Quick Takeaways: Tulsa Memorial vs Tulsa Edison

<p><strong>Edison’s Crowd</strong></p> <p>Edison’s fans showed up for the crosstown battle of the Tulsa Public School’s teams. They were loud from the start of the game and were able to give the Eagles a big boost in momentum in the first half. They were loud and just seemed to keep getting louder as the first half went on. The peak of intensity came in the first quarter when Mason Alexander threw down a monster dunk to give the Eagles an emphatic 15-5 advantage at the time. However, this crowd seemed to disappear no in number but in noise level in the second half as the Chargers came storming back.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></p> <p><strong>The Big Man: Mason Alexander 2020 Post Tulsa Edison</strong></p> <p>Alexander had the play of the game in the first quarter with his jam to give the Eagles all the momentum. However his game was more than just that. He was dominant on the boards as his size at 6’7 was hard to deal with. Coupled with his size, he also had a good amount of athleticism in his frame. He played fast and unselfish as he could see over some of his defenders to find the open man. Alexander is raw on the offensive end but showed a lot of potential with some nice moves down in the post. He could be a nice pick up from a small college. He finished the game with 11 points.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></p> <p><strong>Tulsa Memorial’s Stretch 2-3 Zone</strong></p> <p>The Chargers changed the game with their 2-3 zone that stretched to create more pressure. Memorial has a lot of length and when they did this it forced the Eagles to find passes over them which led to a lot of turnovers and fast break opportunities in the second half.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></p> <p><strong>Pace of Play</strong></p> <p>The pace of this game is what dictated who was in control. When Edison was able to slow down the game in the first half they had complete control over the game. They were able to limit the Chargers on offense with good defense which made the Chargers slow down even more. The Eagles were able to dictate their pace for the game for much of the first half, but the second half was a different story. The second half was all Tulsa Memorial. They came after the half and looked like a completely different team. They were controlling the tempo and making the Eagles play faster and faster. The more the speed went up the more the Eagles were struggling and turning the ball over. The Chargers took over in the second half and never looked back.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></p> <p><strong>MVP: Kavon Key 2020 Tulsa Memorial Shooting Guard</strong></p> <p>It is not the first time it has happened this season and it certainly won’t be the last as Kavon Key was the MVP for the Chargers in this game. For much of the first half Key struggled to find his stroke but was still contributing in other ways. He was played tough, solid defense and finding the rebound on the defensive end. He played fast but with composure and did not get phased when his shots were not falling. He just trusted in himself and was able to find his stroke from deep in the second half as he knocked down four threes. Key finished the game with 17 points but his MVP was for the little things he did not the court that do not always show up in the stats.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></p> <p><strong>He’s a Freshmen!</strong></p> <p>Both teams tonight had a Freshman log big minutes for them. Seth Pratt 2023 Tulsa Memorial Guard and Luke Parish 2023 Tulsa Edison Guard were big for their teams tonight. Both of these freshmen did not shy away from the moment. Pratt was working hard on both ends always hustling to the ball. He was excellent on the boards as he was able to find his man and get the box out and then attack the board. Pratt was also dangerous on the offensive end. He was able to make cuts<span class="Apple-converted-space">  </span>and find open space on the court. Whenever he was left open he was knocking down the shots. Parish started for the Eagles on the night and was big in the first half with his vision. He was able to find his big man down low with ease. He seemed to be calm in the face of pressure and limited his turnovers. Parish however did get into foul trouble and eventually fouled out of the game. Both of these two players will be fun to watch for the future. Pratt finished with 8 points and Parish finished with 4 points on the night.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></p>