Top stars, best performances from GEICO Nationals quarterfinal round: Prolific Prep's Zion Sensley hits shot of the day

The sophomore's corner 3 with six seconds left lifted 8-seeded Prolific Prep over top-seeded Sunrise Christian Academy.

Author:
Andy Buhler, SBLive Sports
Publish date:
Apr 1, 2022 2:40 AM EDT

Jordan Pope drew the Sunrise Christian defense's attention when he drove to the hoop with fewer than 10 seconds left in a tie game.

The senior point guard found a wide open sophomore Zion Sensley in the left corner, who drilled the go-ahead 3 as 8-seeded Prolific Prep knocked off top-seeded Sunrise Christian Academy 59-56 on Thursday in the GEICO Nationals quarterfinals.

It was the game of the first day of the annual national tournament at Suncoast Credit Union Arena, and one of many standout performances.

It was a newsworthy day in Fort Myers, Fla. as Oak Hill senior guard Judah Mintz committed to Syracuse and AZ Compass Prep junior forward committed to Oregon, both doing so live on the ESPNU broadcast Thursday afternoon.

IMG Academy beat La Lumiere 76-51, Montverde Academy beat AZ Compass Prep 72-63 and first-year Link Academy beat Oak Hill 81-67 — the last game of Oak Hill coach Steve Smith's illustrious career.

Montverde, the 3-seed, plays 2-seed IMG on Friday at 11:30 a.m. ET and 4-seed Link Academy plays 8-seed Prolific Prep at 1:30 p.m. ET in the semifinals Friday.

Here are the top performers from GEICO day one:

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Kylan Boswell, AZ Compass Prep

Hit a team-high three 3s on his way to 13 points and grabbed three boards in a 72-63 loss to Montverde Academy.

Keyonte George, IMG Academy

Finished with 22 points, eight boards and five assists. Shot 8 of 12 from the field and a game-high 4 of 6 from 3.

Scotty Middleton, Sunrise Christian

Finished with a team-high 16 points and hit all four 3-point attempts in a 59-56 loss to Prolific Prep.

Judah Mintz, Oak Hill Academy

Dropped 21 points on 6 of 10 shooting (hit 8 of 10 at the free throw line) and had a team-high seven assists in an 81-67 loss to Link Academy.

Julian Phillips, Link Academy

10 of his 20 points came at the foul line (10 of 12). The McDonald's All-American also had six boards — three offensive — and a pair of assists.

Jordan Pope, Prolific Prep

Hit five 3s on his way to a game-high 23 points, grabbed five boards and dished out three assists in an upset win over Sunrise Christian.

Devin Ree, Oak Hill Academy

Had 17 points, including 4 of 8 shooting, four boards and three assists in a 81-67 loss to Link Academy.

Malik Reneau, Montverde Academy

Scored a game-high 19 points on 7 of 11 shooting, 5 for 5 from the free throw line and a game-high nine assists

Zion Sensley, Prolific Prep

The sophomore hit the biggest shot in what may have been the upset of the season — a corner 3 with seconds left to upset top-seeded Sunrise Christian Academy.

Jarace Walker, IMG Academy

Finished with 23 point on 10 of 14 shooting, seven boards and four assists in a convincing 76-51 win over La Lumiere.

Jordan Walsh, Link Academy

Had a dominant showing, dropping 23 points, eight boards, seven assists and several high-flying dunks.

Anthony White, Prolific Prep

Finished with 17 points (four 3s), seven boards and four assists in a 59-56 upset of top-seeded Sunrise Christian.

Dariq Whitehead, Montverde Academy

He may have had a down shooting night — 3 of 10 overall, 1 of 5 from 3 — and played facilitator, doling out a game-high nine assists in addition to his 12 points in a 72-63 win over AZ Compass Prep.