BSR will be at the I-95 Elite High School Showcase in full force tonight, with live updates, stats, pictures, and video highlights. The event, presented by Under Armour and taking place at Towson University, pits two of Baltimore’s best high school basketball teams against two out-of-state juggernauts. 
The first game, slated to start at 6 p.m, features MIAA power St. Frances against Quality Education Academy, a top-notch program out of Winston-Salem, North Carolina. The 8 p.m. nightcap will be a showdown between two of the top public school teams in the nation, as point guard sensation Aquille Carr leads Patterson against New York City’s top team, Lincoln High. You may know Lincoln as the Coney Island school that has produced NBA stars Stephon Marbury, Sebastian Telfair, and Lance Stephenson in recent years.
The event should be exciting, with some of the top high school talent in the country hitting the hardwood.
Preview: Patterson vs. Lincoln
While both games in this event are poised to be great ones, this one should probably be considered the marquee matchup. Patterson, our preseason top-ranked team in Baltimore, is led by Aquille Carr, their pint-sized (height listings range from 5’6″ to 5’8″) point guard who was the consensus top player in Baltimore last season. Carr, just a junior, has already graced the cover of Dime Magazine and been the focus of a GQ profile. The Clippers standout has been dubbed “The Crime Stopper,” as his jaw-dropping performances have drawn massive crowds to Patterson basketball games, and in turn reduced the amount of crime in East Baltimore while his team is playing. Carr has a plethora of top programs recruiting him, including UConn, Memphis, and Louisville, among others. Take a look at this highlight reel if you don’t understand all of the hype surrounding Baltimore’s hottest basketball commodity:
It’s not all Carr for Patterson, however. Myrek Fowlkes was an All-Metro performer last year as a sophomore, and key transfers Devin Hebron (a lights-out shooter) and Shakir Brown (a tough inside presence) give the Clippers a well-rounded and deep squad.
The competition for Carr and Co. will be extremely stiff. Lincoln is led by sophomore sensation Isaiah Whitehead, a 6’4″ guard who is a pure scorer and an athletic defender. A consensus top-20 talent in his sophomore class, tonight’s game will be Whitehead’s first of the season, as he returns from a short stint on academic probation. Lincoln is similar to Patterson, in that they feature a strong supporting cast to their star, complete with a few impact transfers. Shaquille Davis and Ethan Telfair (Sebastian’s younger brother) are gifted guards who have formed a strong partnership with 6’7″ forward transfer Tafari Whittingham while Whitehead has been out.
Preview: St. Frances vs. Quality Education Academy
While the Patterson game should be considered the main event, neither one of these teams should be taken lightly. St. Frances is a strong squad and started out as the second-ranked team in our high school preview. After two close losses to MIAA rivals Mount St. Joe’s and John Carroll over the past eight days, the Panthers are hungry for a win against a tough QEA team.
St. Frances is led by point guard transfer and UNLV commit Daquan Cook, a state title winner last year with Digital Harbor. Another transfer, junior swingman Tevon Saddler is a scoring threat every time he touches the ball, and is being actively recruited by several mid-major schools. Possibly the most important player for the Panthers in tonight’s game will be 6’9″ center Josh Forney, who is headed to Loyola (MD) next Fall. He’ll have his hands full with a tall, talented Quality Education frontcourt.
Brandon Bolden, a 6’11” center who is headed to Georgetown next season leads Quality Education, and Dayton point guard commit Jevon Thomas plays a great Robin to Bolden’s Batman. QEA is considered North Carolina’s top team by most, and their only loss to this point was to Oak Hill (VA), widely considered the best high school team in the country.
BSR’s Coverage
We will create two posts for live updates as we approach tip-off later tonight, and feel free to follow me on Twitter, where I will be posting score updates and stats during the game.
Either between the two games or after both have ended, I will post several pictures and video highlights from the event. If you kept up with my coverage of the high school state football championships two weeks ago, it will be very similar.
See BSR’s full archive of high school sports coverage.
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Edgar Walker is a staff writer for Baltimore Sports Report, focusing on high school sports and the Ravens. Follow him on Twitter or reach him by email at <ewalker795@gmail.com>.
