Class 1A Final Four Standouts

On Tuesday evening, four of the finalists in Class 1A battled it out for the final two slots in the championship game that will be held on Friday evening at The Xfinity Center. Lake Clifton got the night started with a dominant 59-29 victory over Cambridge-South Dorchester. In the second matchup, Edmonson-Westside snuck by Patterson Mill by a final score of 47-42. It’ll be a Baltimore City vs Baltimore City bout for the state title. Lake Clifton won the previous two meetings, one of which came in the Baltimore City Championship game. Quinton Monroe | Lake Clifton ’23 Monroe came out firing and struggled to find his target in the first quarter, but once his first triple dropped, the floodgates opened as the 6-foot-3 guard went on to score a game-high 25 points in the win. He’d go on to knock down five three’s total while mixing in a few drives as a result of wild closeouts from defenders. Cambridge struggled to guard Lake Clifton in man-to-man, so when they switched to zone they were hoping to find an answer on the defensively end. Monroe crushed those hopes with his ability to make himself available in open windows and be shot-ready on his catches. <a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2022/03/IMG-7684.jpg"><img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-1405282" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2022/03/IMG-7684-300x225.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="225" /></a> [player_tooltip player_id="1305161" first="Myles" last="McDuffie"] | Lake Clifton ’22 The Lakers got off to a slow start offensively and only led 11-9 after the first eight minutes of play. It was McDuffie who kept their head above water by supplying energy defensively. Once Lake Clifton started to apply a press, McDuffie had active hands that caused deflections and run-out opportunities where McDuffie could use his athleticism for finishes above the rim. McDuffie recorded 15 points to follow up Monroe in the victory. Dario Belizaire | Cambridge-South Dorchester ’22 Every year in state tournament play we see a lesser known program take on a powerhouse. It’s a shock to the system just because they aren’t used to facing teams of that caliber and that was the case for Cambridge on Tuesday evening. Belizaire was the bright spot though, as he scored 15 points, all of which came from beyond the arc. Lake Clifton’s defense was swarming, so it didn’t give him much time on the catch to set himself, but Belizaire showcased a smooth and confident stroke from deep. A dual-sport standout, he’s likely to use his talented on the gridiron to play at the next level. Garren Edmonds | Edmondson ’22<a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2022/03/IMG-7692.jpg"><img class="size-medium wp-image-1405283 alignright" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2022/03/IMG-7692-300x225.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="225" /></a> Although it was a close game, there was no real flow to it on the offensive end for either team. Edmondson tried to speed up the pace with their trap defense to get out in the open floor, but when they were forced to stay in a half-court setting, it was Edmonds who was most effective finding openings in the defense around the perimeter where he let it fly. He connected on four three’s total and finished with a team-high 15 points. The 6-foot-3 guard’s outside shooting will be crucial in the championship game against Lake Clifton. Kyrie Sherrod | Edmondson ’24 There may not be a more confident sophomore in Baltimore City, at least that’s how it seemed when he came off the bench firing any somewhat open look that he had. While he didn’t finish with a great shooting percentage, he was the other offensive presence for the Red Storm with nine points. Sherrod will need to find his mark early if Edmondson wants to stay close with Lake Clifton this evening. Will Pape | Patterson Mill ’23 Pape is the ultimate hustle guy who is a low-maintenance offensive player. A standout on the lacrosse field, he was tremendous off the ball as a cutter and as teammates found him, he was effective at welcoming contact at the rim through finishes. His game-high 17 points came on minimal dribbles and he crashed the glass with relentless effort. Tyree Wilson | Patterson Mill ’22 Wilson was another high-energy guy for the Huskies and also brought some size and length at 6-foot-4 to a game that lacked true inside size. Early on, Wilson was thriving on catches in the corner where he’d drive baseline and use his athleticism to finish at the rim. It seemed like every time Patterson Mill was making their runs, it was due to a play from Wilson that helped ignite the hometown faithful. Late in the game though, Wilson got caught on multiple occasions trying to overdribble through Edmondson’s press and it resulted in turnovers.