Sights and Sounds from DMV Hoops Madness, p1

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>This past weekend at Archbishop Spaulding, top programs from around Maryland, DC, and Pennsylvania came together for two days full of great matchups. Here part 1 of what I saw and heard:</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>The A/B tandem for Archbishop Spaulding&nbsp;</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>2028 combo forward [player_tooltip player_id='2715192' first='Nash' last='Avery'] is back and as good as ever for the Cavaliers. The highly-touted prospect confidently created mid- and long-range shots for himself; but he really turned the tide for his team when he got to the cup. Avery used his size advantage and handle to power his way to the cup With spin moves and physical bumps, he scored over smaller or slower defenders. His willingness to contribute in other ways was essential too. He blocked shots and grabbed the rebound to initiate transition offense. And he crashed the boards on offense for putbacks. His all-around effort was complimented with sharpshooting from [player_tooltip player_id='2735133' first='Anthony' last='Buchman']. Another 2028, Buchman drilled catch-and-shoot threes at a high clip, sprinting around off-ball screens and drifting into open space when defenders were scrambling. Then he turned around and intercepted passes on defense, taking them coast-to-coast.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>The AB &amp; Eaddy Jr combination for Bonner-Prendie</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A team that thrives when it has four guards on the floor, Coach Cassidy's Friars now have one of the toughest frontcourts in the Philadelphia area. 2027 [player_tooltip player_id='2885103' first='Abdul' last='Rashid Issah'] and 2030 [player_tooltip player_id='3702080' first='Russell' last='Eaddy'] Jr are thunder and lightning when they're on the floor together. On Saturday, Issah played with an attitude as he covered ground for blocks and steals in space defensively and when he rolled to the rim. He also gave the Friars an extra edge. Eaddy Jr on the other hand was a beast. There were multiple times when it looked like a shot attempt was out-of-reach but Eaddy Jr still got up and launched it out of bounds. Similarly, he gave defenses problems when he got touches in the lowpost. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>James Bennett, a Promising Team from the Eastern Shore</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Making the two-hour trip to Anne Arundel County, the Clippers showed some upside. They were led by 2028 shotmaker [player_tooltip player_id='2949205' first='Kyler' last='Dickerson'] and 2029 two-way guard [player_tooltip player_id='2847479' first='Khiyen' last='Tilghman']. Dickerson went to work in the mid-range, playing off the catch and getting to his spots for one-dribble pull-ups. Additionally, he snuck into the paint for putbacks and made a few plays on defense. Tilghman accented Dickerson's jump-shooting with paint touches, using his solid frame to dish out and absorb contact at the rim, which was exactly what he did as the Clippers' tip of the spear defensively. 2028 forward [player_tooltip player_id='3785979' first='Jayden' last='Wallace'] gave them size and athleticism on the back line. He cleaned the glass on both ends, caused havoc in space, protected the rim, and even hit a three. Moreover, connectors like 2027 Kaden Jacoby-Sample and 2028 James Matthews did a little of everything to give the team a spark.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Boys Latin Duo Makes a Difference</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>2028 [player_tooltip player_id='2621950' first='Noah' last='Sulaiman'] and 2029 [player_tooltip player_id='2882931' first='Brayden' last='Whitaker'] were one of the more impressive backcourt duos over the weekend.They alternated playmaking duties as they gutted out a tough victory against City School. On top of his scoring and facilitating, Sulaiman put on a defensive master class. He ripped off three steals in as many possessions to put the finishing touches on the game. An aggressive defender in his own right, Whitaker's ball-pressure overwhelmed opposing defenders. And when he wasn't putting pressure on the rim off the dribble, he was drilling spot-up threes.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->