Hammer and Nail Tournament Vol. 1: Standouts, part 1

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The annual event took place at Howard High, featuring all four of New Castle County's Vo-Tech schools. Howard and St. Georges got the dubs, but not without several players standing out. Here's part one:</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='2759059' first='Ghazi' last='Abdurrafi'] | 6'1 G 2027 Howard </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Abdurrafi's contribution versus Delcastle came as a glue guy and a shooter. First play of the game, the Cougars were in zone and Abdurrafi threw a lob to [player_tooltip player_id='2411598' first='Dominic' last='Awahmukalah'] cutting backdoor for a dunk. And before the quarter was over, he drilled a pair of threes. His selfless effort on the boards extended for the Wildcats and helped them maintain their lead late in the game. He finished with 12 points, 7 rebounds, and 3 assists. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='2352456' first='Nick' last='Baysah'] | 5'10 G 2026 Howard </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Wildcats' lead guard gashed the Cougars with his play off-ball. He cut or flashed middle against the zone for multiple scores and slipped past defenders for second-chance points. Baysah took care of business off the dribble too, tilting the defense to create for others. On defense, he applied pressure at the point of attack, but his loudest play came when he sprinted back after a turnover to pin someone's shot on the glass. He had a well-rounded game with 10 points, 6 boards, 5 assists, 3 steals, and the block. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='2461962' first='Elijah' last='Coates'] | 5'9 G 2028 St. Georges </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Coates set the edge for the Hawks by turning offense into defense. He stole the ball about three times in the first quarter alone and finished through contact as he laid it up on the other end. Coates also threw down a couple dunks in transition and fed his bigs in the post. In all, he put up 16 points, 3 assists, and 6 steals. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='2812230' first='Ayden' last='Davis'] | 5'9 G 2029 St. Georges </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Making his high school debut, the Hawks' sixth man brought starter-level energy as a slasher. Davis made plays for others with skip and entry passes too, but he mainly created off the bounce. Once he had that first step, he evaded rotating defenders with step-throughs and rim protectors with some mid-air acrobatics. Davis tallied 13 points, 4 rebounds, and 2 assists. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='2698317' first='Gavin' last='Jacobs'] | 5'10 G 2028 Delcastle </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>With Howard applying fullcourt pressure, Jacobs made plays all game long to beat their zone press. As soon as defenders collapsed on him, he found the open man cutting to the hoop from the opposite corner. The Wildcats sped up the game, so his playmaking helped the Cougars keep pace. Jacobs also attacked off the catch in the halfcourt. He chipped in 5 points, 5 rebounds, 7 assists, and 2 steals. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->