EYBL Scholastic Playoffs: CIA Bella Vista (Ariz.) handles Long Island Lutheran (N.Y.)

Led by a near-perfect performance from top-10 national recruit Paul Osaruyi, CIA Bella Vista Prep (Ariz.) overcame a slow start on Thursday afternoon against Long Island Lutheran (N.Y.) at the Nike EYBL Scholastic Playoffs.

Osaruyi finished with a team-high 19 points while hitting 6 of 6 from the field and knocking in all six of his free throws, to lead the Bears to a 65-51 win. He added four rebounds, three steals, two blocks and a pair of assists, making his presence felt all over floor.

Miles Sadler, a West Virginia signee and the nation’s No. 4 point guard in the 2026 class, added 17 points of his own. Despite struggling with turnovers, including nine from Sadler alone, Bella Vista Prep was able to control the game and slow down Lutheran’s offense to a near-halt.

Playing without top-5 overall prospect and North Carolina commit Dylan Mingo, the Crusaders managed to shoot just 38% from the field. Moussa Kamisoko (No. 4 in the 2027 Rivals150) was the only player for Lutheran in double-figures with 22 points.

Outside of his 9-for-13 shooting performance, the rest of the team shot just 11 for 40 (27%) from the field. Kayden Allen, one of the country’s premier scoring guard, finished only 3-for-13.

Even more puzzling was that the Crusaders actually jumped out to a 20-12 lead after one quarter, hitting nine of their 16 attempts and holding Bella Vista to just four made baskets. They stretched the lead to as many as 10 in the final seconds of the quarter. Bella Vista turned things around a bit in the second frame, but still trailed 29-23 going into the halftime break.

The second half was a different story though, as the Bears outscored Lutheran 42-22 in the final 16 minutes. Over that span, Long Island Lutheran hit just 9 of their 26 attempts — but more importantly hit just 4-for-11 from the charity stripe in the fourth quarter.

With the win, Bella Vista moves on to face Montverde Academy (Fla.) in the semifinals Friday.