Written by: Diego Aguillen
The second Ledo’s Game of the Week takes place this Sunday, May 31st, and you got to be there. DeMatha (2-1) and Bullis (1-0) last matched up two years ago in the Maryland Private School State Basketball Tournament Semifinals (MDPSSBT), where the Bulldogs advanced to the championship in a 69-54 victory.
For the Stags, they are trying to get back to their WCAC championship pedigree. This is the school’s longest streak without a title. Although the Stags have had regular success under Coach Mike G. Jones III, they have a record of 90-41, a winning percentage of .687. This is a school best for a coach’s first four seasons. He has led the Stags to an Alhambra Championship in 2023 and an (MDPSSBT) championship in 2024. At 3-1 in the Capitol Hoops Summer League, DeMatha has had two big wins over John Handley, 111-43, and Glenelg, 90-56, and their only loss came to Jackson Reed, 78-93.
DeMatha’s strengths are having depth at the guard position. The guard standouts for the Stags have been rising sophomore Morgan Brannigan and rising juniors Major Jones and Isa Camp.
Morgan is a 6-foot-4 guard who is taking his first real steps on varsity. Last winter, he split time between JV and varsity. In his Summer League debut on Monday, May 18, against John Handley, he had an impressive final line with 17 points, 2 rebounds, 1 assist, and 1 steal. Limited with a knee injury so far in the league, Brannigan is averaging 13.3 points and 2.7 rebounds. This is a prospect who many inside the program believe could be the face of the program for many years to come.
“I was just trying to make a statement with it being my first game. This year is all about proving myself as a player,” Brannigan said after Monday’s affair.
Major, who is 5-foot-10, has been on varsity for two years now. His highlight game this year came on Wednesday, May 20th, in the loss to Jackson Reed, where he scored 17 points, 5 rebounds, and 6 assists. Jones is averaging 15.7 points, 3.7 rebounds, and 3.7 assists. Jones’ strength is being calm on the court. The moment is never too big for this young star.
“The coaches challenged me to lead, so I really try to do that, and I am trying to do more than just score,” Major said after the win against Glenelg.
Lastly, Isa, who is 5-foot-9, has been on varsity for two years and has had the most minutes for an underclassman. Camp’s highlight game came against Glenelg, where he finished with 11 points, 9 assists, 4 steals, and 3 rebounds, doing a little bit of everything in the game. That is definitely his strength as a smaller guard, which is his speed and agility that allow him to cause chaos on the court, disrupting the other team’s offense.
“I just use my natural ability to create for my teammates, able to get downhill whenever I want to. So being able to collapse the defense and kick to my open spray out,” Isa said after the Glenelg contest.
For Bullis, they are trying to get back to championship success. 2025 was a great year for the Bulldogs, winning both the Interstate Athletic Conference (IAC) regular-season title and tournament, and also winning a Maryland State title. The Bulldogs finished 20-10 overall and 6-4 in the IAC. Bullis opened Summer League with a big win over Walt Whitman, 62-54.
The Bulldogs’ strength is definitely their size, with 8 guys above the high school average height of 6-foot-3. The Bulldogs have a deep, youthful rotation at every position. Their standouts have been rising sophomore center Brady Potter and guard Dylan Saurtich, and lastly rising junior forward Eddison Floyd.
Brady, at 6-foot-9, is impressive to watch. In the Summer League opener, he put up an impressive line with 14 points, 7 rebounds, and 1 block. For a young, tall center, he shoots the ball really well, cashing in on 7 of 9 from the field.
“My coach and my teammates trust me to make hard plays, so when the time comes, I’m ready for the shot,” Potter said during his freshman season.
Dylan is their go-to guard and is 6-foot-2. Sauritch started Summer League hot with 16 points, 5 rebounds, and 3 assists. Dylan’s strengths are his maturity and high basketball IQ, which allow him to take what the game gives him on the court.
“Just worked through my teammates and let them find me, coming off screens, cutting, just really taking the right shots and trying to get down the hill,” Sauritch said after the team’s win.
Lastly, Eddison, who is 6-foot-3 and transferred before last season from Northwestern, had a solid outing of 11 points, 7 rebounds, and 1 assist, and this is his second Summer League outing. Floyd is a great 3-and-D player, which is a player that is great defensively but also can hit a three when needed.
This is definitely going to prove to be a tough game all the way through. DeMatha and Bullis are both really tall teams, and both have a lot of rotational depth. The deciding factor could come down to whether DeMatha’s bigs can dominate the inside. For Bullis, the key may be taking care of the ball and winning the turnovers battle. The stage is set for 5 p.m. on Sunday. DeMatha will definitely be motivated not to lose in their own gym, but Bullis will certainly look to take it from them.