Week 3 Action: Defensive Standouts

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Games are won based on who scores the most (or least) amount of points. So although being able to score is important, so is being able to stop them. Here are five players who had good defensive performances recently:</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='2707325' first='Dameon' last='Brewington'] | 6'5 2026 Lake Forest </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>If Brewington was in the vicinity, he was guaranteed to come down with the rebound against MOT Charter. When drivers challenged him at the rim, he walked up, absorbed the contact, and made sure there wasn't a second attempt. He also limited the Mustangs offense by being active with his hands and getting deflections. Brewington chipped in on offense too, grabbing boards and laying the ball right back up or passing it out to reset. He tallied 4 points, 17 rebounds, 2 steals and a block. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='2352454' first='Kevin' last='Coleman'] | 6'3 G/W 2026 Salesianum </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>When the Sals took on La Salle at the Palestra, Coleman brought a ton of energy off the bench. He picked up the Explorers' lead guard fullcourt, making him uncomfortable every step of the way. Coleman eventually stole the ball and took the opposite way for a slam. As he continued to hound various Explorers, the turnovers continued. His havoc amassed into an understated 8 points, 2 boards, and 2 steals.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='2566681' first='Graling' last='High III'] | 6'4 G/W 2027 MOT Charter </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Points were at a premium when the Mustangs hosted Lake Forest, in no small part thanks to High III. He held the Spartans' lead guard to just 6 points, while also blitzing others who had the ball. And just when it looked like he got caught helping off his man, High III would recover for a deflection or to contest a shot. The lanky wing turned defense into offense, collecting 8 points, 5 rebounds, 5 steals, and 1 block. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='2387969' first='Jayden' last='Reid'] | 6'6 F 2027 St. Georges </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>With others pressuring the ball and helping against Seaford, Reid anchored the Hawks by standing guard at the rim. He put a cap on how much the Bluejays could score down low by targeting the ball just as opponents released it. Reid even hustled back on a fastbreak to reject a shot. He totalled 8 points, 3 boards, 2 steals, and 4 blocks. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='2746845' first='Areon' last='Purnell'] | 6'1 G 2026 Seaford </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>With the St. Georges game going at a break-neck pace, Purnell made a surplus of plays in open space to cause havoc for the Hawks. He isn't the biggest and yet he disrupted passing windows with his energy and activity. Purnell erased what otherwise would've been big plays for his opponents around the basket too. Besides the 6 points, he had 7 rebounds, 7 steals, and 2 blocks. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->