Sunrise Christian vs. Link Academy: 5 Things to Know

<p><em>It’s not every day that two of the top 5 high school basketball teams in the country get to face one another, let alone in the middle of Nebraska on a Friday night in February. In the kickoff game of the 2022 Heartland Hoops Classic, Sunrise Christian and Link Academy brought their talent-rich rosters to Grand Island, Nebraska on Friday night and in front of a capacity crowd at Grand Island Central Catholic High School. The two national powers put on a show with Sunrise eventually handing Link Academy their first loss of the season and securing themselves the #1 seed in the GEICO National Tournament. Here are 5 Things To Know about the clash of two elite high school teams that I felt lucky to be in attendance for. </em></p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="787626" first="Mark" last="Mitchell"] Flexes His Muscle Inside</strong></p> <p>In a contest filled with high-profile players, Mitchell was the star who shined the brightest Friday night in Grand Island.  The Duke signee and McDonald’s All-American finished with a game-high 23 points on the night and was making all kinds of plays inside both on his own and for others. I was impressed with really impressed with his passing ability and keen eye for finding the open man out of the post. Mitchell had some emphatic finishes at the rim and really flexed his muscle in the 4th quarter during winning time. </p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="981141" first="Tarris" last="Reed Jr"]. is More Than a Handful in the Post</strong></p> <p><span style="font-size: 1rem;">The Michigan signee got off to a quiet start for Link Academy, but as the game went on Reed was working in the post. He wound up leading Link Academy in scoring with 21 points on the game. His touch and post moves inside were both very smooth and almost effortless. He did not start the game well, but it seemed like a switch flipped after he nailed a 3-pointer late in the first half. Reed had great energy and composure in a big game and big environment. I’m sure he is going to wreak havoc on the Big Ten once he gets to Ann Arbor. </span></p> <div> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="787613" first="Gradey" last="Dick"] Still Shines On A Somewhat Off Night</strong></p> </div> <div> <p>Another McDonald’s All-American playing in this game, [player_tooltip player_id="787613" first="Gradey" last="Dick"] has come a long way since the first time I saw him play a couple of summers ago with KC Run GMC. The 6’7 wing is a Kansas signee and even on a night where he wasn’t shooting the lights out from beyond the arch, Dick was incredibly active on the offensive end and showed a little versatility defensively while battling for rebounds. He also nailed what appeared to be the dagger 3-pointer for Sunrise with just over three minutes to play in the game. Gradey was making plays whenever he was on the court, both for himself and his teammates while finishing the game with 16 points. </p> <p><span style="font-size: 1rem;">Sunrise Christian extends their lead over Link Academy to 63-52 on this [player_tooltip player_id="787613" first="Gradey" last="Dick"] 3-pointer. The future Kansas Jayhawk is up to 16 points on the night. </span><a style="font-size: 1rem;" href="https://t.co/vcINPxAxdq">pic.twitter.com/vcINPxAxdq</a></p> </div> <p>— Jacob Bigelow (@The_Bigelow) <a href="https://twitter.com/The_Bigelow/status/1492321709835182081?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 12, 2022</a></p> <p><script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p> <div> <p><strong>Trey Green Can Light Up A Scoreboard Quickly</strong></p> <p>Trey Green’s combination of shooting range from beyond the arch, coupled with his pull-up jumper in the mid-range game makes him a threat to light up a scoreboard in a hurry. The 5’11 junior guard made plenty of big shots in the second half to help Link Academy battle back and keep the game close and hotly contested. Nebraska assistant coach Nate Loenser was in the building, presumably to watch Green and fellow Link Academy junior Omaha Biliew who both hold offers from the Huskers. Link’s best offensive stretches came with Green on the floor and he’s an absolute microwave, just waiting to heat up with the ball in his hands. He finished the game with 16 points. </p> </div> <div> <p><strong>Layden Blocker is a Big Time Junior Guard to Watch</strong></p> <p>Sunrise got a lot of big plays throughout the game from 6’2 four-star junior guard Layden Blocker. Whether it be taking it coast to coast for a buzzer-beating layup to end the first half or harassing the opponent’s backcourt defensively, Blocker brought immediate impact and energy off the bench for Sunrise. He scored 9 of his 13 points in the second half and never missed a beat. Blocker brought it every single minute he was on the court and Sunrise may have not won this game if not for the spark that Blocker provided on both ends of the floor. </p> </div>