Anne Arundel County Championship: Standout Prospects

The Anne Arundel County title game took place on Saturday at Crofton High School between two familiar foes in Severna Park (20-3) and Meade (22-1) squared off just a couple of weeks removed from Severna Park handing the Mustangs their only loss of the season. Meade would get their revenge after a slow start by outscoring the Falcons 35-27 in the second half to go on to win by a final score of 63-58. Below are the standout prospects from the contest.    A big reason why Meade was able to avenge their only loss of the season when it mattered most was the 6-foot-6 senior forward's play inside. After a quiet first quarter, Soumaoro' energy picked up significantly and coming out of halftime, he turned it up even more by using the third and fourth quarter to account for 19 of his game-high 25 points. The momentum for both Soumaoro and Meade picked up in the second quarter as they started exposing the backline of Severna Park's zone. Quick side-to-side ball movement had the defender's scrambling and on many occasions, it was [player_tooltip player_id='2575614' first='Keon' last='Scott'] darting lasers to his big man running short corner to short corner. He also made some nice finds on his catches in the dunker's spot as the defense collapsed and showed a double team to cutting teammates diving towards the rim for lay-ups. As the Mustangs smelled blood in the water as were able to get out in transition, Soumaoro made sure to finish strong above the rim to ignite the Meade faithful. To go with his 25 points, Soumaoro pulled in seven rebounds and dished out four assists.     Coard had a very quiet game in Severna Park's win a couple of weeks back. The 6-foot-1 sophomore has put together a season that has put him on the map in the county and he got back to those ways on Saturday as he was the high scorer for the Falcons with 19 points. A lethal long range shooter with a quick release, Coard does a nice job of constantly moving when his team has the ball in a half court setting. Not only does it demand his individual defender's attention throughout a game, his gravity opens up driving or cutting lanes for others as he comes off pin downs, flares to the corner or runs hard on DHO's. Meade attempted to play some zone in this one and before long, Coard found weak spots in the corner to drill catch-and-shoot triples. There isn't much depth to Coard's attack off the dribble game to this point, but he doesn't need it considering he can get to spots quickly off 1-to-2 dribbles and pull the trigger before his defender can get a clean contest. He accounted for four three's in this showing.     The likely AA County Player of the Year looked better than the initial meeting in terms of coming out from the opening tip with a purpose. He wouldn't explode in the scoring column like he did when he went for 32, but the comfort and control that he ran the Mustangs' offense with in the half court was much more impactful this go around. It showed in a double-double fashion with 12 points and 10 assists as time-and-time again Scott would expose openings in the backline of the zone with one-hand zip passes to Somaoro or others for quick scores. He threw a couple of nice lobs to his big from the perimeter as he manipulated the backline with his eyes to make them think he was going to throw a skip pass to the corner. An underrated aspect of Scott's game is his shot-blocking prowess for a point guard. He uses his springy athleticism and good timing as a weak side defender to catch others by surprise at the rim and accounted for three blocks in this one.     Mensah was the other Meade prospect who reached double-digit scoring figures with 10 on the game. When Scott and Soumaoro are having the impact that they did in this one, Mensah seems to always be the one that serves as the guy whose energy on both ends can be the one that breaks the opponent. A sturdy-framed southpaw combo guard, Mensah has a dependable stroke from three off the catch that he shoots with great confidence and balance. When he sniffs out a driving lanes, his physicality comes into the picture as he absorbs contact well while maintaining ability to finish around the rim. He's a stout defender with effective lateral speed to matchup against either backcourt spot and can hold his own against bigger guards again, because of his physical frame. He grabbed a handful of rebounds in this one, which he's been consistent with all season as a plus rebounder from the guard spot.     Batty stole the show last time around in Severna Park's win and while the first half of this one was quiet for the 6-foot-5 junior forward, he wouldn't go out without leaving a mark. All of his eight points would come in the second half as he and Coard tried to keep the Falcons within striking distance as Meade put together their fourth quarter run. Still, his ability to knock down jumpers on the move or assess the floor in face-ups before quick rips and getting to his spot are just a couple aspects of his game that translate well to the college level. As we eye state tournament play, Batty will be leaned on heavily if the Falcons want to make a run.

The Anne Arundel County title game took place on Saturday at Crofton High School between two familiar foes in Severna Park (20-3) and Meade (22-1) squared off just a couple of weeks removed from Severna Park handing the Mustangs their only loss of the season. Meade would get their revenge after a slow start by outscoring the Falcons 35-27 in the second half to go on to win by a final score of 63-58. Below are the standout prospects from the contest.