Port Allen, 2024 F Aries Lewis shut door on Liberty Magnet, 47-40

[player_tooltip player_id='1218215' first='Aries' last='Lewis'] bumped and powered his way toward the goal, elevated through physical defense and a foul, got the basket to fall and let out a roar.   Then the junior forward snatched a steal in the lane on other end of the court to further spark a strong Port Allen finish that finally shut the door on visiting Liberty Magnet, 47-40.   Lewis followed with another impressive both-ends series a couple possessions later with an emphatic dunk on a long press-beating inbound and then his sixth blocked shot of the game to further punctuate the victory in the meeting of two of the best teams in not only the Baton Rouge area, but the state.   [player_tooltip player_id='1218215' first='Aries' last='Lewis'] (6'6" | 2024)   The junior was an absolute monster in the final two minutes to help secure the victory, but he had played huge much of the night against the highly touted opponent with more depth of front-court size. Lewis blocked two shots early, was a focal point on offense and led all players in rebounding for most of the first half. He finished with game highs of 19 points and six blocked shots, as well as eight rebounds and two steals. The long, lean athlete said he his proud of how much more polished his game is as a junior as compared to his sophomore season. And Lewis was able to showcase some of that develop not only with his post moves, but his confidence in his jump shot spotting up from beyond the arc or off a dribble at the elbow.   <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-embed-handler wp-block-embed-embed-handler wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://www.youtube.com/embed/yJbV48wNV7M </div></figure>   Isaiah Howard (6'3" | 2023)   The senior point guard's own clutch play was critical in retaking the lead entering the fourth quarter and providing a steady ball-handler and perimeter balance to Lewis late as the Pelicans closed out the win. The creative passer sought out his teammates early en route to a game-high eight assists and had just a one-handed tip-back rebound to his point total at halftime. But he finished with nine points thanks to three quick, slippery drives through traffic to the basket — including the go-ahead bucket in the final seconds of the third quarter and another with killer instinct in the final minutes to stretch the margin to seven. And the tall, solidly built guard led all players with nine rebounds, blocked a shot and swiped a steal.   <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-embed-handler wp-block-embed-embed-handler wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://www.youtube.com/embed/KCaxx97PsuY </div></figure>   [player_tooltip player_id='1273359' first='Elliot' last='McQuillan'] (6'3" | 2023)   The senior combo guard got on the scoreboard with back-to-back 3-pointers to lead a nice run to open the second quarter and added two more shots from beyond the arc, including a quick-release, fading jumper in the corner off an inbound. McQuillan finished with 14 points, seven rebounds, three assists and three steals.   <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-embed-handler wp-block-embed-embed-handler wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://www.youtube.com/embed/eusSpr32o-g </div></figure>   Malek Robertson (5'8" | 2025)   The sophomore guard didn't shy away from attacking the goal despite the shot-blocking presence of Lewis, and his aggressive play was critical for the Patriots as they battled to get going early and mount a second-quarter run to take the lead. Robertson finished with eight points, six steals and four rebounds   [player_tooltip player_id='1408867' first='Jaylen' last='Peters'] (6'5" | 2024)   The junior forward was Liberty's most physical presence inside, using his big body to battle for post position for six points, six rebounds a blocked shot and a steal.   [player_tooltip player_id='1105591' first='Howard' last='Gaskins'] Jr. (6'2" | 2024)   The veteran guard got off to a slow start offensively as Robertson led the charge, but gradually took the reins, particularly late as the Patriots tried to fight back. Gaskins finished with 16 points, three rebounds, two steals and an assist.

Aries Lewis Aries Lewis 6'6" | SF Port Allen | 2024 State LA bumped and powered his way toward the goal, elevated through physical defense and a foul, got the basket to fall and let out a roar.