MIAA Playoffs: Prelims & 1st Round Recap

I went to three MIAA (Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association) playoff games this past week. On Monday 2/24 Division 5 #27 Maynard handed #38 McCann Tech a 63-27 loss. Tuesday 2/25 Division 1 #30 Cambridge Rindge & Latin played #35 Algonquin Regional giving them a 62-50 loss. Algonquin has athletic players and gave Cambridge a couple close calls especially in the 3rd quarter going on a 7-0 run getting as close as 6. Then Thursday 2/27 Division 1 #24 Boston Latin upset #9 Winchester. Boston Latin and Winchester went back and forth all night. I saw Boston Latin early in the year against Waltham but, they were without Yakun Fiin and Evan Dalmanieras the 6'6" tight end on the Latin football team. Evan is an athletic player who defends well and disrupted Winchester's, big [player_tooltip player_id='2818608' first='Carson' last='Sarpong']'s shots all night long with his length. Latin won 53-51 and a very well defended game by both teams.    He is truly special as he moves with ease. The ball rarely gets stolen while dribbling, leading a very high assist to turnover ratio. He can keep a play alive even when there is hardly any offensive movement and deliver a spectacular play in the end. His handles and endurance led to finishing at the rim numerous times. Gets by defenders, beating them with a quick crossover or simply getting downhill with his explosiveness. He can rise up and shoot with a pure smooth stroke on different defenders. He processes the game speed and defenders with ease leading to great decisions when a two on one presents itself.   <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://twitter.com/jayjohnson88/status/1895294603554890040 </div></figure>     He can elevate and knock down shots, gets his feet set quick to generate a quick release. He gets to the paint with ease, has a nice spin move that is tight. Can finish in various ways such as up fake, step through one dribble pull up mid-range, finish with his off-hand or in traffic. Smart decision maker to play for a higher quality shot making the extra pass or taking the better shot option himself. I love his use of shot fakes getting defenders to blow by. He is athletic able to read the offensive player's eyes and able to create turnovers. He is a lean frame but stays balanced.   <a href="https://twitter.com/jayjohnson88/status/1895298604623110330">https://twitter.com/jayjohnson88/status/1895298604623110330</a>     Continues to amaze me how crafty, shifty this player is. He is ready for the big stage someday as he continues to make big plays in big games for his team. He is very elusive with the ball, getting by defenders on the way to the basket having the knowledge when to make a jumper. He makes tough shot after tough shot and forces the defense to overcommit to playing him leaving other players open. He is impressive leading his team in both of the games I saw in rebounds and, for his size, a great attribute to his endless effort to achieve greatness.       <a href="https://twitter.com/jayjohnson88/status/1895298604623110330">https://twitter.com/jayjohnson88/status/1895298604623110330</a>     He does a great job leading this team by controlling the game. He is a high IQ player and knows when to attack the basket, or takes a deeper shot or control the clock when up. He is athletic and tough as can be. A true scorer that can elevate over defenders, finish through contact, makes difficult shots and even hit a deep shot. A great physique who can fill up the stat sheet. If I was a college coach I would make a trip to see this kid live. I project him playing for a D3 school in college with a high upside, who will work on his outside shooting to make him a better player, he presents himself as a worker and a kid who will grind.   <a href="https://twitter.com/jayjohnson88/status/1894580592810823858">https://twitter.com/jayjohnson88/status/1894580592810823858</a>     A Junior Captain so you know he has leadership qualities. This player can shoot off the catch, off the bounce or slide step defenders. Two things that were impressive was his step back jumper three and then in the 4th quarter hit a momentum shifting three at the 5:30 minute mark left in the game. He is a glue guy that can handle the ball to take pressure off the starting point guard. He moves well in the offense, knowing how to create spacing and coming back to the ball to alleviate pressure on the ball.   <a href="https://twitter.com/jayjohnson88/status/1894575362874490975">https://twitter.com/jayjohnson88/status/1894575362874490975</a>     Can get red hot and is a scorer. He has the ability to score at all three levels. IQ wise knows the game with variety of dribbling moves especially changing tempo with a hesi. Situational awareness slows the game down wasting clock when team is up late in game. Finishing wise has the tools as well to keep the ball on the outside arm fully extended to avoid a blocked shot. A captain on this talented Cambridge team. A quarterback on the Cambridge football team getting D3 football offers.     <a href="https://twitter.com/jayjohnson88/status/1894575362874490975">https://twitter.com/jayjohnson88/status/1894575362874490975</a>     He is athletic, high upside and excited how he finishes his high school career. He can score in multiple ways either deep or through contact. He rebounds well by tagging players and observing the trajectory of the basketball. With a team full of guards when giving the chance makes quality passes understanding when there is a high-quality shot on the floor. This player will most likely be a D3 prospect but can rise his stock over the next year.   <a href="https://twitter.com/jayjohnson88/status/1894575362874490975">https://twitter.com/jayjohnson88/status/1894575362874490975</a>     An athlete playing varsity baseball as well. Creates his own shots driving or off moves in the paint, works hard to get open for catch and shoot. He is a Top 2 scorer on this Algonquin team and is capable going for 20 a night. He got 15 in the 2nd half against Cambridge. He works hard on both ends of the floor hustling on fast breaks, drawing fouls on the offensive end while finishing at the rim and getting deflections on the defensive end. A D3 prospect if he wanted to play at the next level for a college.   <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://twitter.com/jayjohnson88/status/1894577394280759727 </div></figure>     Clearly one of the best athletes on this McCann team, while playing varsity soccer and baseball as well. A scorer who creates his own shots, has a quick release. Works uber hard on both ends of the floor to give his team a fighting chance to win games. This kid rebounds well for size even having 5 offensive rebounds. He competes, plays unselfishly and is coachable. He cares about the game giving everything he has as I observed his body language.   <a href="https://twitter.com/jayjohnson88/status/1894209217365467397">https://twitter.com/jayjohnson88/status/1894209217365467397</a>     Could end being a 1000-point scorer for this team as he had a team high 16 points. A sprinter on the outdoor track team. Has great hands in traffic when receiving the ball. I was pleasantly surprised with his footwork as he plays big on this smaller sized team. He had a few moves to score with his spin and up and under. Great understanding when to put the ball up for either a quicker shot or to make a timely move. Defensively got a couple of steals and runs the floor well for his teammates to find him.       <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://twitter.com/jayjohnson88/status/1894206736954777845 </div></figure>

I went to three MIAA (Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association) playoff games this past week. On Monday 2/24 Division 5 #27 Maynard handed #38 McCann Tech a 63-27 loss. Tuesday 2/25 Division 1 #30 Cambridge Rindge & Latin played #35 Algonquin Regional giving them a 62-50 loss. Algonquin has athletic players and gave Cambridge a couple close calls especially in the 3rd quarter going on a 7-0 run getting as close as 6. Then Thursday 2/27 Division 1 #24 Boston Latin upset #9 Winchester. Boston Latin and Winchester went back and forth all night. I saw Boston Latin early in the year against Waltham but, they were without Yakun Fiin and Evan Dalmanieras the 6'6" tight end on the Latin football team. Evan is an athletic player who defends well and disrupted Winchester's, big Carson Sarpong Carson Sarpong 6'7" | C Winchester | 2026 State New E 's shots all night long with his length. Latin won 53-51 and a very well defended game by both teams.