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Wilmington Play-By-Play Classic Standouts (Dec. 21)

12/22/2022, 9:30am EST
By CoBL Staff

CoBL Staff (@hooplove215)

WILMINGTON — The Wilmington Play-By-Play Classics event took place this Wednesday at the Chase Fieldhouse, five games featuring plenty of college talent:

Archbishop Carroll 65, Conrad (Del.) 48
Bishop McNamara (Md.) 60, Westtown School 44
Roman Catholic 59, Salesianum 48

Academy New Church 78, Howard (Del.) 49
Malvern Prep 59, Middletown (Del.) 56

Here’s who stood out to the CoBL Staff:

Xzayvier Brown (2023 | Roman Catholic)
The St. Joe’s signee had an efficient outing as he led the Cahilites in their win. The teams were neck-and-neck until Brown turned things up defensively. Deployed at the point of attack, he got deflections and forced turnovers with his ball-pressure. Offensively, he pushed the ball in transition and made cerebral plays as he dropped 17 points and six assists, shooting 7-12 from the floor (1-4 3PT) and hitting both of his foul shots.


Archbishop Carroll's Dean Coleman-Newsome posted a double-double on Wednesday. (Photo: Josh Verlin/CoBL)

Dean Coleman-Newsome (2023 | Archbishop Carroll)
When 3-point shots weren’t falling early for Carroll, Coleman-Newsome did a better and better job of getting inside as the game went on, the strong-bodied 6-3 guard understanding how to create space around the hoop; he finished with 18 points and 13 rebounds, including four on the offensive end, turning a few of them into second-chance points; he also worked well off screens and was found for open layups a couple times. 

Matt Gilhool (2024 | Westtown School)
Gilhool showed the value in having a mobile big man with an 18-point, 14-rebounding outing against Bishop McNamara, getting his buckets in a variety of ways; he had a few post-up opportunities, some second-chance buckets, and even had a couple instances where he put the ball on the floor from the top of the key and got to the rim, with a three-point play on one finish; he also knocked down one 3-pointer on three attempts, and had a couple blocks on the defensive end.

Amir Hite (2023 | Middletown, Del.)
Hite brought some flare to an already athletic Cavalier bunch. He created space with his shifty handle, but he also played off the ball extremely well, contributing 18 points. The senior guard got buckets from all-over, including two 3’s. On defense, it was like he was playing free safety, jumping passes. Hite had five steals to spark transition baskets for Middletown in a game that came down to the final seconds.


Conrad's Jaylin Horsey poured in 32 points on Wednesday. (Photo: Josh Verlin/CoBL)

Jaylin Horsey (2024 | Conrad, Del.)
After a slow start in the first half, Horsey carried the Red Wolves in the second. He got into a groove off the dribble. The 6-3 junior crafted his way to the rim for layups and pulled up from deep, making four 3’s, including several pull-up jumpers with a hand in his face. With 15 points in the fourth quarter, Horsey scored 32 of Conrad's 48 total points. 

Bahsil Laster (2024 | Academy of the New Church)
Defense is the hallmark of every Kevin Givens-led team and Laster carried the torch on that end. His off-ball defense is beginning to catch up with what he can do at the point of attack. He used his length to garner five steals and block two shots for the Lions. More of a pass-first player, the big guard scored 20 points while dishing out four assists and grabbing five rebounds.

Martin Somerville (2024 | Bishop McNamara, Md.)
Somerville had the defense on its heels from tipoff. In McNamara's first three possessions, he scored on a layup, a floater, then 3 off the catch. On both ends, he used his bruising body to bump opposing guards off their spots. And just as Westtown tried to surge back late in the fourth, Somerville sealed the victory with a pull up trey. He led all scorers with 18 points, adding six rebounds and four assists in a strong all-around performance.

Anthony “Tookie” Smith (2026 | Salesianum, Del.)
Down their starting primary playmaker, Smith came in off the bench and took on the role without flinching. The Wilmington-product drove to the rack to set teammates up. The 3-oint line is where he really made a splash. The first two were spot-ups, but the third and final one was a dynamic stepback to give him 13 points on the night; he also handled the ball well against a tough and experienced St. Joe’s backcourt.


ANC's Deywilk Tavarez scored 27 points in a win on Wednesday (Photo: Owen McCue/CoBL)

Deywilk Tavarez (2023 | Academy of the New Church)
It was apparent very early on Wednesday night that Tavarez had the hot hand for the Lions. He finished with 27 points in the runaway win over Howard (Del.). Everything about Tavarez screams smooth from the way he shoots the ball to the way he handles and maneuvers on the offensive end. He knocked down three threes and also pulled up inside the arc to add to his point total. He did some damage on the break as well, successfully tossing down a slam late in the game. 

Ian Williams (2026 | Archbishop Carroll)
The Carroll freshman continues to play like an upperclassman, playing steady on the ball and minimizing both his bad shots and his mistakes while putting up strong numbers across the board; today, it was a 19-point, seven-rebound, five-assist effort in which he shot 5-of-11 from the floor and 2-of-7 from 3-point range, though his two makes were both crucial, sandwiched around a pair of free throws in the fourth quarter, which helped keep the Patriots ahead. The strong-bodied 5-10 guard can get into the lane and finish but likes the one-dribble pull-up.

Ryan Williams (2024 | Malvern Prep)
Sliding back and forth between creating advantages and  getting off-ball touches, Williams answered when they needed him the most. He was lukewarm in the first half, got hot in the third quarter, then he exploded in the 4th. All he needed was a crease in the defense to slip through and get to the paint. Williams led all scorers with 25 points which featured a couple threes and two free throws at the end to put the game on ice.

Honorable Mention

Amir Cunningham (2023 | Middletown, Del.), Dior Carter (2026 | Academy of the New Church), Jaren Curtis (2025 | Bishop McNamara, Md.), Kelcey Epps (2023 | Conrad, Del.), Justin Hinds (2024 | Salesianum, Del.), Shareef Jackson (2025 | Roman Catholic), RJ Johnson (2025 | Salesianum, Del.), Jaiden McGhee (2023 | Middletown, Del.), Prince-Alexander Moody (2026 | Bishop McNamara, Md.), Hayden Pegg (2023 | Malvern Prep), Ryan Pegg (2024 | Malvern Prep), Jaden Rogers (2023 | Middletown, Del.), Jermai Stewart-Herring (2023 | Roman Catholic), Cam Wallace (2025 | Westtown School), Jake West (2025 | Archbishop Carroll)


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