OTR Hoops: Lemon Street Classic Standouts

MARIETTA, Ga. — One of the tentpole events on the Georgia high school hoops calendar, the Lemon Street Classic annually delivers multiple days of interesting matchups that inevitably lead to statement performances. 

It seems like every year this event features multiple stockrising outings. This year was no different. 

While I was only able to take in a couple of games, I got to see some tremendous action. 

Here’s who stood out: 

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Tobiaz Tolbert - Carver Columbus - 2026: Two courts running at the same time had swaths of people meandering back and forth between courts. I was part of the herd, so I didn’t get to see the totality of what Tobiaz Tolbert did to earn himself a Kennesaw State offer, but what I was able to see was impressive. There was no answer for the 6-foot-7, powerful forward. He owned the paint on both ends of the floor, but he was particularly impactful on offense where he seemingly scored every time he touched the ball. High motor, assertive, physical, Tolbert looked to muscle his way to the basket to score. He brought the same energy to the other side of the floor where he blocked and altered several shots. 

Lorenzo McCorvey - Walker School - 2027: Speaking of blocked shots, 2027 wing Lorenzo McCorvey does that as well as anyone at his position. He was a stopper for the Wolverines in their Monday win. He’s got a lengthy wingspan, springs in his legs, and high-level competitive spirit which he uses to defend up and down a line up. He uses the same attributes to swallow up rebounds too. His offensive game was a highlight reel of dunks after dunks. A great lob target, McCorvey spent a lot of time flying through the air and bruising rims. 

Anderson Carey - Walker School - 2026: Any time Anderson Carey takes the floor, he’s one of the most dangerous perimeter threats in the gym. When he gets going, he can shoot it with the best of them. In their contest against Houston County on Monday, Carey dropped in six 3-pointers en route to 18 points. He’s got a quick release on his shot and can hit a variety of shots. 

KD Hernandez - Walker School - 2028: Hernandez was a catalyst for the Walker School. It was his passing that shined brightest on Monday night. He dished outstanding dimes and put his teammates in prime positions to score. He’s able to use a nice blend of explosion and craft to get into the paint and discombobulate defenses to create openings to distribute. Hernandez is also one of the best finishers in the Peach. He can play through contact and get creative at the rim.  

Malik Gillespie - Houston County - Morehead State Commit: Morehead State has a dynamic guard incoming in Houston County’s Malik Gillespie. A star of the OTR Circuit, Gillespie turned the kind of performance we’re used to seeing from him on Monday night. He’s such a dynamic guard who can score in bunches. Gillespie came out of the gate hot with 12 points in the first quarter. Getting to the rim off the bounce, knocking down the 3-ball, he scored in multiple ways. Typical. Later in the game, he showed off his bounce with a thunderous transition dunk. 

Josh Jackson - Houston County - Robert Morris Commit: Jackson complimented Gillespie well in the backcourt providing another dynamic scorer. He’s quick with some shiftiness to his game that allowed him to make plays with the ball. Jackson showed off multi-level scoring with shot-making in addition to buckets at the rim. He adds a secondary punch that’ll make Houston Country dangerous when tournament play starts in a little over a month. 

Kaeden Union - Locust Grove - 2026: A player who, admittedly, I was unfamiliar with, Union was arguably the most impactful player in Locust Grove’s win on Tuesday to close the Lemon Street Classic. He played annoying defense. That’s meant as a compliment to him. Union was a pest on that end of the floor getting steals, deflections via competing harder than anyone. He was never out of a play on that end of the floor. Union, and the team in general, used their defense to catalyze their offense. He used his speed to get easy buckets at the rim. 

Tyler Jones - Locust Grove - GCSU Commit: Embroiled in a matchup against one of the more talented big men in Georgia’s 2026 class, Georgia College commit Tyler Jones thrived. His rebounding led to second chance points. Jones has a good motor in that department and gets off the ground well on secondary and tertiary efforts. He protected the rim and was an emphatic play finisher as well.