Just about past the season’s halfway point, we figured it was time for a review of who’s leading the pack, who’s stepping up and who’s lurking in the shadows this season. With an open tournament format on the way, everyone’s in, but who will rise above the crowd? Here’s our best guesses coming down the stretch.
Standout teams – Sanford, Smyrna, Appoquinimink, Tower Hill, Caravel, Caesar Rodney
Sanford established themselves as the clubhouse leader for the boys’ title with a 30-point win over Salesianum last Saturday, reassuring anyone who had doubts about them following the surprise loss at Tatnall. Nnanna Njoku is every bit the force the Warriors need him to be, but he’s got company – Brandon Dwyer is a classic knockdown shooter, Carter Ruby is an ideal tag team partner on the defensive end and guards Amin Johnson, Dayon Polk and Oliver Jones provide quickness and scoring capability.
Smyrna is an intriguing team breezing through their Henlopen North schedule behind seniors Robert Wiley, Elijah Credle and Olumuyiwa Salako. The Eagles’ depth, scoring and well-prepared coaching staff led by Andrew Mears looks to wash away the pain from last season’s second-round upset at the hands of St. Andrew’s and make some noise in the tournament.
Appoquinimink and Smyrna are mirror images of each other when it comes to size, depth and guard play. Lorenzo Carrier, who we’ll probably see on a Major League Baseball diamond someday soon, is a 6’6 jumping jack who can hang with just about center in the state and the outside shooting of guards Ja’Bree Green, Demetrius Lyn-Brown and Thomas Vaughn make it hard to double Carrier.
Tower Hill’s 5-0 start will be put to the test starting this afternoon with a home game vs. Tatnall and a visit to Sanford Saturday afternoon. Seniors Donoven Mack, Jaeden Fitzhugh and Ricky Deadwyler Jr. lead a balanced team who likes to get up and down the floor, evidenced by their second best in the state 72 points per game output.
The top scoring team in the state? Caesar Rodney’s 74.9 points per game average is spearheaded by guard Brycen Williams, center Jaelin Joyner and forward Ryan Carey. The Riders have the depth and scoring to go far in the state tournament, but have to be careful for bumps in the road, such as a surprise loss to Sussex Central last week.
Caravel is the team of tomorrow with sophomores Jaden Rogers and John Clemmons and freshman Miles White leading a young but talented team to a 6-2 record. The Bucs biggest enemy down the stretch will be a lack of experience, but talent overcomes a lot of things, so their tourney prospects are just as good as anyone else’s in this group.
Sleeper teams – Salesianum, Tatnall, Archmere, Middletown, Delmar, Dickinson
Salesianum got a rude wake-up call Saturday night at the Field House, but if any team can rally from that setback, it’s the boys on Broom Street. Steady Rasheen Caulk Jr. and Swiss Army Knife Ethan Hinds head up an explosive backcourt, while Justin Molen can play either guard or small forward position. Size may be Sals’ only setback, as evidenced by the inability to contain Nnanna Njoku, but the rest of that team is just as good as anyone in the state. A good hot streak to finish the regular season would do them some good.
Tatnall is an up-and-down team with a major win to their credit, defeating Sanford at home last Thursday. They also have losses to Tower Hill and Wilmington Christian that leave you wondering which Hornets team will show up on a given night. One thing is for sure, they’ll be led by Omari Banks, a smooth point guard who gets his teammates involved and can hit the bucket button when needed.
Archmere is a surprising 7-1 behind guards Chris Albero and Anthony Mariano and forward Matt Dellose. The Auks’ lone loss was to Caravel and that game wasn’t decided until the final minutes, proof that this team can compete with just about anyone. How they finish their Diamond State schedule will be the tell as to what kind of team to expect in the tournament.
Middletown’s surprising 14-8 record a year ago is no fluke as guards JaBree Pitts and Kam Roberts provide an excellent dose of scoring and decision making. Once the younger members of the Cavaliers catch up to speed, this could be a dangerous team come March.
Delmar’s looking for respect and wins against Seaford and Laurel as well as a tough battle against Woodbridge has them very much in the Henlopen South race. High-flying senior Jeremiah Lumpkin-Beale is the team leader in scoring, but not far behind is eighth grader Davin Chandler, a player who’s name we could be hearing a lot of over the next four=plus seasons.
Dickinson’s Flight B title reign is put to the test this afternoon with a game vs. Howard, but the Rams have shown very little drop=off in spite of Kareem Ewell’s departure to The Patrick School (NJ). Bry’Cere Spratley and Trevis Lee are the main men in the post, while Maurkel Harrigan, Jaylen Jenkins and Jay’vier Perdomo light it up from the perimeter. If this team can stay the course, another quarterfinal could be in their future.
Surprise teams – Howard, Newark, Wilmington Christian, Dover
Howard is athletic, has a strong bench and loves to push the pace, led by junior guard De’Mere Hollingsworth, senior forward Jahsir Gloster and freshman guard RJ Mathews. Contributions from twins Xavier and Ayden Richards-Powell and Darius Brown Jr. make Howard a very tough team to stop when clicking on all cylinders. Tuesday afternoon’s game with Dickinson is their first true test of the season.
Shannon McCants was a tremendous player at Newark back in the day, now he’s a tremendous coach as the Yellowjackets are 5-2 despite suiting up just six players for the course of the season. It helps that one of those players is junior Kamau Lately, a 6’7 pogo stick who finishes strong around the basket and protects the rim on defense. Guards Marquise Warren and Tivon Woolford can score as well as distribute the ball. Depth will eventually wear Newark down, but you better get them before they get you.
Wilmington Christian is watching Sanford/Tatnall/Tower get all the Independent Conference pub, but sits comfortably at 4-2. Seniors Dante Brinkley and Jalen Killing and junior Daniel Starkey lead a deliberate and effective Warriors attack, which gets put to the test tonight with a visit to Salesianum.
Dover likely missed a chance for an immediate state title thanks to COVID breaking out last spring, but the future is bright for the Senators. Dover has just one senior and their backcourt (Amir Hite and Jaheim Harrell) are just sophomores, so a 5-2 record with a team that young should give Stephen Wilson cause to be excited for the next two seasons to come.
