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Cristo Rey Play-By-Play Classic Standouts (Dec. 27, 2022)

12/28/2022, 1:00am EST
By Josh Verlin & Chad Graham

Josh Verlin (@jmverlin) &
Chad Graham (@CGraham_Sports)

The Play-By-Play Classics came to Cristo Rey on Tuesday for a five-game affair, with 10 area teams playing each other in a series of inter-league matchups.

Click here for our recaps of the five games; here’s who stood out to the CoBL staff:

Tyler Beaulieu (2024 | Episcopal Ac.)
Beaulieu missed his entire sophomore season at EA due to a broken collarbone he suffered just before the season started, but the 6-foot-tall guard is really finding a rhythm now that he’s back on the court. A future centerfielder in college (he’s committed to Cornell), Beaulieu patrols the court well with the ball in his hands, consistently getting into the middle of the Bartram defense, where he had several finishes through contact and hit a few mid-range jumpers, in addition to a few from deep; on the day, he finished with 21 points on 7-of-10 shooting (3-3 3PT), with five rebounds, three steals and an assist. 


Reid Belcher (above) scored and defended at a high level on Tuesday. (Photo: Josh Verlin/CoBL)

Reid Belcher (2024 | Friends Central)
Belcher is always a stalwart on defense. Two of his three steals against Cristo Rey came when he picked off long passes and took them coast-to-coast for layups. His scoring didn’t stop there. Belcher moved well without the ball, relocating after each pass and cutting backdoor. And he had some strong drives to the basket. The junior guard scored a team-high 13 points.

Devin Booker (2025 | Cristo Rey)
The sophomore wing stacked another good day in his development with a 21-point, 11-rebound double-double. His second quarter run was huge for them. He popped two two 3-balls on his way to 11 points in that period. Throughout the contest, Booker deflected passes and pulled-down boards to get the ball back for Cristo Rey. Later on, he put the finishing touches on the game with a breakaway dunk.

Ryan Brown (2024 | Unionville)
Brown quietly put together a solid all-around performance in Unionville’s 56-33 win over Collegium Charter, finishing with 16 points (5-11 FG, 3-7 3PT, 3-4 FT), plus seven rebounds, three assists and two steals. A 6-3 combo guard who often plays with the ball in his hands, Brown has a smooth and easy outside shot, and uses that to open up the one-dribble pull-up or attack the rim, going baseline a couple times. Like the rest of the Longhorns, Brown does a good job of playing within Unionville’s system and knows how to keep the ball moving.

LaQuan Byrd (2024 | Father Judge)
Byrd’s been an impressive physical wing since his underclassman years at Judge, but the 6-3 junior impressed with his shooting against West Chester Henderson. Showing off a confident catch-and-shoot stroke, he was 5-of-6 from beyond the arc, helping him to a team-high 25 points in Judge’s win over Henderson. Byrd still attacked the rim and had a few tough takes through contact, and got to the free throw line three times (4-6 FT), but if he’s going to be a reliable outside shooter too, that’s a real problem for opposing defenses. He also added seven rebounds, two assists and two steals.


Connor Fleet (above) had 21 points, all in three quarters. (Photo: Josh Verlin/CoBL)

Connor Fleet (2024 | West Chester Henderson)
Though Henderson lost by 13 to Judge — a result that is deceiving, as it was a two-point game midway through the fourth quarter before Judge closed strong — its top three were all fantastic, starting (alphabetically) with Fleet. The 5-11 junior guard is terrific with the ball in his hands, going both ways, knowing how to use the hesi, pump-fakes, change pace, etc. He scored all 21 of his points in the first three quarters, shooting 8-of-16 from the floor and 3-of-5 from 3-point range, making a few tough layups to boot. He might be a little more of a scoring point at the next level due to his size, but there’s no denying the talent.

Duce Jackson (2023 | Collegium Charter)
It was a rough day for Collegium for everybody not named Duce Jackson, but the 6-6 wing forward had himself a nice game against Unionville. Jackson excelled at operating from the high post, where he was able to face up and knock down jumpers or use a spin move to get to the rim, where he could finish well with either hand, showing great touch from different angles, using the rim and backboard to his advantage; on almost all shots from within 15 feet, he finished 11-of-15 from the floor and 3-of-3 from the foul line for a game-high 25 points, with eight rebounds, two steals and an assist. 

