Public School Standouts: Senior Leaders

New readers: Use code Proia30     I got out to a few PG County and Anne Arundel County games last week to shine a light on some of the top public school talent in the area. Senior leadership is at a premium in today's game as they set the tone for their teammates not only in games but also in practices to prepare their groups to the best of their ability. Let's check out a few of those leaders that made an impact for their team last week!    10p 3r 2a vs Largo   -Hale has a knack of playing within the flow of the game but delivering timely shots and passes in key moments for his team. His performance against Largo was no different. Hale hit a corner 3, broke the press late in the game to hit a pull-up 18-footer, and used the scoring gravity from some perimeter jumpers to duck under closeouts to pass to open teammates under the rim when the helper rotated out to him. His ability to burst through seams in the defense to score before helpers can react, especially in transition, gives Gwynn Park another dynamic weapon in their toolbox.     20p 5r 3a 1b vs Gwynn Park   -Johnson was honored for scoring his 1,000th point before the game and kept that momentum rolling throughout the contest. Johnson hit a face up 3 from the wing to start game, raced back in transition to make up for a turnover to block a shot, logged a nice assist from halfcourt to his teammate at the rim for the 2-handed dunk, and crossed the paint to block a shot before racing it up court to draw the foul. Johnson closed out the game with a series of different finishes with a spin move lay off the window, drive and spin back left in transition to get to his strong hand to finish the and1 bucket through the contact at the rim, drove and hit an extension layup high off the window, and knocked down his FTs (9/12). His constant rim pressure and physical POA defense really set the tone in the home win for Largo, will be interesting to see which of the scholarship offers he will take as he rounds the home stretch of his senior year.     13p 12r 6/10 FG vs South River    -It was my first time seeing Burkes play in a road game in a hostile environment and the physical forward turned in a productive double-double performance. Burke's scored mainly in the 1H off of short rolls to the rim and putbacks. But he really turned it up in the 2H, collecting 8 rebounds (6 offensive) to extend possessions for his team to keep a GB lead throughout the 3Q. Burkes served as a nice passing option out of the high post but used his passing ability to catch his matchup off-guard with ball fakes before he ripped through to attack going right or left to draw fouls or finish at the rim. His motor on the glass and willingness to rush back in transition to force misses at the rim was key in sustaining a lead against SR for most of the night.     21p 4r 3a 1s vs Glen Burnie   -First time seeing Maddox play and he turned in a pretty dynamic offensive performance against SR. Maddox hit a face up 18' from the top of the key to start things off, hit a wing 3 off the BLOB set, showed his open court speed with a drive from his own 3 point line to the opposite rim to score over the big, and drew a key foul late in the 4Q when he hit an AND1 layup before falling to the ground. His ability to change speeds and attack his matchup whenever they opened up their stance allowed him to generate a ton of paint touches for his team to break down the opposing defense. Definite name for local small colleges to monitor that are looking for a dynamic scoring point guard that doesn't need a ball screen to get to his spots.     8p 4r 2a 1s vs Glen Burnie   -Dowell has carved out a starting role for South River this year as a dynamic slashing guard that puts pressure on the defense throughout the game. Dowell uses a low center of gravity to attack his matchup coming off of ball screens, turning sharp corners to put pressure on the referee to blow his whistle when the defender impedes his progress to the rim. Love that not only is he affecting the game with the ball in his hands, he came up with two really pesky rebounds amongst the trees in the first half to help a South River offense that sputtered coming out of the gate in the 1H. His best play came on a double crossover into the middle drive and lay at the rim through the contact for 3 points the old-fashioned way to halt a GB run and give his team a shot of energy.     13p 7r 3a 1 charge drawn vs Glen Burnie   -Hall's perimeter jumper wasn't falling at its normal clip, but I like that the senior didn't let that affect his defensive effort or his ability to snag some timely defensive rebounds to close out possessions for his team. Hall got it going in the 2H with B2B threes coming out the gate, the first of which was a deeeeeeep 3 off the catch from the volleyball line to push his team on a 8-0 run to build a double-digit lead that they retained for most of the 2H. The senior then put his body on the line to draw a charge in transition to foul out the opponent's (at the time) second leading scorer to continue to push the game further out of reach on his senior night.

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