Class 4A Final Four: Parkville vs Gaithersburg Takeaways

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Wednesday evening in Upper Malboro, Maryland at Wise two of the top Class 4A programs in the state battled for a spot in Saturday's state championship game as Parkville took on Gaithersburg. The Knights won an earlier meeting at the Governor's Challenge in late December against Gaithersburg in overtime, but Gaithersburg was without the services of 2023 guard [player_tooltip player_id='1413494' first='Solomon' last='Mensah']. It was a battle throughout, but the end result was the same this time around as Parkville would go onto win by a final score of 71-58. Here, we'll check out some takeaways from the contest.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Legree continues to blossom</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>2024 Parkville point guard [player_tooltip player_id='1579098' first='Josiah' last='Legree'] remains one of the diamonds in the rough when it pertains to the Baltimore Metro area, but that won't last for long. The 6'0 lead guard has advanced feel for scoring and playmaking and that was evident throughout Wednesday's win. He routinely broke his man down off the bounce to get to his spots in the mid-range before converting tough shots with relative ease. He made last-second dimes as the defense collapsed and also rebounded the ball at a high rate for his position. Legree netted 21 points in his performance.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Bradford ends his high school career with a bang</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Despite coming up on the losing end, 2023 Gaithersburg combo guard [player_tooltip player_id='1362723' first='Ben' last='Bradford'] has no reason to hang his head. He put forth a tremendous senior campaign leading his team all year long as the primary offensive catalyst. He refused to go out easily in this one as shown by his 26-point outing. He used his length around the rim to score when Parkville played man defense and his creativity combined with his soft-touch jumper on quick pulls when they went zone. Bradford was responsible for leading the team in multiple categories all season long and did his job once again in this game. He'll have a bright future ahead of him.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Smith catches fire</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>It always seems like it's only a matter of time before 2023 Parkville senior guard [player_tooltip player_id='1413496' first='Caron' last='Smith'] leaves his imprint on the game. The sharpshooting guard helped ignite a big third quarter for his team by scoring nine of his 21 points in the frame. He drilled four triples for the game and while he missed a few wide open looks, Smith knocked them down as Gaithersburg attempted to claw their way into control of the game.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Mensah refused to be stopped</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>2023 Gaithersburg guard [player_tooltip player_id='1413494' first='Solomon' last='Mensah'] is an interesting prospect at 6'3. He has a strong frame that he uses to his advantage, but given the lack of size throughout his team's roster, he proposes mismatches as opposing bigs are usually assigned to guard him. Mensah was giving Parkville issues early and often from the top of the key where he'd use his burst off the back foot to get an edge on his defender before rising up and finishing around the rim. On the few occasions that his defender played off of him, Mensah knocked down a three and a few jumpers from 15 and in on his way to 16 points.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Parkville's next opponent</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Knights prepare to face Meade in the Class 4A state title game this Saturday evening at 8PM. This makes head coach Josh Czerski's third-straight final four appearance and his first appearance in a state championship game.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->