Kyle Jones Jr. (2023 | Father Judge)
Jones Jr contributed to the Crusaders first-half 3-point barrage with three of his own. He also drove then kicked to create looks for his teammates on the wing. But then Henderson made adjustments at half to slow down Judge’s assault, going to a 2-3 zone. It was effective in the third, then the senior combo took over. Jones Jr brought life back into their offense with tough shot-making down the stretch, which was crucial to their win. He concluded the game with 21 points, three 3s, 8 rebounds, and 3 assists.


Bahsil Laster (above) had 18 opints and five steals to lead ANC in both categories. (Photo: Josh Verlin/CoBL)

Bahsil Laster (2024 | Academy of the New Church)
As he’s proving to be quite often in his first year with ANC, Laster was right in the center of things for the Lions’ two-way attack, which relies on aggressive defense to turn into aggressive offense, needing as many versatile wings as possible on the floor to be effective. At 6-5 and skilled, Laster paced ANC with five steals and turned that into a team-high 18 points, shooting 5-of-10 from the floor (2-3 3PT, 6-8 FT), with five rebounds and three assists. Lahster’s got great length for a point guard and an easy outside shot, which combined with his ability to read passing lanes and run the fast break makes him an easy candidate for scholarships.

Lateef Lorenzo-White (2026 | Bartram)
The Braves fell to Episcopal Academy but not without an impressive effort from their freshman wing. After cashing in a pull up three, Lorenzo-White spent the rest of the first half bending the defense off the dribble and kicking it to open shooters. In the second, he found his own shot. He got two feet in the paint with ease. His feel for the game was evident in the way he finished over and around defenders without forcing anything. Lorenzo-White used a combination of touch-shots and mid-range jump shots on his way to 22 points and 5 rebounds.

Nyle Ralph-Beyer (2024 | West Chester Henderson)
A coach's son, the 6-3 two-guard craftily picked his spots for 26 points and 3 assists. He was really rolling in the third quarter he dropped 12 points to give Henderson a 61-57 lead. Ralph-Beyer went on a run that included a couple middies, two spot-up threes, and attacking a closeout for a jam. No spot was off-limits because he had counters to get where he wanted. If he keeps this up, Ralph-Beyer will have to be up there amongst the most skilled perimeter scorers in the area.

Kmari Smith (2023 | West Chester Henderson)
Good things happened for the Warriors when Smith touched the ball. He got hot in the second quarter knocking down two 3’s off the catch plus another lay up for eight points. His 15 total points and five assists don’t illustrate how Smith processed Judge’s defense and added flow to their offense with his passing. The 6-2 guard crashed the glass for eight rebounds and made sound decisions in transition as well.

Josh Wyche (2023 | Cristo Rey)
Wyche is most comfortable when he can blend his playmaking with his scoring as a point-forward, and he did just that in an intense game versus Friends Central. Wyche had a complete floor-game with 21 points, about 8 rebounds, 5 assists, 2 steals and a block. The senior captain and Lafayette-signee book-ended the game for his Blue Pride with 8 points in the first quarter and 9 in the fourth. His ability to attack FCS’s bigs from the perimeter got him to the charity stripe (10-12 FT) and closed out the game for Cristo Rey.

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Honorable Mention
James Anderson (2024 | Unionville), Dior Carter (2026 | Academy New Church), Timmy Dennis (2026 | Episcopal Academy), Jarell Keel (2023 | Academy New Church), Kevair Kennedy (2025 | Father Judge), TJ Lamb (2023 | Episcopal Academy), Jeremiah Lee (2024 | Abington), Kevin McCarthy (2024 | Episcopal Academy), Muhsin Muhammad (2024 | Friends’ Central), Fazl Oshodi (2024 | Friends’ Central), Ernest Shelton (2023 | Father Judge), Danny Surowiec (2024 | West Chester Henderson), Deywilk Tavarez (2023 | Academy New Church), Nolan Waldon (2024 | Academy New Church)


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