Mayhem on Military: Saturday's Headlines

Mayhem on Military has become the mark of the beginning of the high school season in the DMV over the past few years. This year was no different as Marc Stern from Capitol Hoops put together a loaded schedule over the course of the weekend to prepare fans for the year ahead.   Let's break down the headlines from a packed Saturday.   Highland begins the day with a win over Friendship Tech   The action got started at 10am where Highland (VA) faced off against Friendship Tech Prep (DC). Highland came into this one with a 2-0 record collecting two wins playing host in their own event over Miller School (VA) and Broughton (NC). Head coach Logan Miller has this young roster playing with cohesion early and when 2027 [player_tooltip player_id='2353606' first='Amani' last='Asare'] is setting the tempo as the floor general like he was Saturday, good things happen. The southpaw engineered his team to a 57-45 win behind 17 points and four rebounds. 2028 [player_tooltip player_id='2548181' first='Isaiah' last='Carter'] followed with an efficient 13 points and five rebounds on 4-of-7 shooting and getting the majority of his looks from timely cuts or lifts.   2026 [player_tooltip player_id='1782661' first='Malik' last='Shackleford'] led the effort for Prep Tech with a game-high 24 points and four rebounds. Coming out of the halftime intermission, head coach Dwayne Shackleford mixed up his defensive strategy and sparked some energy within his team with a full court trapping press that generated some early turnovers. Highland settled in and capitalized off some easy looks at the rim breaking the press, but the Titans' persistence helped fuel a run in the fourth to cut the lead to single-digits. 2028 Cayden Morrison also caught my eye as a sophomore with some toughness and ability   Bullis escapes in overtime   It took an extra four minutes to decide the rock fight between Bullis (MD) and Jackson-Reed (DC). The Tigers benefitted off physical, scrappy defense to get Bullis' underclassmen off their spots and cause some interruption in flow offensively early on, but as the game slowed down in the fourth quarter, Bruce Kelley's group saw some shots that wouldn't drop in the first half finally go in their favor to gain control.   The No. 1 ranked prospect in our 2028 rankings, [player_tooltip player_id='2194788' first='Xavier' last='Skipworth'], backed his status to a tune of 24 points and seven rebounds while manning much of the half court offense. 2028 KJ McLinton showed why he's a name to watch closely moving forward as a lead guard with size, twitch, and feel playing off the bounce. He'd register eight points and pull down nine rebounds in the win.   It was fun watching this Tigers' team compete despite coming up short. 2027 [player_tooltip player_id='2327613' first='Averi' last='Knight'] is primed for stock-rising junior season and this game was a good indication of it. He consistently got downhill and knifed through any weak side defenders who rotated in time to either finish through them or around them with a euro-step. Knight led Jackson-Reed with 20 points, five rebounds, three assists, and three steals. 2027 [player_tooltip player_id='2623334' first='Lane' last='Mahan']'s long-range shooting came into play as the Tigers made a run late. He's a lethal threat off the catch and did a nice job of quickly setting his feet coming off pin downs to ensure balance on the release. Mahan followed Knight with 15.   Meeks wills DeMatha past Mount Carmel   2026 DeMatha (MD) guard Ace Meeks has plenty of big time scoring performances under his belt since entering high school and he added another to the list on Saturday as the 6-foot guard exploded for 24 points including six trey's in their 62-58 win. Trailing for the majority of regulation, the Stags maintained striking distance and when the opportunity presented itself late in the fourth quarter, Meeks converted on a three followed by a steal and breakaway lay-up to shift the momentum. Meeks got his shots up early and often. Although he struggled to find his mark early on, his unwavering confidence is what makes him the game-changing type of shooter that he showed in this win. 2027 [player_tooltip player_id='2353578' first='Daniel' last='Abass'] contributed in a big way as well. The 6-foot-7 forward finished with 15 points and seven rebounds while showcasing his soft touch from the mid-range and in pick-and-pop situations at the top of the key.   For Mount Carmel (MD), 2026 [player_tooltip player_id='1782668' first='Tristen' last='Wilson'] (Holy Cross commit) and 2027 [player_tooltip player_id='2454529' first='Junior' last='Mancho'] led the scoring punch as they both finished with 15 points a piece. An important note for the Cougars was the return of 2027 Samartine Hill, who'd been sidelined with a knee injury for the past few months. Although he was on a limit restriction, Hill looked to have some pep in his step that should offer some optimism moving forward. As for Wilson, he took on more of the playmaking responsibilities and looked good in spurts. Along with his 15 points, he dished out four dimes and had four steals.   