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Here is what Gazette staff members saw last week at summer basketball games.

Monday, June 29

Boys: Northwood, Walter Johnson, Sherwood, Quince Orchard

Northwood will be a solid contender this year in Class 2A, but only if it can defend consistently. Led by athletic swingman Ed Dyson and workhorse Jake Gross, the Gladiators' high-octane offense should be able to score with the best. But their gambling zone press may leave them susceptible to easy baskets.

On Monday, the Gladiators held a 29-24 halftime lead over River Hill but faltered at both ends, eventually falling by double digits.

Walter Johnson is in rebuilding mode with the graduation of their top scorers, center Carl Yaffe and point guard Nash Oh.

During the Wildcats' 49-34 victory over Covenant Life, Carl's younger brother, Bert, looked impressive initiating the offense with several assists and buckets. Forward Halid Hamadi also provided a defensive presence in the paint.

Quince Orchard head coach Paul Foringer has rarely had a superstar, instead opting to field a deep team with a share-the-ball philosophy.

The Cougars' trademark style was on display in a 47-31 victory over Sherwood. Several players filled the stat sheet, but Andre Gaines had the highlight of the night: a steal and breakaway one-handed dunk.

The Warriors were led by forward Brad Bolen, who has the ability to score from anywhere on the floor.

Tuesday, June 30

Boys: Clarksburg, Damascus, Gaithersburg, Whitman

It may only be summer, but Clarksburg looked pretty smooth in a win over solid 4A program Whitman. It was the kind of win the Coyotes haven't had in their three winter seasons; could better things be around the corner?

The high tempo of summer ball helped, with veterans who can run like Detric Hodge, Sam Collins and Ace Clark. But Clarksburg does not have any true size, and really struggled from the foul line.

Whitman will look different when 6-foot-4 center Ian Ross joins up this winter. The big man will allow Sam Walsh and Charlie Waugh to jump out on the wings, where they will be more effective. Point guard Demetrius Cook is all kinds of quick and took defenders off the dribble all night.

Gaithersburg and Damascus both struggled to score in the nightcap, a 35-31 Trojans win. Gaithersburg played man-to-man all night while Damascus played zone exclusively.

Gaithersburg looks the part with its long, lean forwards. Junior Malcolm Miller has grown in the past few months to about 6-4, and kept his guard skills. Kyle Dillon is a sweet shooter. But the team was prone to long dry spells Tuesday.

Damascus struggled with its press break early in both halves, but got better as the game wore on. Tre Barnett and Zach Bradshaw bring legit size to the post.

Wednesday, July 1

Girls: Wootton, Holton-Arms, Churchill

Wootton has been the beast of its Montgomery County summer league division, with its most dominant player standing barely 5-feet tall.

Against Holton-Arms at Churchill High, rising junior Iris Cheng was once again imposing despite her size in the Patriots' big victory. The returning starter scored on jump shots, fast breaks and even on putbacks crashing the offensive glass.

The Patriots return four starters from last year's team, but one who was not might be a player to watch next winter: forward Danielle Khattar. Used sparingly during her junior year, Khattar opened up the floor with several corner jump shots.

On the other side, Holton desperately missed its best player and leading scorer from the last two seasons, rising senior Sequoia Austin. But rising junior Haley Gilbert, who hit for double figures 11 times this past season, showed off impressive ball-handling and slashing abilities on her way to 10 points.

Rising sophomore guard Bailey Jackson, roughly Cheng's height, also did damage from beyond the arc, while guard Abby Cohen chipped in an impressive steal and coast-to-coast layup.

Boys: Kennedy, Rockville

Rockville's ascension under head coach G.J. Kissal should continue next winter if this summer is any indication because Kissal has cultivated a talented team that has size, strength and finesse. The Rams went from one win to 10 in Kissal's first two seasons.

At 6-foot-6, rising junior DeAndre Kelly brings size and an ability to finish at the rim, as well as step out for an occasional lone-range jumper and he handles the ball like one of the team's guards. Kissal thinks Kelly is a Division I prospect.

Zachary Ogunfolu provides the brawn as bruising wide-body post player, who can finish off misses or feeds inside. On the perimeter, the Rams employ point guard Marcus Bailey, silky shooter Ben Kane and slasher Wayne Jackson. The team's bench also looks promising, led by Rainer Tandaju, who can slash to the basket like Jackson.

The Cavaliers also have some players to watch from a team that went 12-12 a year ago, namely Angelo Adon, a sharp-shooter from the outside who made four 3-pointers in the loss to Rockville and finished with 15 points. Javon Saulters looked like the team's most versatile player with the ability to do a little bit of everything, including score.