5 Takeaways: Oak Park vs Lee’s Summit (Jewell Classic: Patterson Division)
Below are the 5 takeaways from the great matchup between the Oak Park Northmen and the Lee’s Summit Tigers. Oak Park was able to pull out the win 64-53. Oak Park came out storming in the second half and took a double digit lead into the 4th quarter. Lee’s Summit made a late game push, but it wasn’t quite enough.
Ochai Agbaji
Agbaji continues to prove why he is probably the leading candidate for the player of the year talk around the area. He has pretty much been unstoppable since the season has started averaging over 25 points a game and pulling down double digit boards as well. Nothing really changed here as Agbaji put together a huge game for the Northmen and scored 30 points to lead all scorers. The momentum was with Oak Park as they took a tied game at half time and blew it open in the 3rd quarter. They led by 12 entering the 4th quarter. Agbaji put down a thunderous slam late in the game, and the crowd erupted and that capped off a great day for the 3 star recruit. Agbaji was able to pull in another off after his game vs Central, and look for others to come in as the season goes along.
Lee’s Summit Teamwork
The Tigers continue to work together and spread the wealth as good as any team around the area. They had the Northmen where they wanted them especially since the game was tied going into the half. The Tigers have played great in the second half of games this season and especially in the 3rd quarter. Today was a bit of a different story as Agbaji couldn’t really be contained. Lee’s Summit was able to put quite a bit of pressure on the Northmen and forced quite a few turnovers, but had a few mistakes in the second half that they couldn’t overcome. Will Eames put together a pretty good game scoring 19 points and leading the team. Deron McDaniel followed close behind hitting some big 3’s in the game and scoring 15 points. Speedy guard Nate Jones was able to find the bucket when the team needed him most. He finished in double figures with 10 points.
Oak Park is very quick and speedy
The Northmen proved why they are one of the top teams in the area by getting plenty of steals and fast break points. They were able to break Lee’s Summit’s press and that led to a lot of easy looks and a few open 3’s as well. They didn’t shoot the ball particularly well outside of Agbaji, but they knocked down open looks and finished on layups when needed. Ahmad Louis has been huge for this team so far this season, and today was no different. He is a quick guard who rises above defenders with his jump shot which then creates clean looks. He knocked down a couple of 3’s and finished in double digits with 19 points.
Will Eames might be an up and coming star
Eames proved once again that he is the go to man for the Tigers, and they need him to perform on most nights in order to be successful. He has put in a lot of hard work lately with a good summer and now following that up with a solid senior year for the Tigers. We’ve seen him shoot lights out numerous times and with his size, he is able to create space and get great looks at the basket. He has a high release which prevents his shot from being altered with or blocked most of the time. He is also an amazing post player with great footwork, plus he is a pretty shifty big man. Eames is becoming a little more known around the area, and look for him to continue his success in the second half of the season.
Can Oak Park take down Liberty North!?
Oak Park will face the talented Liberty North in the Championship game on Saturday, and this should be nothing short of a fantastic game. Oak Park had a bit of a scare today, but a game like today is what they needed. They have had quite a few blowouts in their schedule and haven’t really had to work for a victory. Agbaji really had to work hard today to get a lot of looks, and they looked out of sorts early in the first half. As the game went on, they started to come together as a team and play with the confidence they have played with all year. Liberty North has some talented players, but it’s nothing Oak Park hasn’t seen. If Agbaji is stopped by Liberty North, it will make the game very interesting, but that is a big IF…