Game Recap: Phelps (PA) 101, Lawrenceville (NJ) 83

Phelps School took care of business on its home floor in an interstate independent school matchup, dispatching Lawrenceville School 101-83. The Lions were led by their senior guards as Buffalo commit [player_tooltip player_id='1486760' first='Jahrel' last='Vigo'] and Hofstra-bound [player_tooltip player_id='2949318' first='Xavier' last='Blake'] combined for 50 points. Lawrenceville was led by sophomore forward [player_tooltip player_id='2436976' first='Marque' last='Johnson'] with 20.    Vigo came out aggressive and never looked back, pouring in 27 points while taking on heavy ballhandling and playmaking duties throughout the win. The southpaw scored 18 in the second half to keep a feisty Lawrenceville team at bay, punctuated by a drive down the lane and emphatic dunk that closed the door for good. Headed to Buffalo next year, the Allentown product has shown throughout his post-grad year that he can control a game from the lead guard position, and has made significant strides as a shooter as demonstrated by a trio of 3s in this one. It would be no surprise at this point to see him make noise in the MAC early in his career.     The other half of one of the more dynamic backcourts in prep school, Blake impressed with 23 points. An explosive lefty, he got himself going by attacking the basket, demonstrating his blazing first step and slippery finishing ability. His barrage of three consecutive 3's just before the half helped to break the game open, showcasing his ability to create space for his own shot and rise up under control to shoot over smaller guards. Blake profiles as the type of high-octane guard that's thrived at Hofstra in past years, with the raw talent to potentially move up in levels later on if he continues putting things together.     One of the more highly-touted sophomores in the region, Johnson was stopped only by foul trouble on his way to a hard-nosed 20-point effort. The rugged lefty was a force to be reckoned with around the basket, using a blend of strength and explosiveness to finish effectively on cuts, downhill drives, putbacks, and in transition. He consistently played strong through contact, sticking to his bread-and-butter interior game without anyone being able to truly take it away. Johnson would wind up fouling out with several minutes left to play but was able to show his high-level ability nonetheless.     Offering timely, efficient support on the wing, Thomas worked his way to 16 points as a key piece toward the win. Thomas thrived on the margins, working mostly without the ball in his hands to get into position for easy buckets off cuts and rebounds. He was effective finishing in traffic and also showed his ability to step out and knock down an open shot from the perimeter. The post-grad swingman via Paul VI (NJ) also brought his trademark defense, highlighted by a series of athletic blocks at the rim. He's a no-brainer scholarship-level option with plug-and-play ability on the wing.     Leading a talented young core at Phelps, Valera Melo has come on strong throughout the year and continued with a smooth 13-point outing. The Dominican wing made his biggest impact as a floor-spacer from beyond the arc, spotting up and knocking down a trio of 3s while showcasing his fluid stroke and textbook high release. He also showed promising flashes of his ability to put the ball on the deck and attack in space. Defensively, he took pride in his matchup with Johnson while using his size and length to make an impact across multiple positions. It wasn't a dominant performance by any means but offered a glimpse at the type of translatable role Valera Melo can play at a pretty high level down the line.     Despite a slow start, Lau came on strong down the stretch of the game to finish with 18 points. He came out looking to facilitate with a couple nice dropoff passes for easy layups in the opening half. Lau would score 14 of his points after halftime, getting himself going with his midrange pullup before adding in a 3 and showing he could keep things honest attacking the rim on a couple successful forays off the dribble. He'll have to work to improve his foot speed and ball security for the next level but shows promise with his positional size and shotmaking ability.

Phelps School took care of business on its home floor in an interstate independent school matchup, dispatching Lawrenceville School 101-83. The Lions were led by their senior guards as Buffalo commit Jahrel Vigo Jahrel Vigo 6'1" | CG The Phelps School | 2026 State PA and Hofstra-bound Xavier Blake Xavier Blake 6'4" | CG/SG The Phelps School | 2026 State PA combined for 50 points. Lawrenceville was led by sophomore forward Marque Johnson Marque Johnson 6'5" | SF Lawrenceville School | 2028 State #34 Nation NJ with 20.