2025 Governor's Challenge Day One Notebook

<p>The 43rd annual Governor's Challenge began today in Salisbury, MD where four different sites will host slates of games throughout the next five days. The main site is the Wicomico Civic Center and for day one, I split my time between there and Wicomico High School and saw plenty of prospects with noteworthy performances that I included in the notebook below.</p>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='3270788' first='Andre' last='Collins Jr.'] impresses in opening game</h2>   <p>Crisfield (MD) defeated Polytech (DE) in the opening game of the event and it didn't take long for 2029 [player_tooltip player_id='3270788' first='Andre' last='Collins Jr.'] to show why he will be a name on our radar moving forward. The son of former Maryland and Loyola (MD) guard Andre Collins, who also spent several years overseas as a professional, Collins Jr. piled up a nice stat line of 24 points (8/12 FG), eight rebounds, four assists and three steals as he proved to be name that will remain on our radar moving forward.</p>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Seneca Valley bullies their way to win over Queen Anne's</h2>   <p>2026 [player_tooltip player_id='2981643' first='Ian' last='Bullie'] showed some signs this fall throughout The Challenge in October and continues to show why he should be a coveted Division III name locally. At 6-foot-7 with good length, Bullie was active in the paint on both ends as he boasted a stat line of 13 points, 18 rebounds, and four blocks. 2027 [player_tooltip player_id='2894117' first='Malachi' last='Delaware'] followed with 14 points and seven boards while [player_tooltip player_id='3072803' first='Tylei' last='Young'] registered 11 points, six boards, and three steals in the win.</p>   <p>2027 [player_tooltip player_id='3270831' first='Jared' last='Robinson'] caught my eye for the Lions, despite the loss. The 5-foot-11 shooting guard did a nice job of cashing in on a couple of early three's and then using the rest of the game attacking closeouts or making the smart extra pass as he demanded gravity. Robinson scored a game-high 18 point on 5-of-10 shooting from the field.</p>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='2954446' first='Khaled' last='Al-Mateen'] leads SEED to a win over Walkersville</h2>   <p>Al-Mateen is going to receive a massive boost in our rankings update set for Dec. 29 and for good reason. Not only did he prove himself last season helping lead the Sabers to a Class 1A title appearance, but he's only improved his scoring ability by way of efficiency as a senior. The 6-foot lead guard scored his 25 points on 12-of-18 from the floor in a 63-41 decision over Walkersville. He got to work quickly in the first half in face-up scenarios either from the wing or mid-post and got to his spots with relative ease before rising up over his defender and sinking jump shots. His mechanics from three look better as does his athleticism around the rim. Al-Mateen capped off his performance with two dunks.</p>   <p>2026 Walkersville guard Trevor Pfiel struggled to find his mark in the first two and a half quarters, but was a catalyst for a late surge as he led his squad with 15 points, six of which came from deep for the southpaw guard.</p>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Tuscarora (VA) and New Town (MD) battle as duos shine</h2>   <p>2026 guard [player_tooltip player_id='2612817' first='Colin' last='Byrd'] came into this event as one of the premier 2026 guards in the public school field of teams and he didn't disappoint as the 6-foot-3 combo guard helped lead his team to a 61-51 win. Byrd scored 21 points, grabbed eight rebounds and drew a couple of charges as a result of crisp weakside rotations as the bottom man in the zone. His ability to attack the rim and finish athletically was key as he hovered around the the high-post in the half court when he wasn't pushing the tempo himself in transition. Byrd got sufficient help, particularly in the second half, thanks to his backcourt mate. [player_tooltip player_id='2753176' first='Chas' last='Battaglia'] went on an individual run in the final 12 minutes that proved to be too much for New Town. He used his four steals to spark run-outs and surprised any defender in his path by tapping into some craft or advanced footwork that found himself directly in front of the rim. Battaglia was certainly a stock-riser from today's action and should be on radars of any DIII program in the region.</p>   <p>For New Town, their 2027 duo of [player_tooltip player_id='2446429' first='Joshua' last='Jones'] and [player_tooltip player_id='2954432' first='Michael' last='Brown'] impressed thoroughly despite the loss. Jones put his paced the Titans with his play at the high-post where he quickly turned and delivered passes with zip to opposite side shooters or teammates along the baseline. Jones led with 18 points, four rebounds, and four assists. Brown, a 6-foot-4 southpaw wing, had a productive first half that helped New Town maintain control. He was efficient from a scoring perspective, converting six of his nine attempts from the field. He mixed it up well by cashing in on a three, a couple of dunks, and fluid jumpers from 15 feet. Brown chipped in with 13 points and nine rebounds.</p>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Dover cruises to win over WiHi</h2>   <p>In one of the more anticipated local games of the first day's slate, Dover showed a sold out crowd why they'll have a strong argument as the top team in Delaware this season as they dominated in a 92-58 win over Wicomico. Head coach Stephen Wilson has a deep roster with positional size and length that will bode well in the long-run as a team that can disrupt the flow with their effective full court trapping press. Between turning WiHi over a total of 21 times and keeping an uptempo pace, the Senators went on a run in the third quarter that would prove to be insurmountable.</p>   <p>There was tremendous balance through Dover's attack as eight players reached at least eight or more points. 2027 Kareem King led the way with 19 points and eight rebounds. He got downhill with regularity and attacked the rim in a physical manner. In the open floor he threw down an impressive tomahawk that caught everyone's attention and was the catalyst for the second half run. 2026 Chase Little impacted the game with his length as the top man on the press causing turnovers with deflections and cashing them in for quick buckets. </p>   <p>For WiHi, 2026 [player_tooltip player_id='2944407' first='Tyson' last='Hayward'] was a bright spot. The 6-foot-4 wing finished with a double-double of 19 points and 12 rebounds. He was a constant threat on the offensive glass and although he struggled to convert from the free-throw line, did a nice job of drawing contact and forcing the ref's whistle on drives with his long strides.</p>

The 43rd annual Governor's Challenge began today in Salisbury, MD where four different sites will host slates of games throughout the next five days. The main site is the Wicomico Civic Center and for day one, I split my time between there and Wicomico High School and saw plenty of prospects with noteworthy performances that I included in the notebook below.