VA Live Friday Standouts

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>SPRINGFIELD, VA -- VA Live kicked off at The St. James on Friday night. Here are some standouts I observed during my time in the gym. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Abe Halim - Patriot</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Halim was a game-changer on both ends of the court for Patriot during their win over Marshall in the afternoon. He's a responsible defender both on and off the ball. Halim is known to be a threat from three but showed no fear when attacking the basket.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Ralph Martino - Friendship Collegiate</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Was there a more explosive finisher in the gym than Martino on Friday? Probably not. The 6'6” guard had some magnificent dunks in traffic.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Omar Phillips - Marshall&nbsp;</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Marshall was forced to play back-to-back games on Friday, but Phillips was ready for the challenge. He's a taller guard who impacts winning in a number of ways. Phillips is a good rebounder for his position and was aggressive in manufacturing offense for his team.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Andy Ramirez - Hayfield</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Ramirez keeps adding new elements to his game each time I see him. He initially stood out as a defender and hustle guy, but has developed confidence as a shooter and a leader. Ramirez is a sneaky-good athlete who competes defensively and can finish at the rim in a crowd.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1580611' first='Kye' last='Robinson'] - Alexandria City</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Robinson's strength and scoring prowess were on full display throughout his team's hard-fought win over Forest Park to kick off the evaluation period. At the start of the game, he set the tone by scoring 10 first-quarter points and iced it down the stretch with two clutch free throws which he followed up by drawing an on-ball charge.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1410534' first='Jordan' last='Scott'] - South Lakes</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Scott is known as one of the better shooters in the state but showed that he can still make his presence felt even when his shot is not falling. This was an impressive performance during which he displayed immense toughness and versatility to go along with his traditionally sound fundamentals.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1259547' first='Kennard' last='Wyche Jr.'] - Varina</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Wyche was dynamic for Varina during their decisive win over B-CC this evening. The skilled lead guard was relentless offensively. Wyche shot it well from the perimeter and attacked the basket aggressively.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->