Colby G's Tuesday Notebook: Notable Guard Performances

We have entered the last stretch of the regular season, which guarantees exciting finishes and offers the stage for prospects to make a name for themselves. The lights are brighter, possessions mean more and the rewards can help change their future. Tuesday's slate of games was loaded and I kept my eye on a handful of contests throughout the evening. Here are the guards who stood out most to me in my viewings.    Oyekan has left a huge impression on me this season while admittedly being a name I was unfamiliar with coming into his freshman season. He played hero last night in Laurel's crucial overtime win over Wise as he knocked down a pull-up three from the top of the key as the buzzer sounded to lift his team to victory. The 6-foot-4 dynamic guard checks nearly every box that you'd like to see in a freshman guard with positional size, athleticism and competitive motor. Oyekan posted a packed stat line of 24 points on 10-of-16 shooting, 13 rebounds, five assists and three blocks.     Another heroic performance was put together by Able, who notched 34 points as John Carroll protected their home court against No. 1 St. Frances. While the Patriots established a big lead early on, St. Frances settled in and clawed their way back in what became a back-and-forth affair. It was Able's clutch bucket as time ran down where he converted an and-1 at the bucket and sunk the free-throw with 2.4 seconds remaining to bring him to 34 points on the night and lift his team to a massive win that could play an important role in their seeding for the BCL playoffs. It lifted them from fifth to fourth place for the time being and as they lean on Able, who became one of the more prolific scorers in BCL history this season, you can never count the Patriots out from making a potential postseason run.     Carter proved again last night that whenever he's on the floor for Spalding, their ceiling as a team lifts significantly. The 5-foot-10 floor general is exactly that, a coach on the floor that can make a play anytime the ball is in his hands. Since he returned from injury, I have yet to see a defender keep him at bay for multiple possessions as the quick-twitch guard can get into the paint whenever he pleases. He plays with tremendous patience on those drives and can dissect the defense before making correct reads as a scorer or distributor. His ability to blow by his defender with regularity is paired with the threat that he poses from beyond the arc where he can get his shot off with efficiency and in a split-second. Had Carter not been nicked by the the injury bug for spurts of this season, I'd have him firmly in the mix for BCL POY along with [player_tooltip player_id='2252277' first='BJ' last='Ranson'], [player_tooltip player_id='2975252' first='TJ' last='Jones'] and [player_tooltip player_id='1782586' first='Aidan' last='Able']. Carter lifted Spalding to a meaningful conference win over Mt. Carmel behind 24 points, six assists and three rebounds.     Despite the tough overtime loss to Laurel, Walker's spectacular senior campaign continues as the southpaw guard went for 40 points, grabbed eight rebounds, dished out three assists and blocked two shots in the effort. Walker has been on a tear as he remains in the top spot in points per game for the state of Maryland. He's diligent in his efforts running the lanes as a result of Wise's up-tempo approach thanks to their run-and-jump press, but even in a halfcourt setting defensively, he has great awareness of when he needs to help on the glass or noticing there is no safety to start the break early. He caused fits last night at the high post against the Laurel zone defense, lived at the free-throw line and even converted on a couple of three's to reach the 40-point mark.     Mahdi is an absolute blur with the ball and it doesn't matter if it's in transition or in the half court. If the defense isn't dialed in as a unit, Mahdi can get from half court to the bucket in the blink of an eye. There isn't much wasted movement in his attack either. Once he sees a driving lane, his burst allows him to expose the advantage and he's able to allude defenders with euros or side-steps while maintaining nice balance on the finishes. He and Oyekan fueled the effort in the big win, as four of his 19 points came in the overtime frame. Mahdi also grabbed five boards and recorded five assists.     The top-ranked prospect in the MD/DC 2026 class proved why again last night as he went for 37 points, albeit in a losing fashion against a Gonzaga team that caught fire early from deep. The Vandy pledge is as tough of a shot maker at the guard position that you'll find in the country as his array of step-back three's, pull-ups out of crossovers or his ability to convert tough, contested attempts around the rim has furthered his argument as the most gifted scorer in the state. Brown also accounted for six rebounds.     City entered a gauntlet of a schedule starting this week that will hold ramification on their positioning for the city title as well as the Class 3A state title play. They passed the first test against one of the top teams in Howard County on Monday night against Marriotts Ridge only to face-off against a hot Dunbar squad on the second night of a back-to-back. The Knights fell down early and used the remainder of the game to claw their way back. It was Muhammad who led the effort in eventually upending the Poets 55-51 as he went for a game-high 22 points on a scorching 6-of-7 from three. What Muhammad lacks in size he makes up for with his tenacious competitiveness and last night that came in the fashion of NBA range three's. It helped City improve to 15-2 on the season as their next three games come against Poly, Edmondson and Lake Clifton respectively.

We have entered the last stretch of the regular season, which guarantees exciting finishes and offers the stage for prospects to make a name for themselves. The lights are brighter, possessions mean more and the rewards can help change their future. Tuesday's slate of games was loaded and I kept my eye on a handful of contests throughout the evening. Here are the guards who stood out most to me in my viewings.