DIAA Second Round: Howard 72, Tatnall 62

Second-seeded Howard rode hot shooting and a dominant first half to a second round state tournament win in front of a sellout home crowd, advancing to Saturday's quarterfinal round. Senior guard [player_tooltip player_id='2352458' first='Bryson' last='Lane'] led the way with 21 points while Tatnall's star sophomore, [player_tooltip player_id='1755072' first='Mason' last='Collins'], delivered a game-high 27 in the loss.    One of Howard's catalysts throughout the year, Lane came out aggressive and set the tone during the Wildcats' dominant first-half performance, scoring 14 of his 21 points in the opening half. A strong and tough-nosed guard, he was effective both initiating offense and filling a utility role. He was dangerous spotting up off the ball on his way to knocking down four 3's and also showed polish as a midrange pullup shooter. Lane scored efficiently within the flow of the offense, taking opportunities to get north/south off the bounce when appropriate. While not much of an individual shot-creator, his plug-and-play utility in the backcourt should translate smoothly to the next level.     Howard's leading scorer on the year, Baysah took a slight back seat in that department but was impactful nonetheless as a dynamic playmaker off the dribble. He knocked down a corner 3 to open the game, showing a confident and compact southpaw stroke, before shifting into facilitation mode as Howard established an insurmountable lead. Baysah was efficient getting to his spots off the bounce, consistently making one move and blowing by his man before making the smart, simple pass on time and on target. He was scrappy in the floor game with flashes of dynamic athleticism to help make up for his smaller stature. Baysah is a small-college dream who could sneak up to the scholarship level with further exposure.     The top prospect in the state and among the highest-ranked sophomores nationally, Collins had the team on his back for much of the game and simply refused to let the Hornets go down without a fight. Collins poured in 27 points and hauled in 12 rebounds while doing the bulk of the ballhandling and playmaking for Tatnall in the halfcourt, in the face of physical ball pressure from start to finish. He got better as the game went along, figuring out ways to use his size and strength to navigate to the cup and finish strong through contact. His will to win proved to be infectious as his team nearly came all the way back from a 20-point deficit to have Howard on the ropes in the fourth quarter. Collins still has steps to make as a perimeter shooter but his ability to impact a game across the board is truly rare for a prospect his age.     Helping make the difference as a key source of interior offense, Awahmukalah thrived within his role on his way to an efficient 14-point performance. He was effective sneaking into soft spots near the basket and finishing swiftly in traffic. His length was a consistent factor on both ends of the floor and he even flashed a smooth stroke out to the 3-point line off the catch. He plays mostly as an undersized '5' for Howard in smaller configurations, but has the skillset and fluidity to grow into a wing or hybrid forward role over time. Awahmukalah would be a great get at the D3 level or could benefit from a post-grad situation to be able to further expand his game before college.     Providing a key spark next to Collins as he has all season, McLendon put up a valiant fight in his last high school game before finishing with 19 points. He was consistently able to get a step on his man going downhill, leveraging his length effectively near the rim and showing an ability to finish with either hand. He showed a nice package of go-to moves to create space for his own shot in the midrange and stepped out for a pair of key 3s in the second half during Tatnall's comeback attempt. Having received scholar-athlete honors prior to the game, McLendon could prove to be a valuable pickup for a wide variety of high-academic small-college programs along the east coast.

Second-seeded Howard rode hot shooting and a dominant first half to a second round state tournament win in front of a sellout home crowd, advancing to Saturday's quarterfinal round. Senior guard Bryson Lane Bryson Lane 6'2" | SG Howard | 2026 State DE led the way with 21 points while Tatnall's star sophomore, Mason Collins Mason Collins 6'7" | SF Tatnall | 2028 State #12 Nation DE , delivered a game-high 27 in the loss.