Stars and Stripes Salute Takeaways

<p>This past weekend, the second annual Stars and Stripes Salute event took place at New Town High School. The lineup included: Dulaney vs Havre de Grace, St. Maria Goretti vs Thomas Johnson and Edmonson vs New Town. Let’s take a look at some general takeaways from the event.</p> <p><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><strong>Havre de Grace will be the best public school in Harford County</strong></span></p> <p>The Warriors were dominant in county play last year, so this isn't much of a hot take, but after getting eyes on them Saturday, they're equipped with the talent to run their conference once again. Led by one of the most athletic players in the state in 2021 wing <strong>Marlon Lewis</strong>. Others such as 2020 guard <strong>Josiah Scott</strong>, 2020 guard<strong> Gary Gibson</strong>,and 2021 <strong>Nigel Pearson</strong> should all play significant roles as the season plays on. The Warriors found themselves down almost 20 points in the second quarter and stormed back in the fourth to come up short by four. The fact that they battled through that adversity against a team like Dulaney further strengthens the argument that they'll be the team to beat in Harford County this season.</p> <p><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><strong>Dulaney still has firepower</strong></span></p> <p>The Lions lost two vital pieces of their roster this off-season in 2020 <strong>Che Evans</strong> and 2021 <strong>Ike Cornish</strong>, but as long as 2021 guard<strong> Ryan Conway</strong> is on the floor, they'll be able to keep up with the majority of teams on their schedule. Conway finished with a game-high 25 points in their win against Havre De Grace as Stanford was in the stands watching. 2020 Cam Byers will be leaned on heavily to produce inside the painted area. He has the pure size, just needs to utilize his strength better. If Byers can do that, Dulaney will be a tough team to beat. Others such as 2021 guard <strong>Latrell Harper</strong> 2021 guard <strong>Jaylin Webster</strong>, 2021 wing<strong> Crevon Adams</strong> and 2021 wing <strong>Jaylen Amoruso</strong> will all be expected to produce consistently and hit timely shots as they present themselves.</p> <p><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><strong>Edmonson shouldn't be overlooked</strong></span></p> <p>The Red Storm are always known for having sneaky good teams with long, athletic players. This year's squad led by 2020 wing <strong>Tra'Shawn Lewis</strong> is no different. Lewis was a huge reason that his team went into New Town's gym and beat the Titans with his activity on both ends. Lewis is long, 6-foot-4 wing that disrupts shots around the rim, rebounds out of his area and refuses to be denied on his way to the basket offensively. The energy and passion he plays with filters throughout the roster. 2020 5-foot-10 guard <strong>Daniel Frink</strong> provides the toughness and scoring in the back court. He was off target for the first half of the game against New Town, but you can tell with his confident mindset, that won't always be the case. Baltimore City public school league play goes through Poly and while the Engineers are significantly stronger than any other team, the Red Storm will be a team that shouldn't be taken lightly.</p> <p><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><strong>New Town showed signs</strong></span></p> <p>The Titans are another team in Baltimore County that is adjusting to significant roster changes due to players transferring and graduating a handful of seniors. Still, the show is ran by 2020 point guard <strong>Martaz Robinson</strong>, who was efficient in the loss to Edmonson. The 6-foot-2 guard picks and chooses his spots at effective times and makes heady plays with the basketball. 2020 wing <strong>Andrew Mills</strong> has to play out of position due to lack of size, but the 6-foot-5 shooter spaces the floor well rebounded at a respectable rate against a tough Red Storm team. Two more returners in 2020 guard <strong>Kyree Johnson</strong> and 2020 guard <strong>Twan Carter</strong> will both play pivotal roles in the team's success. Others such as 2022 point guard <strong>Cam Bush</strong>, 2020 guard <strong>Stephon Marcano</strong> and 2023 guard <strong>Cam Sparrow</strong> are all newcomers who are trying to find their niche in order to help New Town protect their Baltimore County title.</p> <p><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><strong>Goretti's new faces</strong></span></p> <p>The Gaels are largely going to depend on their returners from last season, more specifically 2020 forward<strong> Matt Rogers</strong> (American commit) and 2020 guard <strong>Briggs McClain</strong> (Hartford commit). However, new faces such as 2022 <strong>Jordan Nkoa-Abessolo</strong>, 2022 <strong>Jordan Green</strong>, 2021 <strong>Viktor Stepanovski</strong> and 2021 <strong>Mark Statz</strong> will all fill big roles in the rotation. Nkoa-Abessolo is a 6-foot-4 forward who brings a physical presence with athelticism in the paint. The undersized forward is extremely active crashing the glass and shows promise as a finisher in the paint. Green is a 6-foot-5 forward that is raw skill wise, but certainly has the tools to be an impact player in future years. Statz is a 6-foot-4 wing who can space the floor with his outside shot and brings communication to the defensive side. Stepanovski is a high-IQ point guard who does a nice job of playing at his pace and not getting sped up. He won't try to do too much with the ball and always seems to make the right, simple play.</p>