Sunrise Christian Academy used a late surge to pull away after a tightly contested battle saw the Lions slowly chip away through the second and third quarters at the top-ranked Buffaloes' lead.
Sunrise Christian Academy jumped out to a fast start, leading 21-13 at the end of the first quarter and extending its lead to 12 points early in the second period. Link Academy rallied before half behind a personal 5-0 run from Michigan signee
Tarris Reed Jr., to cut the Buffaloes lead to 31-27. The Lions won the second quarter 17-14 to cut the deficit to 35-30 at intermission.
A bit of sloppy play from both teams in the third quarter saw Link Academy cut its deficit to 48-44 entering the final quarter.
Four-star junior
Layden Blocker made some big plays down the stretch, while a big 3-pointer from Kansas signee
Gradey Dick seemed to seal the deal with around three minutes to go, extending the Buffaloes lead to 63-52 .
The Buffaloes were led by a balanced offensive effort as Duke pledge
Mark Mitchell finished with a game-high 23 points, Dick chipped in 16 and juniors
Scotty Middleton (13) and Blocker
(11) each finished in double figures. Reed Jr. had a team-high 22 points for Link Academy in the loss, while Arkansas signee
Jordan Walsh contributed 16 for the Lions.
While the game had major national rankings implications, it also was a battle for
regional bragging rights as first-year program Link Academy looks to
challenge Sunrise Christian Academy as the team to beat in the Midwest.
Sunrise Christian Academy (22-1) essentially guarantees its spot as the top seed in GEICO Nationals after putting a bow on their NIBC title with a victory over the only unbeaten team remaining in the National Top 20. The Buffaloes have three games remaining in regular season play, traveling to the Dr. Pepper Classic in Chattanooga, Tenn. next weekend.
Link Academy faces another ranked opponent tomorrow at the event, taking on No. 11 Wasatch Academy (Mt. Pleasant, Utah at 7:15 p.m. (CT).

Dillon Hunter of Sunrise Christian Academy during their signature win over Link Academy.
Photo by Samuel Mfinanga

Five-star LSU signee Julian Phillips was held to just five points in the Lions loss.
Photo by Samuel Mfinanga