DIAA Quarterfinals Action: Lead Guard Prospects

Across high and college, the teams who go far in March usually do so thanks to good play at the point guard spot. Here are five guys who gave their teams a shot to win this past Saturday:    Coates brought out his high-wire act in different ways versus Caravel. He sprang into action on the boards, and that eventually turned into him bounding into the lane. Coates flipped the court in transition, plucking defensive rebounds out of the air and racing down to the other end before putting his hands on the rim with a few dunks. He also managed to snag a few takeaways that initiated transition offense for others. Coates put up a balanced 12 points, 7 boards, 3 assists, and 2 steals.     In the rematch against Salesianum, Felton's impact was understated. He came on in the second half, playing bigger than his listed height while cleaning the glass. But that was only second to his on-ball defense. Felton used his string hands to repeatedly swipe or rip the ball away from Sallies players. And on each occasion, he turned it into points, whether he did the scoring himself or made the unselfish assist to someone else. He knocked down some free throws late to total 11 points, 5 rebounds, and 3 steals.     Jackson-Dickson hangs his hand on his ability to facilitate – and he did. But with Dover's best slasher out for the game, the senior point guard had to shift gears in order to put down an Eagles team finding its rhythm. He exploded in the third quarter. In successive possessions, KJD hit a step-back three in transition, pulled up for another three, then drove and kissed the ball off the glass for an and-one lay. Finally, he closed out the game by getting back to the paint and finished tied for a team-high with 16 points.     Once Sullivan found his bearings, he proceeded to create and/or exploit gaps in the Senators defense. In the midst of blocking a couple shots in the third, he got two feet in the paint for efficient buckets that gave the Eagles a boost going into the fourth. Sullivan continued slicing and dicing his way to the hoop and, when Dover finally cut him off, he countered with jumpers from the second level. He scored a game-high 17 points and reached 1,000 career points in the process.     After giving maximum effort on defense in the first quarter, Wright got on the scoreboard by trailing into a catch-and-shoot three in transition. From there, he incessantly put pressure on the rim. Wright slid into the paint off the dribble 1v1, off the catch, and using pick-and-roll. His ability to stop, start and change directions was reminiscent of his older brother and caused problems for the Colonials all game long. And for his valiant effort, he tallied 15 points and 3 stocks (2s 1b).

Across high and college, the teams who go far in March usually do so thanks to good play at the point guard spot. Here are five guys who gave their teams a shot to win this past Saturday: