For Link Academy, it got to a point where dwelling on the fact that it’s played the vast majority of its season with key players in street clothes nursing injuries and subsequently losing games as a result, made no sense.
“No one cared anyway,” Lions forward Chris Cenac Jr. said. “We knew that we just needed to focus on what was ahead. That’s what we’ve been doing.”
On Saturday the culmination of the tactical tunnel-vision paid off in a big way, pulling out a, 74-71, win over Long Island Lutheran to claim the inaugural Nike EYBL Scholastic conference tournament title.
With the win, the Lions earn an automatic bid to Chipotle Nationals, which runs from April 3-5 in Fishers, Ind.
Cenac, a Houston signee who took home tournament MVP, led the Lions with 22 points, six rebounds and six blocks. Jerry Easter Jr., a USC signee, posted 15 points, three rebounds and six assists and Trent Perry posted 16 points and nine rebounds in the win.
Kayden Mingo, a Penn State signee, led the Crusaders with 22 points, while Kiyan Anthony, a Syracuse signee, added 16 points.
“It’s an unbelievable accomplishment,” Link coach Chad Myers said. “We had some injuries throughout the year and said we’ve got one option and that was to not quit and keep believing. I’m proud of our staff and our players to come out and win this game and this tournament. It’s almost surreal.”
The turning point for the Lions came during a red hot third quarter surge where they connected on 10 of 12 from the field and 3 of 4 from three. Link led by as many as 13, and Cenac scored nine points during that run.
“We just wanted to come out after halftime aggressive,” Easter said. “That was the main focus. We knew that they were a really good transition team, so we had to get back and play strong. We threw the first punch in the second half and that sparked the run.”
Now, the Lions have secured their spot in Chipotle Nationals, the remaining seven teams will be revealed within the coming week.
Still, fresh off their conference title run, the Lions are less worried about the field and more confident in their chances in Indy.
“I definitely feel like we’re the most dangerous team headed into Chipotle,” Cenac said. “We’ve had guys out, and we think they’ll be back, but we’ve figured out how to win with what we’ve got. Them coming back will only make us stronger. Right now, we’re gonna enjoy this one, but the work isn’t done.”
2024-25 Nike EYBL Scholastic All-Tournament Team
Chris Cenac Jr., Link Academy (MVP)
Jerry Easter Jr., Link Academy
Kiyan Anthony, Long Island Lutheran
Kayden Mingo, Long Island Lutheran
Miles Sadler, CIA Bella Vista Prep
Currently, nine league teams are ranked in the ESPN SCNext High School Top 25 for Week 15:
2. Brewster Academy
3. Long Island Lutheran
4. IMG Academy
6. Montverde Academy
7. Wasatch Academy
8. CIA Bella Vista
9. AZ Compass Prep
14. Link Academy
19. Sunrise Christian Academy
For in-depth coverage of Nike EYBL Scholastic, including highlights and exclusive content, follow @league.ready on Instagram and @LeagueRDY on Twitter.