The Breakdown: Metro Christian vs Mannford
Prep Hoops ended a busy Saturday in Tulsa watching #9 Metro Christian battle #8 Mannford in a Class 4A top ten battle. Mannford dominated the first half, but could not hang on to the lead as Metro Christian battled all the way back to take the lead for good late in the fourth quarter. Get the complete breakdown of the game below!
Metro Christian without Streich
Metro Christian was without senior standout Landon Streich (who appears to be out for the year). The loss of Streich is devastating but does not mean they are out. Metro Christian proved a lot on Saturday overcoming an undefeated Mannford squad with a great second half performance. They are a scrappy group that can’t be overlooked in Class 4A.
The Engine behind Mannford
Jake Banfield 2019 Point Guard for Mannford is one of the best leaders on the court you will see in Oklahoma. He brings everything he has on both ends of the floor. Banfield is small in stature, huge in heart. Early in the game, Banfield lost his front tooth on a drive to the hoop. He calmly walked over to his coach handed him his tooth got the blood cleaned off himself and then entered the game one minute later. The kid is tough. Don’t think just because I am talking leadership and toughness that the kid does not have game because he does. The quick first step of Banfield leaves opponents struggling to stay in front of him when he drives to the hoop. He has a smooth jumper that hit the bottom of the net for the majority of the night. The weakness in Banfield’s game is his size at 5’7 and he does force bad shots at times. The best part of Banfield’s offensive game is his court vision and passing skills. The intangibles of toughness, leadership, swag, and grit are all in Banfield’s game. He is constantly battling on both ends of the court. Banfield projects to the small college NAIA to NCAA Division II level.
The strength of Metro Christian
Metro Christian was fueled to victory behind a very balanced offensive attack. Coach Flam stressed to his team to share the ball in the second half and they did just that. When they got going in the second half it was due to open shots created by constant movement. The ball movement of Metro Christian makes them tough to stop.
Kizer is Mannford’s anchor
In the middle of the defense, Daniel Kizer at 6’4 in the 2019 Class is the anchor in the Mannford attack. He rebounds extremely well due to great effort and always boxing out the opponent. He brings a lot of energy and grit to Mannford defensively. Offensively, Kizer is raw. He scored the ball below average on Saturday night at his best inside the paint. He isn’t the biggest guy but has some good strength in his game that helped him to finish inside. Following an early three-pointer, Kizer struggled for most of the night with his jumper. The biggest thing he has to improve upon to get to the next level is garnering a consistent jumper from mid and three-point range. Kizer projects to the NAIA D2 level collegiately. He will be an intriguing small college prospect to follow over the rest of the school season and into the summer.
What makes Mannford a state tournament team?
What makes Mannford a state tournament team in Class 4A is the energy they bring on both ends of the floor. They are a team that can win big games even when they are not hitting shots because they bring it on defense. Banfield and Kizer lead the way however they have a ton of players throughout the rest of their team that can contribute. The depth of Mannford will pay off late in March when they are playing back to back nights in the playoffs. The creativity of Banfield on offense mixed with great overall team defense will lead Mannford to the state tournament in Class 4A. The loss tonight will be tough, but I think it will help fuel them in March.
What makes Metro Christian a state tournament team?
I’m completely sold that Metro Christian can make the state tournament without Landon Streich. They helped their case on Saturday night with a gritty performance against a previously undefeated Mannford squad. Metro Christian is a team that no longer has one player teams can focus on to stop, which can be positive because on any given night it could be someone different leading the way. Metro Christian will have to have players step up in roles they were not in to start the year, but if Saturday is any indication don’t count them out. The gameplan Metro Christian head coach Bryon Flam put together in the second half was phenomenal. Lookout 4A Metro Christian is going to be tough.
For more information email Matt@prephoops.com