<!-- wp:paragraph -->
<p>With a surplus of big plays, the Hammer & Nail Championship turned out to be a thriller featuring the state's top two Vo-Tech teams. It might have even a preview of the Blue Hen championship too. But first, he's a recap of this matchup via the top five standouts:</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>Baysah did what he wanted, setting the pace with his urgency off the dribble. He would freeze defenders using his eyes and a hezi, then either zip the ball to a shooter on the wing or get to the second level for his signature pull-up jumper. His insistence on pressuring the rim also put Hawks in foul trouble. So Baysah's 16 points and 6 assists were instrumental. </p>
<!-- /wp:paragraph -->
<!-- wp:paragraph -->
<p>[player_tooltip player_id='2623997' first='Ronald' last='Handy'] | 6'2 G 2026 Howard </p>
<!-- /wp:paragraph -->
<!-- wp:paragraph -->
<p>Over the first three quarters, Handy did his due diligence as a connector - playing stingy defense, swinging the ball, and spacing. But he leveled up into a playmaker when St. Georges mounted their comeback in the fourth. “Mink” got active with an old-fashioned three-point play: hitting a pull-up two plus the foul. Next, after calling his own number on a pull-up three, he hit two more spotting up and crashed the glass for a putback in mid-air. So after scoring 14 points in the final period, he finished with 20 points (five threes), 3 rebounds, and 3 steals.</p>
<!-- /wp:paragraph -->
<!-- wp:paragraph -->
<p>[player_tooltip player_id='2352458' first='Bryson' last='Lane'] | 6'2 G 2026 Howard </p>
<!-- /wp:paragraph -->
<!-- wp:paragraph -->
<p>Lane made one heady play after another, starting with a layup on the opening jump-ball. He also recovered in transition for a block, cleaned the glass, and found guys open on out-of-bounds plays, proving to be a pure hooper. Lastly, Lane got buckets from everywhere, hitting a couple three and attacking closeouts. He finished with a complete stat line of 18 points, 6 rebounds, 5 assists, 1 steal, and 1 block. </p>
<!-- /wp:paragraph -->
<!-- wp:paragraph -->
<p>[player_tooltip player_id='2352452' first='Josh' last='Obiora'] | 6'7 W/F 2026 St. Georges </p>
<!-- /wp:paragraph -->
<!-- wp:paragraph -->
<p>Obiora was a hurricane defensively. He deflected passes and affected shots most others couldn't reach, essentially influencing how far out the Wildcats had to start their offense. Obiora also allowed his team's perimeter defenders to be aggressive because he would clean up any leaks. On offense, he did a good job moving without the ball and staying on the move once he caught it, particularly when he flashed it cut middle. And finally, Obiora made a lot of noise as he hunted missed shots for putback dunks. In the process, he racked up 32 points, 12 boards, 5 steals, and 3 blocks. </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>Reid's game was simple-yet-potent: attack the glass, get deep post touches, and protect the rim. All of his points came from either putbacks or catching the ball in the paint and finishing over other defenders. On two of those occasions, he dunked the ball with force. Reid didn't have a lot of loud plays on the back line, defensively, but he did limit the number of shots opponents got inside with his wingspan. The under-the-radar prospect tallied 13 points, 8 rebounds, 1 steal, and 1 block. </p>
<!-- /wp:paragraph -->
With a surplus of big plays, the Hammer & Nail Championship turned out to be a thriller featuring the state's top two Vo-Tech teams. It might have even a preview of the Blue Hen championship too. But first, he's a recap of this matchup via the top five standouts:
Continue reading this article and more.
Continue Reading
Already a subscriber?
Log in