Last Week's Top Guards

21p 12r 2a 5s 1b vs North County   -If I had to pick a prospect the most primed for a breakout spring and summer in the DMV, it would be the sophomore floor general out of Meade HS. Named to both the all-league and all-county rosters last year as a freshman while starting every game he has played in a Meade uniform, Scott is one of the smoothest players in the area with the ball in his hands. Scott finished with a 21-point 12-rebound double double in an OT win over North County, picking his spots to score and distribute while constantly breaking down his matchup before getting to his spots in both the halfcourt and in transition. He started out the game with a coast to coast layup, used a reverse pivot and spin to get downhill from the corner to lay it up off glass, and came down with a big rebound to give his team the ball with 12 seconds left after drawing the foul at the other end and tying the game with a made free throw. His ability to create his own shot around the elbows makes it difficult for defenders to sit in the paint to deter his drives to the rim, and he's a willing passer that sees the floor well whether it's off the catch or on the move. Expect to see a big leap from him in the rankings if he can continue leading the Mustangs down the stretch in postseason play.     [player_tooltip player_id='2453729' first='Jonah' last='Hall'] ‘26 South River   12p 7r 5a 3s vs North County   -Hall is proving that he is more than a shooter this season, chipping into the paint to steal rebounds in traffic and creating well for teammates when opposing guards close out hard on him on the perimeter out of respect for his shooting prowess. Hall hit a driving layup and made the ensuing FT to give his team a 3-point play the old-fashioned way, high-pointed a rebound with nice touch to score on a putback, and hit two kickout threes in transition to help his team come back in this matchup with an AA County foe. The son of a coach, if he continues to grow (father is 3-4 inches taller) and develop his skillset-- college coaches will begin to take notice.     11p 11r 4a 6s vs North County   -Wasn't even his best game but McDuffie still finished with a double-double with rebounds as a PG and added in a combined 10 assists and steals to keep his team in the game. He's picking his moments to score while mixing in his play-making responsibilities for a South River team that really relies on its 3-point shooting after graduating most of their frontcourt depth from last year's AA Championship team. Best string of plays came in the 3Q as part of a SR run that brought them all the way back from 17 down to as few as 4. McDuffie got a steal and laid it in off glass after finding a teammate for a wing 3 on the previous possession, jumped to a long rebound to lay it in off the window, and stole away a rebound from an opposing big before going coast to coast for the layup in traffic at the other end. If he can mix in more paint touches to take advantage of his athleticism and break up shooting slumps to get him back into an offensive rhythm, the sky is the limit for the junior guard.     -Showed the full skillset without dominating the ball or playing much down the stretch in a road win over Calvert Hall. Able's quickness and ball-handling progression since the end of his sophomore HS season has pushed him from a wing to a guy that can play 1-3 for the Patriots and maybe even some small ball 4. Able jumped a passing lane to snag the steal before hitting the high pickup euro step to maneuver around the defense and lay the ball in. Able had a great skip pass to the corner shooter from the opposite elbow, and is moving much better to guard multiple positions for his team. His feel for when to move the ball and when to score really makes the offense go as his perimeter shooting forces opponents to account for him at all times.     -Somehow the Cougars are quietly sitting at 22-3 behind a defense bolstered by a backcourt that has really ratcheted up their defensive pressure. Wilson has continued to add to his value as a prospect by using a +5.5" wing span to poke out steals on the ball, pick off steals and force deflections off the ball, and chip in as a rebounder to extend possessions for OLMC. A great leaper that is consistently putting up 15-19 a night over the past month, Wilson's recruitment should really start to pick up this spring in postseason play and the beginning of AAU as he continue's to prove his value as a 2-way prospect that can play either guard spot.       17p 4s vs North County    -Finn's jumper took a quarter and a half to heat up but he proved his value as a 3+D guard that can be successful without having plays run for him in the halfcourt. His ability to play in the gaps defensively and see cutters out of his peripherals allows him to be in the right spot to snag several steals that break up opponents' scoring runs. Loved the grit to sneak into the midpost to grab his own miss on a 3 point jumper, kick to a teammate, and relocated to drill a 3 that cut the NC lead to 8 after the Seahawks trailed by 17+ for most of the 1H. Want to see him put on a bit more upper body weight and mix in drives to the paint or even to a 1 or 2-dribble pull-up to make the defense pay for chasing him off the 3 point line.