Sunrise Jamboree

By: Steven Pham

Photos by: Carter Lange

Wichita, KS. - Sunrise Christian Academy hosted a jamboree this past Saturday, October 15th. Nine teams participated; Sunrise Elite and Sunrise Post Grad, Coffeyville Community College, Iowa Western Community College, Johnson County Community College, Neosho Community College, North Central Missouri College, Pratt Community College, and Northern Oklahoma-Tonkawa College. There were three courts and each team played two games. Sunrise Elite played Coffeyville and North Central.

Game #1 vs. Coffeyville

The starting unit for Sunrise was Layden Blocker, Miro Little, Almar Atlason, Matas Buzelis, and John Bol. Sunrise started sluggishly and got hit with a wake-up call immediately. Sunrise never got settled in the entire game and looked like a team with star talent but still new to one another.

Atlason got Sunrise going with his perimeter shooting and led all players with 9 points at the midway point. Buzelis and Blocker also kept Sunrise afloat in the first half. Coffeyville dominated the offensive glass and led 27-25 at the half.

Sunrise gained momentum in the second half behind Atlason’s three-point shooting, Buzelis’s attack at the rim, Blocker’s second-half scoring spree, and collective team rebounding. Sunrise tried pulling away towards the end of the period but Coffeyville went on a 7-0 run to force overtime. Sunrise escaped with a 54-50 win in their first jamboree match.

Game Stats

Sunrise went 20-45 (44%) from the field, 11-18 (61%) from two, and 9-27 (33%) from three. They had 24 total rebounds, 3 offensive rebounds, and 21 defensive rebounds. They had 13 assists on 20 made FGs, 6 blocks, and 3 steals.

Blocker led the way with 17 points on 6-11 shooting (54%), 3 rebounds, 3 assists, and a block. Atlason had 15 points going 5-10 from 3 (50%), a rebound, and a steal. Buzelis had 10 points on 5-10 shooting (50%), 5 rebounds, 3 assists, a block, and a steal.

Game #2 vs. North Central

Sunrise rolled with the same starting five for their second and last matchup of the day. Sunrise settled in after the first game and got it going early and often. They never looked back as they led the entire game.

Buzelis, Atlason, and Blocker continued their hot hand from the last game and jumped out to a huge lead. In this game, Sunrise was able to get their second unit going. Mikel Brown and Jamisen Young led the bench unit with their perimeter shooting.

It was ugly for North Central from the start and Sunrise won 92-51. Sunrise got more players involved in this game with eight different scorers. Sunrise finished 2-0 on the day and got better as the games progressed.

Game Stats

Sunrise shot 32-48 (67%) from the field, 15-21 (71%) from two, and 17-27 (63%) from three. They corralled 34 total rebounds, 7 offensive rebounds, and 27 defensive rebounds. They had 25 assists on 32 made FGs and 10 steals.

Blocker led the team in scoring once more with 22 points on 8-11 shooting (72%) with four 3s. Blocker also finished with 3 rebounds, 3 assists, and a steal. Brown finished with 21 points on 6-8 shooting (75%) with a team-high five 3s. He got his teammates going with a team-high 7 assists. Atlason had 13 points on 4-7 shooting (57%) and displayed his perimeter shooting in both games. He also had 2 rebounds, an assist, and a steal.

Sunrise Post Grad

Sunrise Post Grad played Iowa Western first and took them to the wire. Iowa Western squeezed out a 54-52 win. Post Grad’s second game was against Neosho and this game got off to a better start. Post Grad dominated the whole way and won 55-38 to finish 1-1 on the day.

Promotions

Join us this Saturday, October 22nd from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. at Sunrise Christian Academy for Sunrise Madness. Madness is our annual tradition before the Sunrise Elite and Sunrise Post Grad team kick off their seasons. There will be player introductions, a three-point contest, a dunk contest, and a quick scrimmage between both Sunrise teams. Help us welcome the boys to Sunrise and hype them up for their upcoming seasons!