CHSAA Intersectional Quarterfinals: 2027 standouts

The CHSAA "AA" Intersectional Quarterfinals took place on Sunday at Fordham and saw Holy Cross, Archbishop Stepinac, Monsignor Scanlan, and Cardinal Hayes advance to Wednesday's semifinals. Keep reading for a look at a handful of juniors who stood out over the course of the day.    The high scorer on the entire day, Brown poured in 25 points to push Hayes into the semifinals. The lanky scoring guard came out on fire from the perimeter, knocking down his first four attempts from beyond the arc all before the middle of the second quarter. He would knock down one more later on, finishing 5-for-9 from 3, while also using his herky-jerky ball skills and slithery athleticism to mix it up and work into the paint. For as much as he's built a reputation as a shooter and scorer, Brown also applies his length and fluidity as an engaged defender in the backcourt. A young junior who'll be 16 through the duration of the summer, he offers an intriguing upside at the D1 level with his two-way play.     Emerging this year as a key complementary scorer for Scanlan, Healings led a balanced Crusader attack that saw five players in double-figures for the upset win. Healings set the tone in the early going on his way to 20 points, coming out aggressive looking to attack the rim as Scanlan established a double-figure lead that they would hold for much of the game. He shows a blend of skill, quickness, and vertical pop as a three-level scorer along with playing committed on-ball defense across the backcourt. His 20 points and four steals were an indicator of the type of two-way impact he can make that should be able to translate smoothly to the scholarship level.     CTK would leave on the wrong end of an upset with a narrow loss to Scanlan, but by no fault of their all-league junior guard. Magna simply refused to go down without a fight, dragging the Royals back into the game from nearly 20 points down. He was absolutely relentless attacking the paint off the dribble, converting a perfect 15-for-15 at the foul line in just the second half alone. His competitiveness, playmaking ability, and nose for the ball parlayed into a dynamic 24 points, 11 rebounds, and 6 assists to close out his junior season. He'll likely need to reign things in a bit at the next level from a decisionmaking standpoint but brings the type of aggression and competitive fire that La Salle values heavily under its current staff.     Despite going down to county rival and national power Archbishop Stepinac, Wolf stood out with his IQ and shooting ability while scoring a game-high 17 points. Helping to keep things close for the better part of three quarters, he displayed impressive shotmaking ability from all over the floor. Wolf was able to use his high lefty release to get his shot off off both the catch and dribble over lengthier Stepinac defenders. He mixed it up with some tough straight-line drives where he finished strong through contact and over length. Wolf also kept the ball moving consistently and showed solid passing acumen within the structure of the Gael offense. He should attract interest from a variety of levels with his plug-and-play skillset on the wing.     Continuing a breakout junior season, Barry put on an impressive display of inside-out skill while stuffing the stat sheet to help steer Hayes to the win. Taking advantage of an undersized opposing frontcourt, he used his size and heft to set up shop inside and impose his will, finishing with a blend of touch and power around the rim off both dumpoffs and postup looks. He flashed his shooting stroke from the perimeter and really stood out with his passing acumen and ball skills at his size. Barry showed a commitment to the dirty work as well, hauling in nine boards and using his quick hands to make plays defensively. He'll need to improve on his ball security and continue to be extremely conscious of his conditioning, but Barry is clearly trending up as a D1 frontcourt target with upside if he can further reshape his body over time.     Despite a relatively pedestrian scoring effort and leaving with a loss, Johnson was able to impress with his ability to make others better as a pure point guard. The southpaw nearly steered the Ravens back from more than 15 points behind with his efficient north-south play off the dribble. He was consistent in his ability to get to his spots before displaying impressive footwork and dexterity around the rim or spraying it out on-time and on-target to an open shooter. Johnson was also able to keep things honest from the perimeter himself with a compact lefty stroke. With a D1 offer already in tow, he projects as a clear scholarship-level lead guard for those who value an old-school skillset at that position.

The CHSAA "AA" Intersectional Quarterfinals took place on Sunday at Fordham and saw Holy Cross, Archbishop Stepinac, Monsignor Scanlan, and Cardinal Hayes advance to Wednesday's semifinals. Keep reading for a look at a handful of juniors who stood out over the course of the day.