MAPL Championship: Blair Academy 84, Hill School 67

For the seventh straight year, Mid Atlantic prep stalwarts Blair Academy (NJ) and Hill School (PA) met in the championship of the Mid Atlantic Prep League (MAPL) tournament. And for the seventh straight year, Blair emerged with the trophy, winning 84-67 on a neutral floor. All five of the Bucs' D1 starters impressed in moments, with senior forwards [player_tooltip player_id='1810844' first='Ramon' last='Soyoye'] and [player_tooltip player_id='1547475' first='Jack' last='Bailey'] (Boston College commit) each scoring a team-high 19 points.    Typically known as more of a shot-blocking and rebounding presence, Soyoye established himself early and often as a force to be reckoned with around the basket offensively. He established deep post position and showed improved command over his footwork while creating for himself in 1-on-1 scenarios. He even stepped out for a smooth top-of-the-key 3 that hit all net. Soyoye wasn't as dominant as we've seen him be on the other end but still did his job as a rim protector while making things difficult for Hill to score inside. With his best basketball clearly still ahead of him, expect the Nigerian post-grad (by way of Georgia) to remain a hot name among high-major coaches into the spring.     After struggling a bit out of the gates, Bailey established himself as a skilled and physical presence up front alongside Soyoye. He got himself going off the offensive glass, where he was a consistent thorn in Hill's side, and regularly sought out contact inside en route to 9-for-9 from the line. With his jumper not falling, it was nice to see the future Boston College Eagle mix it up and remain locked into the game en route to a strong overall performance.     As he's done throughout his senior year, Oliver shined in a glue-guy role on the wing as a perfect complement to his quartet of high-major teammates. He started out hot from the arc, with two first-quarter 3s, but really made his presence felt in the second half with his length and athleticism as a lane-filler and finisher in transition. Oliver is consistently in the right place at the right time to make things happen without needing to have the ball in his hands. He has ideal size for a wing at the next level with the pop and fluidity to match. Finally healthy after struggling with injury throughout his time at Blair, his translatable skillset and egoless approach have him rising up the ranks of available senior wings in the Northeast.     The top junior in the state, and perhaps the best junior floor general in the country, Rippey had a quiet game by his lofty standards but still consistently impacted the game with his playmaking and floor presence along with timely scoring. He didn't necessarily finish with a ton of assists but made a number of outstanding passes that led directly to scoring opportunities for his team. While only scoring 13 points, he remained a consistent threat to score, and it's impressive for a player as touted as he is that he never looks to make the game about him. There's a lot to be said for Rippey's ability to consistent bring whatever his team needs from him in pursuit of a win.     Coming on strong down the stretch of his post-grad year stateside, the Italian forward was a consistently effective source of offense for Hill on his way to a well-rounded 19 points. Known mostly as a perimeter threat, Galli did knock down three shots from deep, but he really impressed with his work inside the arc. He showed an ability to take advantage of bigs closing out on him by attacking off the bounce for strong and crafty finishes. He also showed nice comfort as a shot-maker and passer out of the midpost area. After coming over to the U.S. just this past fall, Galli has placed himself firmly on the radar of scholarship-level programs with his blend of skill and physicality.     Largely a known commodity by this stage, Meachem did what he's been known to do for the last four years, and that's stir the drink of the Hill offense with his steady ballhandling and paint pressure. He was called upon to do even more than normal with his backcourt mate in foul trouble and answered the bell with a team-high 23 points to keep Hill within striking range for much of the game. With the game looking to be out of hand, Meachem stayed resilient with a 3 and an and-one to keep his team alive. The future Bucknell Bison went out fighting in the final MAPL game of an accomplished career.     The only member of the Blair rotation without active high-major (or even D1) recruitment, Murphy stepped up off the bench with a timely seven points. The southpaw displayed a balanced skillset, scoring efficiently off a made catch-and-shoot 3, a midrange pullup, and a crafty drive to the cup before the third-quarter buzzer that really swayed the momentum of the game. We look forward to tracking him into the grassroots season to see what he can do in a different setting with more on his plate, but small colleges should be adding the name to their early recruiting boards already.

For the seventh straight year, Mid Atlantic prep stalwarts Blair Academy (NJ) and Hill School (PA) met in the championship of the Mid Atlantic Prep League (MAPL) tournament. And for the seventh straight year, Blair emerged with the trophy, winning 84-67 on a neutral floor. All five of the Bucs' D1 starters impressed in moments, with senior forwards Ramon Soyoye Ramon Soyoye 6'10" | C Blair Academy | 2025 State NJ and Jack Bailey Jack Bailey 6'9" | PF Blair Academy | 2025 State #136 Nation NJ (Boston College commit) each scoring a team-high 19 points.