MIAA Semifinals: Standouts from Boys’ Latin’s 13-9 Win Vs. Gilman

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>For the 13th time since 2010, Boys' Latin and McDonogh will meet in the playoffs, as the two MIAA rivals are now set to square off in Friday's championship after each side eeked out wins in the semifinals. <br><br>In the first of two games at Navy-Marine Corps Stadium on Tuesday night, Gilman gave BL all it could handle, only trailing 7-6 heading into the half and even taking a 9-8 lead late in the third quarter. From there, however, BL cracked the Greyhounds' defense and scored five straight to the end of the game, propelled by timely face-off wins and goals from its most experienced weapons. <br><br>Here's a look at eight of the most impactful players on the field: <br></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["14825"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"I've always loved the competitive fire that White plays with, and on Tuesday, that translated into early goal-scoring to give the Lakers their first two goals of the evening in just 74 seconds. Just over 30 seconds in, he came off a [player_tooltip player_id='14809' first='Spencer' last='Ford'] pick that created separation, threw a fake, and sent a beauty into the top left corner. Then, with the defense's eyes on [player_tooltip player_id='14526' first='Matt' last='Higgins'] as he got topside, White took a pass and sent one into the other corner. Coming with just under nine minutes remaining on what would be the final goal of the game, White's last tally of the night occurred when he exploded past his man, got back to the middle of the field, and ripped one with his off-hand. In addition to his offensive output, White also made a huge play when he caused a turnover on the sideline in the riding game. As he heads to college, White's ability to draw slides and routinely beat his man will serve him well in the Big 10, just as it has during his time in the MIAA.","_player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_1_player":["14833"],"_player_evaluations_1_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_1_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_1_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_1_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_1_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_1_evaluation":"As he tends to do, Hoffman put on a clinic when it came to going forward. I had him down for 15 face-off wins, and 12 of them were to himself. He was particularly strong between the end of the second quarter and the start of the fourth quarter, coming up with the ball at critical times to allow his Lakers to fend off Gilman late in the game. I would still like to see him cut down on his violations, but overall, he's incredibly effective at this level, though he'll need to bulk up a bit once he arrives in Chapel Hill.","_player_evaluations_1_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_2_player":["14526"],"_player_evaluations_2_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_2_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_2_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_2_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_2_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_2_evaluation":"If it's possible for someone to quietly have a six-point night, that was the case for Higgins, who has been flat-out phenomenal in 2024. Registering two goals and four assists, he had a pair of helpers early in the first quarter, and in the second stanza, the California native scored on a dodge from X, taking advantage of a poor approach and Gilman's misplaying of a pick. He got to 5x5 late in the third quarter to kick off BL's 5-0 run to end the game, adding an assist to Ford on EMO early in the fourth quarter.","_player_evaluations_2_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_3_player":["19282"],"_player_evaluations_3_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_3_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_3_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_3_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_3_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_3_evaluation":"The timeliness of Insley's three goals turned out to be a critical piece of the puzzle in the Lakers' victory, as the recent Richmond commit scored three of BL's first four goals to start the second half. He opened up the scoring in the third quarter when he put his shoulder down against a Gilman shortstick (and Division III football commit) then nestled a shot off-hip for his 20th goal of the year. He scored again on a bouncer on a hard left-handed drive late in the third, then slipped a pick on his next one and scored on a sensational individual effort - with his back to the goal, and perfect placement - that has been all over Instagram since the end of the game.rnrn[embed]https://www.instagram.com/p/C6_idz9LFWm/[/embed]rnrnu003ca href=u0022https://preplacrosse.com/2024/05/recruiting-rundown-recapping-aprils-notable-flips-and-commits/u0022u003eAs I wrote when we highlighted Insley after he committed to the Spidersu003c/au003e, he's just an incredibly smart player. He's always had the ability to make the guys around him better and act as the glue to the midfield unit, but on Tuesday night, he took over late and lifted the Lakers to a rematch with rival McDonogh in Friday night's championship game.","_player_evaluations_3_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_4_player":["27592"],"_player_evaluations_4_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_4_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_4_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_4_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_4_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_4_evaluation":"Plain and simple, you're not making it to the MIAA championship without elite defensive midfield play. At BL, Proutt is flanked by a pair of Division I signees in [player_tooltip player_id='14937' first='Connor' last='Schoenwetter'] (Marquette) and [player_tooltip player_id='15057' first='Duncan' last='Barnes'] (Delaware), but last night, Proutt was far and away the most dominant shortstick on the field. Whoever Proutt was covering could never get anything going, and he made an impact with two caused turnovers, putting the ball on the ground early in the game and then making an interception in the middle of the third quarter. Proutt was also a key piece of the clearing game, and generally made his presence felt all night.","_player_evaluations_4_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_5_player":["27585"],"_player_evaluations_5_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_5_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_5_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_5_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_5_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_5_evaluation":"Another Division I caliber recruit headed to the NESCAC, Kitchel is a bonafide space-eater with his long, rangy 6'3 frame. He quietly put together a really impressive senior season for the Greyhounds and has thrived while taking on some tough assignments. Kitchel moves well for his frame and gets his hands on opposing attackmen with his reach, often causing disruption. On Tuesday, he was excellent off the ground and picked up a handful of big groundballs to help Gilman compensate for a lack of face-off wins. Off-ball, it felt like he had total command of the Hounds' defense and always had his head on a swivel, staying man-conscious.","_player_evaluations_5_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_6_player":["27587"],"_player_evaluations_6_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_6_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_6_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_6_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_6_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_6_evaluation":"While his numbers may not be eye-popping, Graham has been one of the top uncommitted players in the state this spring, and I'd have to imagine that college coaches took notice of his performance on Tuesday night. Finishing with two goals, his second tally came on EMO when he hid his release behind his ear and pinged a shot nearside high. A good-looking athlete at 6'1, 200 lbs., Graham has a strong burst of speed and seems to make the right play time after time. He got on the board early in the second quarter when he executed a beautifully timed cut while catching the Lakers' defense sleeping. With much of Gilman's offense set to graduate, Graham and [player_tooltip player_id='14589' first='Jay' last='Rodgers'] (Johns Hopkins) will be pivotal for Tony Incontrera's squad in 2024 after helping lead the program to its first semifinal appearance since 2014.","_player_evaluations_6_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_7_player":["27589"],"_player_evaluations_7_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_7_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_7_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_7_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_7_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_7_evaluation":"The fact that Parks finished below 50 percent doesn't properly tell the story of how well he played against BL's firing squad of offensive talent, especially in the first half. Parks ate up everything low and made several point-blank saves early in the first quarter, which forced the Lakers to adjust. Finishing each quarter with three saves, Parks had a defense in front of him that gave up the kind of shots that he likely wanted to see, and beyond that, he looked comfortable in the clearing game. Having wrapped up his second season as a starter, I'd like to see him work on not dropping to his knees as much as he does, but on Tuesday, he did just about everything that you could ask of him.","_player_evaluations_7_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations":8,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"edit","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-664525f70ac4e"} /-->