MPSC Championship: Notable Performances

Last night on the campus of Bowie State, Highland School captured its third-straight MPSC championship by defeating Clinton Grace 57-52. Below are the standouts from the contest.    Took home MVP honors after a masterful floor game as the southpaw lead guard came out from the gates dictating tempo from the point of attack. Set the stage quickly while knocking down his first four shots from the field in a variety of ways depending on the defensive coverage. Make Clinton Grace's guard pay for gambling in driving lanes playing off the catch where he got to his spots for pull-ups, when pressured heavily he gained an edge on his defender and was successful in keeping them on his back hip before bursting to the bucket or knocking down a mid-range off a step back. In the second half, he faced constant double-teams and never wavered or panicked. Instead, he processed the floor quickly to find open teammates. In ball screen actions, he strung out the hedging big just enough to deliver pocket passes to his rolling screeners. The definition of a floor general who uses his energy to dictate the approach to the game for his team and it showed behind his team-high 16 points and six assists.     Highland delivered the first punch in this one to gain control for much of the first three quarters. As a team, it seemed like Clinton Grace was more interested in feeling out the first half before ramping up their energy and effort in the second half and particularly in the final frame where they closed in on striking distance 10 of Lyons' game-high 17 points came in the final eight minutes as he began showing the skill that makes him one of the best prospects in the 2027 DMV class, which is using his quick-twitch ability off the bounce combined with his length to make tough-angled lay-ups or draw fouls and convert at the line. When he was at his best, he was pushing the tempo or being aggressive in attacking driving lanes. Lyons also grabbed four boards and dished out three assists in the loss.     There were plenty of fun individual matchups heading into this game, but none lived up the hype quite like the top 2029 prospects from Maryland and Virginia meeting in the paint. Ragland, who will likely debut as the top freshman in VA, brings extreme versatility as a 6-foot-6 forward who can guard opposing fives thanks to his sturdy frame and ability to demand leverage. In this head-to-head matchup against [player_tooltip player_id='2536485' first='Nas' last='Abraham'], Ragland's ability to play on the perimeter off the catch would come in handy, but when he got his touches on the block he played well through contact and brought a bruising presence on the defensive end while maintaining legal guarding position. Ragland's effort would result in a critical double-double of 13 points and 11 rebounds.     First thing you notice with Abraham in comparison to the beginning of the season is the work he's put in improving his body. Standing a legit 6-foot-9, Abraham is still a massive force on the block and he didn't waste time in showing his textbook footwork to get over his left shoulder for hooks off the glass or utilizing his soft touch to put it right over the rim. Clinton Grace's gameplan early was to feed him in the post as much as possible and there were good results. In the second half as they switched to more of an up-tempo trapping defensive attack, Abraham spent some time on the bench, but would enter the game and immediately assert himself on the offensive glass. It was impressive to see the freshman not only live up to the intense environment, but really carry the Eagles through the first half and keep them in position to make a run. He finished with a double-double of 10 points and 10 rebounds.     While Clinton Grace adjusted their defense to do what they could to contain guys like Asare and Abraham, it was Kodi that delivered the gut-punching jumpers to halt any momentum that swung towards the Eagles' favor. He did a nice job of playing in the middle of the Clinton Grace half court trapping scheme where on a couple of occasions, he caught it at the high post and calmly turned around a buried mid-range jumpers. To close the first half, Kodi executed a perfect pick-and-pop with Asare where he converted a three from the right wing as the buzzer sounded to build a 13-point cushion heading into the locker room. The unsigned senior scored his 14 points on just four shots from the field while going a perfect 6/6 from the charity stripe.

Last night on the campus of Bowie State, Highland School captured its third-straight MPSC championship by defeating Clinton Grace 57-52. Below are the standouts from the contest.