Grind Session DMV: Saturday Headlines

<p>The Grind Session made its way to the DMV this weekend as Mt. Zion Prep has played host for a three-day event of intriguing matchups featuring teams from the area, around the country and even overseas. On Saturday afternoon I made my way to Lanham to catch the last four games of the day's slate and it didn't disappoint as it allowed me to see a little bit of everything. Below are the headlines from the slate.</p>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Riverdale Baptist's strong fourth quarter leads to win over Minnesota Prep (MN)</h2>   <p>In what was the most physical basketball game that I've witnessed in recent memory, both teams took the first two quarters to settle into whatever product the referee crew was trying to generate. Whether that meant getting caught up on time after the game before ran long or just wanting to have a more physical, battle-it-out sort of game, the fact of the matter it is was borderline dangerous to be allowing what was going on. </p>   <p>Riverdale won by a final score of 79-67.</p>   <p>Nevertheless, the kids adjusted and fought through the awful officiating in what was a back-and-forth affair throughout three quarters. While Riverdale maintained a lead for majority of the game, Minnesota Prep stayed within striking distance and always seemed to have an answer. Once the fourth quarter started, 2026 Riverdale Baptist point guard [player_tooltip player_id='1588140' first='Ean' last='McLaughlin'] caught fire from outside as the 5-foot-10 senior hit four of his seven triples en route to a game-high 32 points to create the necessary breathing space for the Crusaders. McLaughlin's stat line didn't stop there. He also pulled in seven boards, accounted for seven steals and finished with two assists. If it weren't for a few teammates missing some bunnies around the rim, that assist number would've been higher. 2026 [player_tooltip player_id='2459355' first='Dezmon' last='Ainsworth'] was also strong in the showing, literally and figuratively, as he followed up with 15 points and seven rebounds.</p>   <p>2026 Charles Duncan was the consistent producer throughout for Minnesota Prep and would score 20 points while hauling in eight rebounds in the loss.</p>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Clinton Grace's athleticism prevails</h2>   <p>The Eagles came into this one with the tough assignment of preparing for The Star Alliance (ITA), a European program featuring prospet from Italy's Stella Azzurra and Orange1 Bassano. Their rotation poses great positional size and length, but ultimately it was Clinton Grace's athleticism and ability to perform in the open floor after making for an up-tempo style that would allow them to runaway with a 74-58 win.</p>   <p>Unsigned senior Zoje Owinje's precision from outside would be the difference maker as the 6-foot-5 guard/wing led the charge with 23 points while eclipsing the 1000-point mark for his high school career. 2027 point guard [player_tooltip player_id='2139297' first='J'Lon' last='Lyons'] made plays in space or getting downhill into the paint while leaving his fingerprints all over the stat sheet with 14 points, eight rebounds, seven assists and five steals. Old Dominion pledge [player_tooltip player_id='2620897' first='CJ' last='Lyons'] had some timely buckets and piled up a total of 15 points in the win.</p>   <p>Ricards Aizpurs continues to be one of the more fascinating Euro prospects for me and he proved why again yesterday. Standing 6'4"-6'5" he could step on a college floor today and look in place given his filled out frame. He uses his frame to initiate contact, but also plays with some surprising, agile feet attacking off the bounce. His bread is buttered when he can let it go from beyond the arc or operate off closeouts before rising up with textbook mechanics. Aizpurs poured in 28 despite the loss yesterday and remains one to watch in the 2027 class internationally</p>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Mt. Zion's big three leads in win over West Oaks (FL)</h2>   <p>When this Mt. Zion team is flowing through their three key guys in 2026 [player_tooltip player_id='1782591' first='Jasiah' last='Cannady'] (UMass Lowell), 2027 [player_tooltip player_id='2407095' first='Zion' last='Green'] and 2027 [player_tooltip player_id='2201951' first='Jacob' last='Canton'], it usually puts them in a great position to win and that was the case in their 70-59 showing over West Oaks.</p>   <p>Canton provided the sparks early as he came out in attack mode from the start, headlined by a poster one-handed slam in transition that was followed by another strong flush to send a statement early. When he wasn't attacking the gaps, he was finding openings around the perimeter for spot-ups where he converted on a couple of triples as he finished with 20 points, eight rebounds and three dimes. Green's damage was felt more in the second half where his feathery touch from mid-range was on full display. He also took as a semi-trailer in transition where he hammered down a dunk that caught the crowd's attention. Cannady was consistent throughout and finished with 17 points and six boards despite missing some shots that he usually knocks down with ease. </p>   <p>Also wanted to note the effort from 2029 [player_tooltip player_id='2802004' first='Harlem' last='Nunez'], who continues to take steady strides as a freshman as he reached double-digit rebounds (10) to go with six points.</p>   <p>West Oaks was led by 2026 Ibrahim Basima's double-double of 19 points and 10 rebounds along with 2026 Terrell James' 16 points, six assists and three steals.</p>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Southeastern Prep's talent provides second half surge</h2>   <p>The headlining game of the night was between Southeastern Prep (FL) and Bishop O'Connell. Current McDonald's All-Americans and potential future McDAA's littered the floor and in the first half, it was neck-and-neck as SEPA led 34-30 heading into the break. They'd go on to outscore O'Connell in the second half 47-27 to win by a final of 80-57.</p>   <p>The majority of [player_tooltip player_id='1463303' first='Jaxon' last='Richardson']'s team-high 19 points came while assaulting the rim airborne as the 6-foot-6 wing took flight as a lob-catcher on baseline cuts or created the opportunities himself in transition to give the cameramen on the baseline some content to post. 2027 [player_tooltip player_id='2112009' first='Beckham' last='Black'] just missed a triple-double as the premier floor general scored 14 points, grabbed nine boards and dished out eight assists. There were some struggles in the turnover department with Black due to some unsuccessful lobs, but he was able to make up for it on the backend. The frontcourt duo of 2026 [player_tooltip player_id='1658584' first='Toni' last='Bryant'] and 2027 Obinna Ekezie each churned in 13 points to balance out the overall team win.</p>   <p>2027 Corey Dixon was the lead man for O'Connell and really showed off his improved ability to operate off the bounce in traffic. He can generate his own shots with regularity and knock down some demoralizing ones in the mid-range even when a hand is in his face. He scored an impressive 27 points and did it from multiple levels. </p>

The Grind Session made its way to the DMV this weekend as Mt. Zion Prep has played host for a three-day event of intriguing matchups featuring teams from the area, around the country and even overseas. On Saturday afternoon I made my way to Lanham to catch the last four games of the day's slate and it didn't disappoint as it allowed me to see a little bit of everything. Below are the headlines from the slate.