Opelika vs. Auburn: Recap and Observations
Opelika vs. Auburn Recap:
Last night, January 31, 2019, Opelika High School took on Auburn High School in a non-area rivalry game at home. To make things more interesting, it was also Senior Night for the Bulldogs of Opelika. Students, along with the players family and friends packed out the gym to support their school and loved ones, which made for an awesome high school basketball environment. In a standing room only gym, the Bulldogs defeated the Tigers 61-47 for the second time this season, to take home the bragging rights until they meet again next season.
The game started pretty slow, with Opelika holding the ball for almost 2 minutes on their first possession. A lot of misses by both teams and poor boxing out by both defenses lead to a lot of offensive rebounds by both offenses. At the end of the first quarter, Opelika lead Auburn 15-8. Jared Willis lead the Bulldogs, scoring 7 of their 15 points in the first quarter.
The second quarter told a different story, and Auburn began to find its rhythm a little bit. The Tigers began to press the Bulldogs, which didn’t result in many turnovers but did speed the game up. After a bunch of missed three-pointers from Opelika, Auburn was able to close the gap and go into halftime down by just 3 points, 23-20. At the half, Jared Willis had 7 points for the Bulldogs, and Noah Warren had 8 points for the Tigers.
The third quarter was all Opelika. Despite the Tigers taking a 24-23 lead at the beginning of the quarter, the Bulldogs stormed past them, outscoring the Tigers 16-8. Opelika shot fewer three-pointers and focused more on scoring in the paint, and they were able to take a dominant 39-28 lead into the fourth quarter.
The fourth quarter continued to be all Opelika, despite a lot of back and forth action. This was by far the most fast-paced and highest-scoring quarter in the game, but the Tigers were never able to cut into the lead and actually lost the quarter by 3 points, and Opelika defeated the Tigers 61-47. Taye Fields had an impressive quarter for the Bulldogs, scoring 10 points in the fourth. Fields finished the game with 19 points, 10 rebounds, and 3 assists. Brandon Howard also added on 14 points, 6 rebounds, and 3 assists for the Bulldogs. Trevor Mashburn had an impressive fourth quarter for the Tigers, scoring 7 points and finishing the game with 9 points. Justin Brooks also had 10 points for the Tigers.
Opelika vs. Auburn Observations:
Both Teams Need to Box Out
One of the biggest ways that a team can shoot themselves in the foot during a game is giving up offensive rebounds. This was the story for both of the teams, during the first half especially. There were multiple possessions by both teams when they would get 2 or 3 chances at a basket during one possession because the defending team failed to box out properly. If either team wants to make a run in the tournament, they are going to have to clean this up fast.
Opelika’s Two Styles of Play
Every team has their own style of play, some like to shoot the three ball and others like to do their work in the paint. I saw both styles of play from Opelika during their game against Auburn. In the first half, the Bulldogs shot three-pointer after three-pointer, and to their credit, knocked down 5 of them in the first half, taking a 3 point lead into the half.
However, during the second half of the game, the Bulldogs focused more on fast-breaking and shooting in the paint, and ended up winning the half by 11 points. Three-pointers are great when you’re shooting really well, but on nights when you’re struggling, it’s necessary to be able to have a post game. It was encouraging to see Opelika adjust to playing in the paint after halftime since they were struggling from behind the line in the first half.
Auburn’s Good Execution and Poor Finishes
During the second half especially, Auburn seemed to really find a solid rhythm while cutting through the lane. They were passing the ball and then cutting through the lane, and the ball handlers were getting their teammates good passes. This led to a lot of high percentage shots for the Tigers, but despite these high percentage shots in the lane, the Tigers couldn’t seem to make the most of them and ended up not converting on a lot of them. This is one of the most important things that I believe the Tigers must clean up before tournament play and the 2019-2020 season.
Opelika’s Fast Pace
After seeing Opelika play for the first time tonight, I learned that they play best at a fast pace. Even when they began to get a commanding lead late in the game, the Bulldogs were at their best when they were getting the rebound, hitting the outlet pass, and were off to the races. This is one of my favorite styles of play and lead to a 22 point fourth quarter for the Bulldogs
Taye Fields’ Impressive Fourth Quarter
Only a sophomore, and ranked #22 by Prep Hoops Alabama in the Class of 2020, Taye Fields had a very impressive fourth quarter. Fields put up 10 of the Bulldogs 22 points in the fourth, helping send the seniors out with a win on Senior Night. He also had a solid and one (which he converted) at the beginning of the fourth quarter and a monster slam dunk to close out the game for the Bulldogs, which electrified the gym. Fields is definitely a player to keep your eye on for the Bulldogs in tournament play and his remaining two seasons of high school play.