Seahawks (South River) vs Bengals (Blake)

Recap

Writer: Nicki Kupchan
05/27/26

After both capturing their first-ever state championships last season, Blake and South River High School entered Week Two of the Capitol Hoops Summer League looking to prove they can remain among Maryland’s elite despite losing star talent. Blake graduated 6-foot-10 standout Baba Oladotun, whose elite scoring and playmaking helped lead the Bengals to a 25-3 record and a 4A state title. South River also lost its senior “big three” of Jaden McDuffie, Jamie Finn, and Jonah Hall. With both teams searching for new stars and a chance to establish themselves as long-term powerhouse programs, the matchup is bound to provide valuable insights.

Starting the game, Blake’s Wale Oladotun hit two quick threes to put the Bengals up 6-3.

Blake’s hot shooting beyond the arc continued, with Nas Wilson and Oladotun knocking down two more threes to put the Bengals up 12-4 with 11 minutes to go.

After a much-needed timeout, South River’s Dom Bailey knocked down a three to slow down the Bengals’ momentum. However, Wale Oladotun responded with another three-pointer, going 4-for-4 and putting the Bengals up 21-7 with 8 minutes left in the half.

With 5 minutes left in the half, the Bengals continued to dominate both sides of the ball, shooting above 60 percent from three-point range and holding the Seahawks to a total of 11 points.

As the final minutes of the half closed, the Seahawks were having immense trouble finding their 6-foot-10 big man, Nick Pitt, on offense, who was being swarmed by an array of much smaller but relentless Blake defenders.

At halftime, Blake was up 44-23, largely due to its 58 percent shooting from beyond the arc and its relentless pressure on defense.

Starting the second half, Blake picked up where it left off, with Joe Okutoi making multiple tough layups to extend the Bengals’ lead to 50-23.

As the half progressed, Blake’s Liam Dola, at 6-foot-5, continued to play aggressive and hard defense against talented 6-foot-10 forward Nick Yarder, preventing the Seahawks from mounting any form of a comeback with 10 minutes to go in the second half.

As the game progressed, Seahawks guard Hank Oxendine took matters into his own hands, getting to the free-throw line at will and closing the deficit to 14 points.

But the Seahawks’ momentum did not last, with South River being down 16 with 4 minutes to go in the second half.

Blake successfully held onto its lead, winning 80-66, with key contributions from Wale Oladotun, who scored 17 points and shot 5-for-8 from three, and from 6-foot-5 Dola Lai, who played incredible defense on the much bigger 6-foot-10 Nick Yooter, forcing him to shoot 2-for-6 from the field. Overall, Blake had much more energy than South River, outhustling the Seahawks on both sides of the ball. This win crowns Blake as the ultimate Maryland public-school powerhouse going into next season.