2029 Standouts at the MADC Ballers Classic

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The first to games of the annual Ballers Classic featured some of the top rising 9th graders from Delaware and Maryland. Here's how things went down and who made an imprint on the games:</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>DE South 47, MD South 42 </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>DE North 71, MD PG County 40</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='2812230' first='Ayden' last='Davis'] | 2029 Delaware North </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>An energetic combo guard, Davis was extremely active on the glass and in transition. He went on an 8-0 run of his own in the third quarter. In that stretch, he knocked down a three, made an and-one lay up, then drove for another lay. 10 points &amp; 6 rebounds </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Latavian Douglas | 2029 Maryland South </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The forward from Pocomoke got active inside the arc for MD South. Carving out space around the basket or attacking from the elbow, he got high percentage looks in the first half. He also battled for boards and made impact plays on defense. 10 points and 6 rebounds </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Cameron Elligson | 2029 Maryland South</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Elligson made his presence felt on both ends and filled up the stat sheet. His commitment to cleaning the glass led to multiple transition baskets and second-chance opportunities. And his defense was even better, forcing turnovers and rejecting shots. 11 points, 11 rebounds, 2 steals, and 2 blocks </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Olaitan Olorungbohunmi | 2029 MD PG County </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A big and physical guard, Olorungbohunmi initiated contact on offense and defense. He used his play-strength to pull down boards for second-chance points and to start fastbreaks. His physicality as a defender stood out too, coming away with two steals. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='2767451' first='Zion' last='Rothwell'] | 2029 Delaware North </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The agile wing defended well in space as he walled off drivers. His lateral quickness and length helped him secure rebounds, deflect passes and erase shots as he flashed moments of dominance, athletically. Rothwell used those nimble feet to create different finishing angles at the rim as well. 15 points, 10 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals, 3 blocks. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='2813293' first='Justice' last='Smith'] | 2029 Delaware South </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Smith's event creation moved the needle for the DE South squad. He flew around on defense, altering shots and intercepting passes with his rotations. He chipped in offensively too with a face-up drive from the elbow and a putback. 6 points, 8 rebounds, 2 steals, and 3 blocks</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='2767447' first='Brae' last='Sosa'] | 2029 Delaware North </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Sosa's jumper was warm from the get-go, hitting threes from the corner and the wing in the first half. After that, he turned the heat on defense, using his quick hands to swipe the ball away from opposing guards. Sosa also orchestrated offense for DE North to get everyone involved, while still getting buckets for himself. 14 points, 3 assists, 4 steals</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='2813295' first='Ahmad' last='Sudler'] | 2029 Delaware South </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>With his flashy handle in open space, Sudler was a threat to make things happen every time he touched the ball. On separate occasions, he drove the length of floor, swerving around defenders, and finished at the rim with craft. The big guard was as athletic as he was skilled, coming away with 4 stocks. 11 rebounds, 3 steals, 1 block</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Honorable Mention:</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:list --> <ul class="wp-block-list"><!-- wp:list-item --> <li>Joaquim Francisco | 2029 MD PGC</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>[player_tooltip player_id='2813296' first='Curtis' last='Hinton'] | 2029 DE South </li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>[player_tooltip player_id='2813294' first='Tyson' last='Johnson'] | 2029 DE South </li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>[player_tooltip player_id='2818415' first='Jalen' last='Littlejohn'] | 2029 DE North</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>Aarian Tucker | 2029 MD South </li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>[player_tooltip player_id='2767455' first='Khaleef' last='Wilson'] | 2029 DE North</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->