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Game Recap: Legacy Early College (La Porte Invitational)
By: Steven Pham
Photos by: Mikayla Lomas
Wichita, KS. - No. 2 Sunrise Christian Academy takes down Legacy Early College 86-65. Sunrise finished the road trip 3-0 and will move to 12-1 on the season. The starters for Sunrise were Dillon Hunter, Layden Blocker, Gradey Dick, Mark Mitchell, and Cam Corhen. For Legacy; Khalil Arnold, Coen Carr, Aaron Hall II, Zaylan Chaney, and Savon Sutton.
1st Quarter
Sunrise started the game off hot with an early 10-2 start. Sunrise played a full-court press and trap defense that caused a lot of issues for Legacy early and often throughout the game. Sunrise took advantage of the steals and forced turnovers to get easy transition offense.
It was a three-point party for Sunrise in the quarter as they hit 7-9 from downtown. Dick had 4 threes in the quarter and outscored Legacy by himself with 14 points. Sunrise would take a 29-9 lead into the second quarter.
2nd Quarter
Dick started the quarter with a dunk to give Sunrise a 12-0 run. Arnold ended the run with a three and started to get hot in the quarter. He would be the main source of offense for Legacy with 13 points at the half. Sunrise dissected Legacy's zone defense to perfection with tremendous ball movement, pump fakes, and drives. It led to open shots and Sunrise capitalized on those opportunities.
Valentino Pinedo checked into the game and impacted the game on both sides of the ball. He was on the floor for loose balls, got offensive rebounds, made good passes, and had a quick 6 points in six minutes of play. Sunrise would lead 47-25 at the half.
3rd Quarter
Chaney had a quick 5 points to start the quarter and was able to cut the lead down to 17 at one point. After that, Sunrise would regain a 20+ point lead and kept it there throughout the quarter and the game.
Chaney had 8 of his 10 points in the quarter and Carr had 7 of his 11 points in the quarter. They both found a rhythm offensively and carried it into the fourth quarter. Sunrise maintained the lead 66-44 at the end of three.
4th Quarter
Dick continued his hot hand with 7 in the quarter to give him a game-high 29 points. Carr and Chaney continued to fight and finish out the game on a high note for Legacy. Carr finished with a team-high 20 points and Chaney had 16 points.
Sunrise eventually emptied their bench and sealed a victory over Legacy to remain on top of the NIBC standings and claim the No. 1 ranking in the nation.
Game Stats
Sunrise shot 48% from the field, 40% from three, and went 12-14 (85%) from FT. Sunrise had 34 total rebounds, 23 defensive and 11 offensive. Sunrise had 24 assists on 30 made shots, 6 blocks, and 6 steals. Sunrise played unselfish basketball and found open teammates for easy points and won collectively as a team.
Dick had a game-high 29 points on 10-17 shooting (7-13 from three), 3 rebounds, 2 blocks, and 2 steals. Mitchell had 12 points on 4-8 shooting (3-4 from FT), 7 rebounds (4 offensive), 3 assists, 1 block, and 1 steal. Blocker had an all-around game with 10 points on 2-7 shooting (5-6 from FT), tied for a game-high with 8 assists, 2 rebounds, and 2 steals. Sunrise's bench had 24 points compared to Legacy's 8.
Sunrise will come home and get ready for another road trip out east for the Spalding Hoophall Classic. Sunrise will be challenged as the new No. 1 ranked team and must stay locked in and prepared to maintain that top spot.