Wasatch Academy Falls To Oak Hill In National Tournament
Apr 4, 2019, 5:58 PM | Updated: 6:00 pm
Courtesy of Wasatch Academy
NEW YORK CITY, N.Y. – Utah’s Wasatch Academy fell to Oak Hill 79-72 in the first round of the Geico Nationals, a tournament that features the top high school basketball teams in the country.
In the eight-team tournament, the Tigers’ opponent, Oak Hill came into the game with a long history of producing top-notch talent. Notable alumni from the Virginia-based school include NBA stars Kevin Durant and Carmelo Anthony.
Led by head coach David Evans, the Tigers came into the showcase in Queens, New York as the Beehive State’s top squad and were ranked as the fifth seed in the tournament.
With an average 83 points per game during our 26-3 regular season, our boys have traveled 24,875 miles to battle top-ranked national & state programs in CA, FL, GA, MD, NE, NV, & UT, all with just one goal: GEICO Nationals. 🙏 #HereComesWasatch 🔥 #SeeYouAtGEICO pic.twitter.com/bgZIrhHIm5
— Wasatch Academy Basketball (@WATigersBB) March 11, 2019
Near the end of the first half, Wasatch’s Mady Sissoko fired up the crowd at Christ the King High School’s gymnasium with a block-defying dunk while being fouled.
SHEESH! Mady Sissoko has something for you here! 👀💪@WATigersBB pic.twitter.com/QLMIWmtwID
— Who's Next (@WhosNextHS) April 4, 2019
Still, the Tigers trailed at halftime, 43-37 despite shooting an impressive 53.8 percent from the field. The deficit could be largely attributed to the turnover discrepancy. Wasatch turned the ball over 10 times in the first half to just four by Oak Hill.
The Warriors built a lead as large as 10 in the second half, but Wasatch was able to whittle it down to just three in the closing minute of the third quarter.
Playing from behind, the Tigers fought to keep the game close, but were never able to overtake Oak Hill in a seven point loss.
Mike Saunders led the Tigers with 22 points on 7-for-10 shooting but it wasn’t enough to overcome 30 points by Oak Hill’s Cole Anthony, who is ranked as the second best player in this year’s recruiting class.
Oak Hill will advance to face the No. 1 seed in the tournament, Indiana’s La Lumiere School, in the semifinals.
