MLK Weekend Guard Matchups to Watch

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The middle of January is here as Martin Luther King Jr. Weekend is here. The matchups over the weekend are filled with good guard matchups that will impact the course of the game. Here are the guard matchups to keep an eye on this weekend.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>St. Joseph (Hamm.) vs. Hammonton: [player_tooltip player_id='1788762' first='Will' last='Spross']-[player_tooltip player_id='1949287' first='Kenny' last='Smith']</strong></h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The battle for Hammonton will be one to watch as Spross and Smith should put on a show. The former has a crafty handle, which he uses to beat his defender off the bounce and make plays once he gets in the lane. Spross can finish in a variety of ways around the basket and has a good release on his jumper. Smith attacks the basket with a purpose as he finishes through contact and plays good on-ball defense. Spross and Smith should put on a show as they look to come out of the game with a victory.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>Colonia vs. Elizabeth: [player_tooltip player_id='1595674' first='Aiden' last='Derkack']-[player_tooltip player_id='1153987' first='London' last='Carson']</strong></h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Derkack also has the potential to play on the wing, which makes his matchup with Carson more interesting to watch. The lanky 6'6 guard has a good first step, which he uses to beat his defender off the bounce and can finish above the rim. Carson explodes off the floor for dunks and can also make opponents pay for giving him space behind the arc. They are both strong rebounders and use their length to make an impact on the defensive end. Derkack and Carson are talented guard prospects who impact the game in a variety of ways.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>College Achieve Asbury Park vs. Ramapo: [player_tooltip player_id='1050395' first='Deuce' last='Jones']-[player_tooltip player_id='1153277' first='Peyton' last='Seals']</strong></h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Jones and Seals will be a guard matchup to watch as they have the potential to light up the scoreboard. The La Salle commit is electric with the ball in his hands as he uses his tight handle and quick first step to blow by his man and get to the rim. Jones can also find the open man in the halfcourt and shoots the ball with confidence from behind the arc. Seals can score at all three levels as the Princeton commit can finish through contact, score in the mid-range and knock down open jumpers from behind the arc. Jones and Seals will be a fun matchup to watch as they both look to give their teams key wins in mid-January.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>St. Joseph (Met.) vs. St. Benedict's: [player_tooltip player_id='1153956' first='Jeremy' last='Clayville']-[player_tooltip player_id='1411675' first='David' last='Johnson']</strong></h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Clayville will probably see different defenders in his matchup against the Gray Bees, but the matchup against Johnson is the most intriguing. The St. Francis (PA.) has a lightning quick release on his jumper and can knock down triples in bunches. Clayville is more than just a shooter as he can also score in the mid-range and can finish in a number of ways around the rim. Johnson has a quick first step, which he uses to blow by his defender and finish around the rim. He can also make opponents pay for giving him space behind the arc, making this matchup one to watch throughout the game.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>Union Catholic vs. Linden: [player_tooltip player_id='1411630' first='AJ' last='Altobelli']-[player_tooltip player_id='1213555' first='Nas' last='Robinson']</strong></h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A rematch of Opening night, Union Catholic and Linden should be an entertaining game, especially in the backcourt. Altobelli plays with composure on the ball as he's unafraid of taking big shots in crunch time and finds his teammates in the halfcourt. He uses his handle to create space off the bounce and finishes nicely around the rim. Robinson is dynamic with the ball in his hands as he uses his speed to blow by defenders and finish at the basket. He uses his quick hands to get deflections on defense, which will be key for Linden in their matchup against Union Catholic.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->