2020 Mustang Holiday Classic: Bryce’s sophomore/junior favorites
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Jacobe Johnson Jacobe Johnson 6'3" | SG Mustang | 2023 State OK | 2023 Mustang SG/SF (pictured above) Johnson had one of his better all-around performances Wednesday night against Southmoore, scoring 26 points. Out of the gate, he scored 9…
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Continue ReadingJacobe Johnson Jacobe Johnson 6'3" | SG Mustang | 2023 State OK | 2023 Mustang SG/SF (pictured above)
Johnson had one of his better all-around performances Wednesday night against Southmoore, scoring 26 points.
Out of the gate, he scored 9 points -Early 9 points right out of the gate. During his performance against the SaberCats, Johnson reached into his bag, but was still efficient doing so. He knocked down 3-of-6 3-point attempts, worked inside, scored in the post, took the ball to the rack on the drive, finished with either hand and more.
Johnson also uses his body more now than he did in the past. Rather than shying away from contact, he now absorbs it, often resulting in three-point plays on the drive for the sophomore.
Kevin Overton Kevin Overton 6'5" | SG Homeschool | 2022 State OK | 2022 Midwest City SF
Overton must have had something personal against Carl Albert. Then again, he has played like that against everybody this season.
The junior finished with 26 points on 8-of-14 shooting, 100 percent from the free-throw line and a couple steals.
And those eight shots were not just a few simple lay-ins. Overton sank more than a couple tough, tough shots with collegiate maneuvers. Offensively, he was absolutely an animal, but his hustle on both ends set the tone.
He dove for loose balls, adhered defensively and even during the fourth quarter, he pulled from his seemingly infinite bag of energy to continue at top-gear.
Tanner Morris Tanner Morris 6'1" | SG Shawnee | 2022 State OK | 2022 Shawnee SG
The junior lefty was not on his game from the 3-point line as he usually is, but he was still effective.
Not so much cherry-picking, Morris sped out ahead of North defenders, especially following North buckets, to get easy buckets in transition. He also finished well in the half-court, showing off a few nice drives and finishes at tough angles.
I was also impressed by Morris’s overall awareness on the court. He seemed less timid, if not more organized on the court than he has in the past and playing much more comfortably, taking shots he liked and driving when given the opportunity.
Morris finished with 16 points against Norman North.
Duncan Parham Duncan Parham 6'3" | PF Norman North | 2022 OK | 2022 Norman North PF
Parham is a strong finisher at the rim, and though he did not score much against Shawnee, the scores he did have really helped to collapse and concentrate the Wolves’ defense to allow North’s perimeter scorers to thrive.
He put his back to the bucket and scored over taller defenders on a couple occasions.
Jaylon Orange Jaylon Orange 5'10" | PG Shawnee | 2022 State OK | 2022 Shawnee PG
Orange had a great scoring day, finishing with 18 points against Norman North and showing off a few of the tricks up his sleeve.
He was one of the smoothest handlers on the floor as beating defenders on the floor appeared routine. He glides through defenses, weaving between and across their faces before sliding to use his body as a buffer to finish at the rack.
He end especially impressive on converting runners, as he was competent with either hand Wednesday afternoon.
Though Orange only stands about 5-foot-9-inches, scoring through contact was not much of a struggle for him.
Nate Lancaster | 2023 Norman North PG
I was very impressed by the poise from Lancaster. Most importantly, he fulfilled the Timberwolves’ facilitatory needs when White was off the floor.
The sophomore has great poise, and played with strong confidence in spite of his age. With the ball in his hands, he handled pressure well, and dribbled his way out of some tricky situations while maintaining awareness of the play developing around him. He made a few good passes and was mostly pretty conservative with the ball.
During one sequence late in the second quarter, he knocked down a 3-pointer to put the T-Wolves down six before immediately stealing the inbound and nearly assisting on a buzzer-beater.
Ethan Scott Ethan Scott 5'10" | PG Mustang | 2022 State OK | 2022 Mustang SG
Scott helped the Broncos past Southmoore with — you guessed it— his shot.
The junior tallied 16 points on eight shots, and that striking efficiency is no exceptional performance for Scott; it’s just what he does. He was even more conservative than he has been in the past, but that may have been the catalyst for Mustang to win the game.
He takes high-quality shots out of the catch, and though defenders have him keyed at this point, the space he gets from Johnson added to his own ability to hit shots with not much room makes him such a deadly sharpshooter.
Jacob Henderson | 2022 Mustang C
Henderson added a great scoring option and all-around sense of hustle to the Broncos’ interior.
He hit some tough shots, especially on one sequence in which Johnson missed a lay-up before a Southmoore defender nabbed and nearly secured a rebound. Henderson ripped the ball from his hands, starkly overpowering him and returned the board back to the basket. He finished the game with nine points and eight rebounds.