Mid-Atlantic Prep League: Semifinals Standouts

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>With the MAPL playoffs behind us, I decided to recap the playoffs with key players from the semifinals round. Here they are:</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1456843' first='Destine' last='Evans'] | 6'5 W/F 2025 Pennington School&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Evans may have had the toughest assignment of anyone in the semifinals. He had to defend Blair's 6'10 center, while also serving as a key piece for his team on offense; and he fought valiantly. Using his leverage and agility, Evans did his best to limit Ihekwaba's impact in the post. He didn't turn around and rest on the other end either. The athletic swingman helped facilitate (4 assists) and cashed in three triples from NBA range, contributing 12 points in total.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='2251704' first='Ethan' last='Johnston'] | 6'4 G 2026 Hill School&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Johnston didn't start the game, but he definitely finished it. Once he got warmed up, he went off for 14 second-quarter points. The off-ball guard hardly had to dribble. He scored on a putback, got to his floater off of a cut, shot the gap for a transition lay, and knocked down three catch-and-shoot jumpers (2 threes, 1 two). In the end, he had 22 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 steals, and 1 block.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1196125' first='Jacob' last='Meachem']<strong> </strong>| 5'6 G 2025 Hill School&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>For the majority of the game, Meachem opted to be the table-setter; and it worked. He only scored 2 points in the first half, but racked up 3 rebounds, 3 assists, and 2 steals. He picked things up in the second, making a layup and hitting a spot-up three. Then, in overtime, he grabbed another steal and went 4-for-4 from the line to close the game for the Rams. Meachem totalled 11 points, 6 rebounds, 4 assists, and 4 steals.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='2229035' first='Erik' last='Oliver-Bush'] | 6'4 G/W 2024 Mercersburg Academy</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Oliver-Bush put the team on his back to start their game against the Hill School by scoring their first 13 points. He did whatever he had to do to get those buckets — pulling up from three, driving to the up, and cutting. He even showed off his bounce by finishing above the rim on a cut and a duck-in. In total, he put up 22 points (5-6 FT) and 7 boards.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1595679' first='Deron' last='Rippey Jr.'] | 6'0 G 2026 Blair Academy&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>An endangered species at the point guard spot, Rippey let the game come to him and made sure the rock got exactly where it needed to be. He forced turnovers and flipped those into instant offense, getting a layup for himself and kicking it ahead to his teammate for a corner three. With no fluff to his game, Rippey also got high percentage looks by attacking off-the-catch. He had 11 points, 6 rebounds, 4 assists, and 2 steals in just three quarters of action and the Bus got the big win.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='829428' first='Jayden' last='Williams'] | 5'11 G 2024 Blair Academy&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Williams came out with a sense of urgency that got everyone else going. He hit three triples — two pull-ups, one off movement — on his way to 11 first-quarter points. After that, he made a point to get others involved and get to the paint, highlighted by a reverse lay-up on a baseline drive. Williams put up a game-high 17 points, plus 3 boards and 3 assists before sitting out the fourth quarter.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>MAPL Semifinals Honorable Mention</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1547475' first='Jack' last='Bailey'] | 2025 Blair Academy&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1484308' first='Quadri' last='Bashiru'] | 2025 Hill School&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Bryson Brown | 2024 Mercersburg Academy&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Nemo Holmes | 2024 Hill School&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1944302' first='Eric' last='Ihekwaba'] | 2024 Blair Academy&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='2344520' first='Noah' last='Johnson'] | 2027 Pennington School&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1406990' first='Lukas' last='Schmid'] | 2024 Blair Academy&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Dwayne "DJay" Snead Jr | 2025 Pennington School&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Aivaras Uosis | 2024 Hill School&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Josiah Wright | 2025 Mercersburg Academy&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->