Class 3A Final: South River 67 Magruder 50

The Class 3A state championship took place at UMBC late Tuesday afternoon and by the time the evening set in, South River was in complete control. They used a 26-9 second quarter to hold an 18-point lead heading into the break and while Magruder showed signs of life in the third quarter, it was never enough to shrink the deficit back to striking distance. The Seahawks would secure the their first state title in program history led by their three-headed monster comprised of senior guards, each of which had standout performances highlighted below.    Finn really impressed me early on in this one and will be making a high-academic DIII program happy in the near future. The 6-foot-3 combo guard possesses good positional size and sets his table with long-range shooting prowess. He can use the gravity he demands from the outside to his benefit with a quick, long first step to gain the edge on driving opportunities and did an nice job in this one welcoming contact on his finishes. Finn was good for four triples en route to 16 points and three rebounds in the win.     The lead guard for the Colonels team, Dabbondanza showed the moxie and toughness you want in a point guard. He was one of the few on his team that could create in isolation situations and did so with a variety of change-of-pace dribbles and counters. He was at his best in transition or one-on-one's where he used the burst to get to the rim and finish tough lay-ups before rotating defenders could react. The 6-foot-2 junior will be looked upon as the leader for next year's group, but ended his 2025-26 campaign with 10 points and five rebounds.     One of the best performances I've seen out of Hall in arguably the biggest game of his career. The 6-foot-1 guard tee'd off from three in the first half and was a main reason South River built the lead they did heading into halftime. With timely lifts to the top of the key as others establish paint touches, Hall lit up Magruder on catch-and-shoot looks with efficiency as 17 of his game-high 24 points came in the first two quarters. Hall capped off his high school career helping his father and the head coach, Darren Hall, to the program's first state title.     To little surprise, McDuffie was the best overall athlete on the floor. Slated to suit up with Northwestern as a freshman in the Big Ten next year, the 6-foot-3 guard touched every category on the box score and it was a good indication of how impactful he was overall. He was a menace in the passing lanes where he racked up steals and quickly generated them into fastbreak points. His ability to break his man down off the bounce and get downhill was a factor that Magruder had no answer for. If he wasn't finishing athletically around the cup, McDuffie was making the right read as the defense collapsed as he sprayed passes out to shooters such as Hall and Finn. McDuffie's final stat line included 21 points, eight rebounds, five steals, and three assists.     Yotter didn't have a loud statistical game, but he's hard to go unnoticed given the fact that he's the tallest player on the floor in most public school matches. Standing around 6'9"-6'10", the junior is a catch-and-finish guy around the rim who keeps the ball high, something that many bigs struggle to do in the heat of the moment. His size and presence came into play often on South River misses and on a couple of occasions, he grabbed the board and forced a foul from the opposing big. Yotter scored five points in his 10 minutes of action. In a local market that lacks prospects of his size, Yotter could help his stock quickly with steady improvement this spring and summer.     Magnon got off to a quick start in this one and was a nice generator of energy for Magruder. He brings nice size and length to their frontcourt, but it was his overall activity and motor that allowed him to gather 50/50s and be in the right spot and the right time for dump-offs at the basket. What I like about Magnon was although the game was out of reach in the fourth quarter, it didn't deter his overall energy and presence in the paint. Not only was he beating guys for position inside for offensive boards, but also made the most out of a few opportunities in face-ups where he attacked with quick dribbles into spin moves, covering ground and finishing through harm. His overall skillset still needs polish, but that's expected in a sophomore. With the mentality and motor he brings, there are certainly strong foundational pieces to build with here.     The senior leader for this Magruder team this season, Wertlieb made his impact in flashes. The 6-foot-1 guard is a smooth shooter who benefits off Dabbadonza's ability to get into the paint and find him for kick-outs or converts off the catch coming off pin-down actions. He's shown growth in his ability to attack closeouts for 1-to-2 dribbles and get to his mid-range pull-up with pace. He led the Colonels in this one with 13 points on 5-of-9 shooting from the field and 3-of-7 from deep while securing five rebounds in the loss.

The Class 3A state championship took place at UMBC late Tuesday afternoon and by the time the evening set in, South River was in complete control. They used a 26-9 second quarter to hold an 18-point lead heading into the break and while Magruder showed signs of life in the third quarter, it was never enough to shrink the deficit back to striking distance. The Seahawks would secure the their first state title in program history led by their three-headed monster comprised of senior guards, each of which had standout performances highlighted below.