Peach Jam: MD/DC Monday Notebook

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Peach Jam 2023 is officially underway and MD/DC has teams in each age bracket who will represent the area. How did day one unfold? Let's dive in.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Team Takeover 15's suffer loss</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>TTO 15s drew a very talented Georgia Stars squad in their first matchup and unfortunately got off to a slow start that they wouldn't recover from. They were able to pull within seven with 1:10 remaining, but would lose by a final score of 76-67. 2026 [player_tooltip player_id='1782683' first='Anthony' last='Brown'] was the bright spot in the loss as he finished with 20 points on 7-of-12 shooting from the field. He also grabbed six rebound and dished out three assists in his 19 minutes of action.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>2026 [player_tooltip player_id='1782691' first='Jordan' last='Hunter'] was a factor on the defensive end. His anticipation in the passing lanes helped spark run out opportunities. Although he struggled with ball security (five turnovers), he followed Brown up with 11 points and a handful of rebounds. 2026 [player_tooltip player_id='1782655' first='Prince' last='Moody'] and 2026 [player_tooltip player_id='1969210' first='Geremy' last='Clark'] each registered eight points while 2026 [player_tooltip player_id='1782660' first='Qayden' last='Samuels'] scored seven. They'll face Drive Nation tomorrow at noon as they try and avenge today's loss</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Melo falls despite strong Oumiddoch performance</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Team Melo suffered a 57-51 loss to Team WhyNot despite 2026 [player_tooltip player_id='1782695' first='Adam' last='Oumiddoch'] putting forth a performance that reminded everyone why he's one of the top prospects in the DMV. The 6'5 guard scored a game-high 22 points while mixing up his attack from multiple levels. He was also a factor on the glass as he led Melo with nine, but also got his fingertips on multiple offensive boards that secured extra possessions for his team.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>2026 [player_tooltip player_id='1782659' first='Parker' last='Robinson'] struggled to find his shot. It was just one of those days as he finished going 3-of-16, but Robinson remained aggressive and demanded the defense's attention on each catch. He scored 10 points in the loss. 2026 [player_tooltip player_id='1963387' first='Kam' last='Lawson'] had stretches throughout this game where he showed value at both ends, but ultimately it was the lack of shot-making that was the kryptonite for this team. Melo takes on Team CP3 tomorrow for a noon tip-off.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Gurdak's double-double leads Takeover 16s</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>2025 [player_tooltip player_id='1409272' first='Christian' last='Gurdak'] registered one of the more efficient performances that I've seen in recent months. It seemed like whenever he got the ball on the block, one of three things happened. He either found a way to the rim for layups, used his frame to draw contact and earn trips to the charity stripe or zipped skip passes as double teams presented themselves. He was a monster on the glass as indicated by his double-double of 15 rebounds and 13 points, which he scored by going 6-of-7 from the field in the win over Team Griffin.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>2025 [player_tooltip player_id='1370496' first='Derek' last='Dixon'] led a sound floor game from the lead guard position, picking his spots when they presented themselves. he 6'4 combo guard scored 11 points, knocked down two three's and collected seven rebounds. 2025 [player_tooltip player_id='1956071' first='Adlan' last='Elamin'] made timely buckets to keep the momentum in his team's favor. He tied Dixon with 11 points and used his length on the defensive end to disrupt shots around the perimeter.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Team Melo 17s come up short</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Melo 17s faced off against a Mokan Elite team with good size and willingness to share the basketball in a half court setting. Both of which were key in their win over Melo on Monday afternoon. The trio of 2024 [player_tooltip player_id='1579092' first='Malachi' last='Palmer'], 2024 [player_tooltip player_id='1280947' first='Tyonne' last='Farrell'] and 2024 [player_tooltip player_id='1225259' first='Jordan' last='Brathwaite'] carried the offensive scoring load from the backcourt while 2024 [player_tooltip player_id='1400499' first='Caleb' last='Embeya'] brought his hardhat as he usually does in the painted area. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Farrell led Melo with 13 points, Brathwaite followed with 11 and Palmer chipped in with 10. Embeya scored nine points while altering a handful of attempts at the rim. Melo will take on NY Rens tomorrow evening at 6PM.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Takeover 17s earn tough victory</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Takeover battled against an Expressions team that features one of the best prospects in high school basketball in 2026 AJ Dyabantsa, who scored a game-high 21 points.. It was a back-and-forth affair, but Takeover's execution in crunch time was key in sealing the win. 2025 Nyk Lewis lived at the free-throw line where seven of his team-high 14 points occurred. Lewis also snagged six rebounds and tallied three assists in the win.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>As usual, this group finished with balanced scoring throughout. Duke commit [player_tooltip player_id='1259620' first='Darren' last='Harris'] scored 10, 2024 Patrick Ngongba and 2024 [player_tooltip player_id='1259630' first='Garrett' last='Sundra'] each had nine while new Rhode Island commit [player_tooltip player_id='1259542' first='Ben' last='Hammond'] finished with seven assists, six points and four rebounds. Hammond turned in a solid performance controlling the tempo and pushing the pace when it favored his team.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Durant 17s suffer loss to Scholars</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>2024 Billy's Richmond has shot up the national rankings throughout the last 6-to-8 months and he showed why as he led the Scholars with 20 points in this win. For Durant, it was Marquette commit Royce Parham leading in the scoring category with 17 points. He was effective as cutter especially when Scholars resorted to a zone defense. He finished above the rim, used textbook footwork before using over the shoulder hooks or knocked down face-up jumpers in the mid-range.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>I thought 2025 Dom Stewart stood out with his versatility in this one. He knocked down three triples en rounte to 11 points, hauled in six rebounds and distributed five assists. Down the stretch, Stewart made the most of his touches and probably should've had the ball more in the final minute. 2024 [player_tooltip player_id='1259625' first='Jadyn' last='Harris'], 2024 Del Jones and 2025 [player_tooltip player_id='1225257' first='Acaden' last='Lewis'] each finished with eight in the loss.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->