McNamara's talent flashes in highlight fashion   Around the DMV, it's no secret that Bishop McNamara (MD) has a strong case to have the most talented roster on paper from top to bottom. Making sure the talent blossoming into winning basketball will be the formula that head coach Jay Gavin and his staff attempt to solve this season. They began on a high note with a win over Winston Salem Christian(NC) by a final score of 72-63. McNamara had a stranglehold on the scoreboard for much of the game, but fought off a couple of runs in the second half to maintain control.   To little surprise, 2026 [player_tooltip player_id='1782660' first='Qayden' last='Samuels'] led the way with 22 points while hauling in eight rebounds. He operated well in the mid-post taking advantage of his size against smaller defenders and making life hard for them to get a clean contest on his fallaway jumpers that resulted in nothing but net. 2027 [player_tooltip player_id='2353528' first='Kirby' last='Duran'] is one of the more potent long-range shooters in the area and tonight was a good example of why he has earned such a title. The 6-foot-1 combo guard scored 16 points while converting on 4-of-6 from beyond the arc.   Winston Salem was led by 2026 Bradley Floyd (Austin Peay) and 2027 Josiah Johnson Freeman as both finished with 18 points a piece. Floyd was well-balanced in his scoring attack as he was a presence from multiple levels. Johnson Freeman spent his time getting out in transition running the lanes wide or spotting up in the corners while others created for him in drive-and-kick fashion for spot-ups.   Paul VI dominates Father Judge   In one of the more anticipated matchups of the day, PVI (VA) set an immediate tone for how the remainder of the game was going to unfold. It resulted in a 50-point drudging as the Panthers would beat the traveling PCL program by a final score of 90-50.   2026 five-star PVI guard [player_tooltip player_id='1782696' first='Jordan' last='Smith Jr.'] put forth one of the most dominant, two-way performances that I've seen out of a sub 6-foot-4 guard. At half, Smith was tied individually with Father Judge as a team as both had 17 points. He'd go on to finish with 23 for the game as his night ended early due to the lead, but still boasted a loaded stat line of 23 points, eight rebounds, and seven assists. 2027 [player_tooltip player_id='2194710' first='Brian' last='Mitchell Jr.'] continues to emerge as a secondary scorer next to Smith and he answered the call tonight in his regular season debut with 22 points (3/5 3P) and seven boards. FGCU commit Turk brown finished with a double-double of 12 points and 11 assists while controlling the pace.   St. John's (DC) balance prevails   The hosting Cadets faced off against Archbishop Spalding (MD) in the final game of the night and in a matchup that featured several of the highly-touted 2027 and 2028 prospects in the DMV, it was St. John's balance throughout their five players who would reach double-figures and prove to be too much for the Cavs as they'd go on to win 71-65.   2028 [player_tooltip player_id='2524394' first='Kareem' last='Smith-Bey'] is a prospect to watch closely this season as his skill, frame, and overall strength has really developed over the last 4-to-6 months. Known as one of the premiere defenders in the area regardless of class, Smith-Bey's defensive tools were on display throughout along with his above the rim finishing in transition as he'd lead St. John's with a game-high 20 points. His shot wasn't falling like it usually does, but it was good to see his activity level remain high on both ends despite the fact. Another St. John's product who I'd bet on long-term is 2027 [player_tooltip player_id='2353547' first='Jymin' last='Veney']. The 6-foot-3 combo guard steps into a bigger role as a playmaker this season and looks well equipped to perform as both a scorer and creator. He'd follow Smith-Bey with 18 points and a handful of rebounds in the win. 2026 [player_tooltip player_id='1782593' first='Zyion' last='Chase'] scored 12, 2027 [player_tooltip player_id='2353549' first='Jordan' last='Taylor'] finished with 11 points and seven rebounds while the always steady 2026 point guard [player_tooltip player_id='1969210' first='Geremy' last='Clark'] scored 10.   2028 [player_tooltip player_id='2715192' first='Nash' last='Avery'] was the key for Spalding in this one. He tapped into his explosive athleticism around the rim to force fouls from St. John's defenders and as a result, nine of his team-high 16 came from the charity stripe. He shot just seven field goals on the night and took advantage on a couple occasions where he punished the rim. 2026 [player_tooltip player_id='2252281' first='Moe' last='Lonergan'] came through in the second half to keep matter close with his floor-spacing. Nine of his 14 points came from beyond the arc while the other couple of buckets came in transition on runouts. Newly minted Army commit [player_tooltip player_id='1782656' first='TJ' last='Moultrie'] followed with 12 and five assists.

Mayhem on Military has become the mark of the beginning of the high school season in the DMV over the past few years. This year was no different as Marc Stern from Capitol Hoops put together a loaded schedule over the course of the weekend to prepare fans for the year ahead.