Nike EYBL Scholastic (formerly known as the National Interscholastic Basketball Conference) makes a stop in Florida this weekend at Montverde Academy as the Eagles host the Sunshine Classic.  Game One features Brewster Academy in its first season in the EYBL Scholastic taking on an original NIBC member, Sunrise Christian.

This is Brewster’s first EYBL Scholastic event of the season.  The team’s most notable player is 6’5 senior Nojus Indrusaitis, who played for St. Rita out of Chicago last year.  For Sunrise, their “big gun” will be 6’1 senior David Castillo from Oklahoma.  Sunrise has some Florida ties as 6’3 senior Elijah Eliott hails from Orlando and spent his first three years at Oak Ridge while 6’4 junior Caleb Williams spent his first two years at Sumner in Riverview just outside of Tampa.

Brewster got on the board first with a driving basket from Dwayne Aristode.  That was answered quickly by Sunrise’s Kany Tchanda.  Brewster then ripped off a 7-0 run as Indrusaitis hit two free throws, Aristode got a putback, Elijah Crawford scored on a drive and Daniel Jacobsen hit one of two free throws.  Jeremiah Green stopped the bleeding with a bucket inside for Sunrise and teammate Spencer Ahrens followed that up to make the score 9-6 in favor of Brewster with just under four minutes left in the first.  A free throw from Aristode put Brewster back on the board but a transition basket got Sunrise to within two.  After an exchange of baskets, the score was 12-10 in favor of Brewster with 1:20 left in the first period.  Brewster then drained back-to-back threes while Sunrise missed on their final three attempts of the quarter and Brewster led 18-12 after the first eight minutes.

Sunrise cut that deficit in half quickly with a steal and score by Caleb Williams and a pair of free throws from Green.  Brewster hit a three to put its margin seven at 21-14.  Sunrise got back to within three with a pair of baskets but two buckets by Brewster offset a free throw from Sunrise to make the score 25-19 with just under five minutes to go in the quarter.  Sunrise then put together a 6-2 run, the last bucket a transition slam by Williams to get to within two, 22-25, with under three minutes left.  A pair of free throws from Castillo of Sunrise tied the game at 27-27.  Brewster responded quickly with a dunk inside from Jacobsen.  Sunrise had two chances to tie or take the lead but was unable to do so.  At the break, Brewster led by two, 27-29.

Sunrise tied the game with two free throws early in the third and after a Brewster bucket inside, Castillo of Sunrise drained a three to give them their first lead.  Crawford grabbed the lead back with two free throws for Brewster, but another Castillo three changed that.  Indrusaitis scored inside to tie the game then Crawford scored for Brewster to give them back the lead.  Castillo hit his third three in a row to give the lead back to Sunrise.  A four-point run by Brewster gave them a 41-38 lead with just over three minutes left in the third.  Sunrise responded as they finished the period with a 9-5 run, highlighted by a mid-range jumper with six seconds left by Castillo, to take a one-point lead, 47-46, into the fourth quarter.

In a tight game like this, whichever teams gets out to a good start in the fourth quarter takes control.  That is just what Brewster did.  By the time the four-minute media timeout rolled around, Brewster had outscored Sunrise 9-2 and held a 55-49 lead.  With 1:34 to play Brewster took a 59-53 lead after a driving score from Indrusaitis.  Sunrise wasn’t done as two transition baskets by Williams in the span of twenty seconds brought them to within two, 59-57, with twenty-four seconds left.  However, Sunrise was now forced to foul.  Brewster scored four unanswered from the free throw line to win 63-57.

Crawford led Brewster with 16 points while both Aristode and Sebastian Wilkins added 11 points.

For Sunrise, both Castillo and Williams finished with 14 points.