SEPA Saturday State Tourney Standouts

With a slew of PIAA State Tournament Quarterfinal games taking place on Saturday night, gyms all over southeastern Pennsylvania were buzzing with hoops action.

Below is review of seven players who posted standout performances during Saturday’s state tourney quarterfinal contests.

Mike Bednostin – 6’10” / Senior / Trinity / Team PA/ Power Forward: With opponents often focused on stopping Trinity guard Owen Schlager Owen Schlager 6'3" | CG Trinity | 2025 State PA , Bednostin is provided with room to operate on the interior. Last night Bednostin took advantage of that space and frequent size mismatches as he posted 19 points along with 14 boards. The last of his points came on the game winner in OT (A nicely executed reverse pivot, then up and through move.), as Trinity defeated defending 3A champion Devon Prep in the quarterfinals. Bednostin is an uncommitted 2023 who has put his name on the recruiting map during the state tourney.

Jalil Bethea Jalil Bethea 6'4" | SG Archbishop Wood | 2024 State #91 Nation PA – 6’4” / Junior / Archbishop Wood / Team Final EYBL / Shooting Guard: Bethea (24 pts. on 3 triples in 2^nd Rd) is already one of the top ranked prospects in Pennsylvania. Last night in the 6A quarterfinals he pushed his recruiting stock higher still. On Saturday he again splashed 3 triples and scored at will in the half-court on his way to 31 points. His athleticism and lateral quickness enable Bethea to create open looks in a blink of an eye. Needles to say that is an extremely impressive asset. Bethea holds numerous offers including ones from Miami, Villanova, UCLA, and Rutgers.

Adam “Budd” Clark – 5’9” / Senior / West Catholic / Philly Pride National / Point Guard: In his first game since reopening his recruiting (previously committed to Coppin State), the fastest end to end point guard in the region put on a show. During West Catholic’s 3A quarterfinal win over Executive Education Clark poured in 28 points, pulled in 8 rebounds, and swiped 5 steals. An underrated part of his game is that while he plays with extreme pace, Clark rarely commits a turnover. College coaches should once again be all over the kid.

Zuri Harris Zuri Harris 5'11" | CG Coatesville | 2024 State PA – 5’11″ / Junior / Coatesville / Team Final Red / Combo Guard: Last night Harris did all he could — 19 points (2 threes) — to help Coatesville pull off an upset against Archbishop Wood in the 6A quarterfinals. Unfortunately, his 3-point shooting and fast break buckets were not enough to overcome a stacked Wood lineup. As a bonus to his point production, Harris in a tenacious on-ball defender.

Shareef Jackson Shareef Jackson 6'7" | PF Roman Catholic | 2025 State PA – 6’8″ / Sophomore / Roman Catholic / NJ Scholars Elite / Power Forward: The #1 sophomore in our 2025 rankings was a man amongst boys on the interior during Roman’s 6A quarterfinal win over Parkland. On Saturday night. Jackson (3^rd Team ALL-PCL) did not miss a single FGA as notched 19 points. Jackson shot bunnies in defenders’ eyes, scored off pick-n-roll action and bullied his way to the rim for finishes over his shoulder. Additionally, on several offensive rebounds, Jackson displayed a nice touch around the rim as he was able to convert with either hand. Jackson holds several DI offers.

Jacob Nguyen Jacob Nguyen 6'3" | SG Spring Ford | 2025 State PA – 6’3” / Sophomore / Spring Ford / Philly Pride National / Shooting Guard: On Saturday night Nguyen’s automatic three-point shooting continued in the 6A quarterfinals as he popped 4 triples on his way to 22 points. Last night was the second game during the state tourney that Nguyen has knocked home 4 triples. He also hit a few mid-range jumpers in SF’s quarterfinal win over State College.

Ruben Rodriguez Ruben Rodriguez 6'2" | PG Reading | 2023 State PA – 6’1” / Senior / Reading / Team Final EYBL & TF Red / Combo Guard: Saturday night Rodriguez (Rider commit) was a key art of Reading’s suffocating defense that produced an avalanche of turnovers. Those turnovers allowed Rodriguez and his teammates to get out in transition for easy buckets. Combine those lay-ins, with 2 triples as well as numerous stop-n-pop jumpers and at the final buzzer last night Rodriguez had posted 27 points. Reading now moves on to the 6A semifinals.