.png)
Game Recap: CBC St. Louis
By: Steven Pham
Photo by: Kobi Russom
Bartlett, TN. - Sunrise Christian Academy won a slugfest against CBC St. Louis 65-49 last night. The starting five for Sunrise were Dillon Hunter, Scotty Middleton, Gradey Dick, Mark Mitchell, and Cam Corhen. The game was filled with back and forth runs from both teams all game long.
1st Quarter
Both offenses struggled within the first few minutes of the game. Sunrise used their defense to create quick and easy transition points to start the game 7-0. CBC St. Louis started playing full-court press early in the first quarter and Sunrise dissected the press well initially. Layden Blocker and Louie Tucker came off the bench and provided a spark on both sides of the ball. Sunrise led 18-10 after the first.
2nd Quarter
The second quarter was sloppy for both teams with multiple turnovers and bad shot attempts. Mitchell was aggressive the entire game and gave Sunrise some offense during their slumps. “I think they (coaches) just want me to be aggressive and if I’m aggressive that is what's best for the team and that's what I try to do,” Mitchell said.
Sunrise went on an 8-0 run to give them a 26-10 lead, but CBC St. Louis dug in defensively and responded with their own 8-0 run to bring the game to 26-18. The defensive second quarter ended with Sunrise up 28-18.
3rd Quarter
CBC St. Louis switched to a zone defense at the start of the third and Sunrise capitalized by attacking the rim and ball movement. Mitchell found his spots in the zone defense and continued to score at will. CBC St. Louis cut into the lead and were down 31-26, their closest deficit for the rest of the game.
Middelton provided a spark on both sides of the ball. He played lock-down defense the whole game and turned a block into a corner three. Middleton ended up with five impactful points in the quarter to give Sunrise a 51-35 lead going into the fourth quarter.
4th Quarter
The fourth quarter started with back-to-back and-1 dunks from Corhen. He set the tone early and helped push the lead to 20 but CBC St. Louis refused to give up. They were able to cut into the lead but Sunrise prevailed and came out with the 16 point win.
Team & Player Stats
Sunrise shot 51% from the field, 61% from two, and 33% from three. They had 33 total rebounds, 10 offensive and 23 defensive rebounds, 19 assists, and five blocks. Mitchell led the way with 23 points, 2 rebounds, 5 assists, and a block. Followed by Dick’s 13 points, 7 rebounds, 1 assist, and a steal. Blocker had 10 points, 2 rebounds, 3 assists, and a steal. Middleton had 8 points, 6 rebounds, 4 assists, and 2 blocks. Corhen had 7 points, 7 rebounds, and 2 assists.
This was Sunrise’s first road game of the season. “It was a good experience, I like playing on the road in front of different atmospheres and different crowds so it's fun,” Mitchell said. Sunrise’s second night of the Memphis Hardwood Classic will be against the host school Bartlett at 5:30 p.m.
For a preview of today’s Thanksgiving matchup, click here. To watch the game online for $10, click here. Happy Thanksgiving to all the Sunrise families and supporters, enjoy amazing food, great basketball, and quality time with loved ones!!!