragons shot 50 percent from three and made the Lions pay for their mistakes, turning 12 turnovers into 21 points in the win.
House was even better in the Dragons’, 59-49, win over Veritas Academy on Saturday, posting 22 points, six rebounds and three assists.
House and the Dragons were masterful at attacking the basket and drawing contact, converting 21 more free throws than the Titans attempted.
“We felt like we were tougher than them and so Coach P wanted us to focus on attacking and getting to the rim,” House said. “That really worked for us for sure. This was a big weekend for us because it raised our confidence even more. We just have to take it up from here.”
Sunrise Christian Academy played the role of not-so-gracious host in its opener, knocking off Veritas, 67-44, on Friday night.
The No. 15 Buffaloes scorched the nets from three, connecting on 9 of 18, six of which came courtesy of Chidi Nwigwe and Jacob Walker, who scored 15 points apiece in the win.
But on Saturday, Link pulled out a, 43-42, squeaker over the Buffaloes, holding them to 1 of 8 from the field down the stretch.
Jerry Easter, a USC signee, led the Lions with 12 points in the win, while Houston signee Chris Cenac Jr. added six points, nine rebounds, two assists and two steals.
“I was just proud of our guys’ fight,” Link coach Chad Myers said. “I felt like we really guarded and competed. It was our fourth game in eight days against top 15 teams and our third true road game. We have one game left before the conference tournament. I have told them every day every rep matters if we want to win in March and we have to attack it like that daily on both sides of the ball.
“We know how good this league is, every night we are playing against elite coaches and players. We are trying to act like every day and every game could be the last going into the conference tournament.”
Here’s a quick glance of how it all shook out in Kansas:
- AZ Compass Prep 2-0
- Sunrise Christian Academy 1-1
- Link Academy 1-1
- Veritas Academy 0-2
Currently, nine teams are ranked in the ESPN SCNext High School Top 25 for Week 11:
2. Montverde Academy
4. Brewster Academy
5. IMG Academy
6. Long Island Lutheran
8. CIA Bella Vista Prep
10. AZ Compass Prep
11. Wasatch Academy
15. Sunrise Christian Academy
18. Link Academy
Now all eyes are on New York where league teams will tangle at the Bob McKillop Classic on Feb. 14-15.
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