Class 4A State Final: Blake 60 Whitman 44

The Class 4A state title game took place on Saturday evening on the campus of UMBC where Chesapeake Employers Insurance Arena welcomed a sellout crowd for the Montgomery County matchup between Blake and Whitman. While Whitman showed fight in the first quarter, the Bengals quickly gained their footing and overall control of the game as they'd go on to win their first state championship (in any sport) in school history by a final score of 60-44. Below are the standout from the contest.    Martin led the scoring attack for Blake in an efficient manner as the strong-framed, 6-foot-2 combo guard was the sparkplug in the second quarter that allowed his team to head into the break with a lead. Martin's balance as a three-level scorer makes his defender play him honestly and with that, he showed off his ability to score in a variety of ways including a pull-up triple, tough drives and finishes with either hand or using his strength to impose his physical presence in the mid-post before hitting fadeaways with touch. Martin scored his 14 points on 6-of-12 from the field and secured six boards.     Right behind Martin in the scoring column for the 4A champs was Kennard, a 6-foot-1 combo guard with floor-spacing ability, churned in 13 points on Saturday night. While he converted on just one shot from deep, Kennard built a reputation as a deadeye shooter particularly from the corners and demands gravity from the defense at all times. He's quick and twitchy off the catch and has no issue slithering his way into the paint and drawing contact, as he did by going 4-of-5 from the charity stripe. He was massive in Blake's final four win over Meade and once again, made his presence known here in the title game closing down the glass from the guard position and hauling in six rebounds himself.     Williams, as he's been all year, was the bell cow for Whitman in this one. Despite having one of his rougher outings from an efficiency perspective, he was the lone player on Whitman who could break his man down off the bounce and create consistently. He's a downhill driver that can use his body to absorb and play off contact. His competitive edge makes him an impact on the boards and his frequency in the paint or keeping his eyes up in transition allowed for key assists to keep positivity rolling in Whitman's favor early on. Williams sported a double-double of 17 points, 10 rebounds and four assists in the loss.     Oladotun made his second appearance in a game this season after making his surprise debut in the final four win over Meade where he played hero with the game-winning lay-up in overtime. His size, versatility and skill in a public school setting helps a great deal in demanding the defense's full attention. The Maryland commit scored a few of his buckets in run-out opportunities, knocked down a three off the catch to help end a strong second quarter and ripped down a handful of rebounds while registering 11 points in the win.     Shapiro is a Swiss army knife that contributes to winning, hence the three-straight title game appearances for Whitman in his four-year career. The 6-foot-1 do-it-all guard spent time matched up against any position on the floor. His scrappy on-ball defense resulted in a few deflections and when he took on the task of guarding Oladotun or an opposing big, his ability to leverage and hold position effectively countered any assumed mismatch. Offensively he gets his buckets within the flow, takes advantage of driving lanes and can process the floor well as a live dribble distributor. The Wash U pledge finished with a busy stat line of eight points, six rebounds four assists and two steals.     Ouattara was a prospect that really caught my eye in the final four round where he was the definition of a workhorse on the glass and finishing close around the rim. Once again, he was low maintenance in this game, but still had his fingerprints all over the paint where he sored 10 points (4/5 FG), grabbed five rebounds and swatted away five shots while altering many more. His activity, the quickness with which he gets off the ground and his ability to track rebounds outside of his area are all characteristics in a productive big for various levels.

The Class 4A state title game took place on Saturday evening on the campus of UMBC where Chesapeake Employers Insurance Arena welcomed a sellout crowd for the Montgomery County matchup between Blake and Whitman. While Whitman showed fight in the first quarter, the Bengals quickly gained their footing and overall control of the game as they'd go on to win their first state championship (in any sport) in school history by a final score of 60-44. Below are the standout from the contest.