Class 4A Quarterfinals Top Performers

With the Class 4A State Quarterfinals tipping off on Tuesday, many players are taking their game to new levels under the bright lights of the Big House. [player_tooltip player_id="1158048" first="Joshua" last="Udoumoh"], 6’4 Senior Guard, Victory Christian One of the top athletes in the senior class, when Udoumoh made it his mission to get to the rim he was unstoppable. He lived off powerful and quick drives, while also scooping up loose boards for second chance points. The senior even got into the act on defense with a couple crowd pleasing rejections at the rim. Still unsigned, it’s clear he has next level athleticism and is still just scratching the surface of his raw potential. Should be a priority for any regional small school program looking to add athletic guard depth with the aim to develop the player. Jude Malhi, Senior Guard, Victory Christian The top scorer for the Conquerors was on fire from deep. His early three pointers helped them build an early lead. Then in the second half he pumped fake a closeout, and nail a 18 footer to help maintain their edge in the victory. He finished with 18 points on 4-6 shooting from beyond the arc. Braeden Lloyd, 6’1 Sophomore Guard, Mt Saint Mary’s The sophomore was the catalyst of a second quarter rally that gave the Rockets a brief lead. He started off with good shooting from the perimeter, that opened up driving lanes. When attacking the rim, he’s a strong finisher with a crafty floater game that allowed him to get off shots in traffic. Not only a scorer, Lloyd showed good passing instincts as a creator. Lloyd had a team high 16 points. [player_tooltip player_id="1164868" first="Cade" last="Jennings"], 6’1 Senior Point Guard, Weatherford The star of the day, Jennings had an impressive playoff run that featured big games against Tulsa Central and OKC Douglass. He proved those performances was just the tip of the iceberg with an outrageous shooting performance in the first half against Heritage Hall. Jennings is a crafty ballhandler that can create space with stepbacks and hesitation moves. He went 6-6 from three in the first half and changed the whole structure of the Heritage Hall defense Possibly just as impressive as his shooting was Jennings’ ability to passer. He whips pinpoint passes with both hands in the halfcourt. And displayed outstanding floor vision in transition. Jennings’ complete performance ended with 32 points and 5 assists. C.J. Nickson, 6’6 Freshman, Forward, Weatherford More than just an athletic and strong freshman, Nickson showed his advanced skillset with early jumpers. He has an outstanding feel and touch for the game. He’s a face up forward, that is also willing to get his nose dirty with hard work on the basket. It’s early, but he’s looking like the complete package. The ceiling is sky high for the Weatherford youngster. [player_tooltip player_id="981286" first="Sebastian" last="Perry"], 6’0 Junior Point Guard, Heritage Hall The junior guard was a key factor in finally cooling down Jennings’ scoring after the Eagle’s initial barrage. He’s a disciplined defender who uses his feet and strength to cut off drives and make the opposition uncomfortable. On offense, Perry has developed into a strong multi-level scorer, with a lethal midrange jumper and some wiggle when attacking the rim. [player_tooltip player_id="955383" first="Reid" last="Lovelace"], 5’11 Senior Guard, Crossings Christian The senior is a cool customer, who uses his quick hands and quick processing mind to be a pest on defense and a productive guard on offense. He’s always looking for weak points to attack on both ends. After a night with some issues with finishing at the rim, he scored one of the toughest buckets of the night to break the deadlock in overtime. Then his calm free throw shooting helped iced away the victory. A playmaker, Lovelace is one of the few true point guards in the state who helps make his team better in all aspects of the game. [player_tooltip player_id="1358852" first="Cal" last="Furnish"],6'0 Freshman Guard, Crossings Christian The freshman plays wise beyond his years as a strong ballhandler with great suddenness to his game. This is evident in his ability to stop on the dime when pulling up. There’s a lot to like with not only how Furnish plays the game, but his impressive athleticism and body control for a youngster. He plays bigger than his size thanks to that. Especially on the defense where he did a great job of stopping older Holland Hall players on drive by staying in front of them and cutting off angles to the hoop. Jaden Tarver, 6’2 Senior Guard, Holland Hall The herky jerky playing style guard was awesome off the dribble in the second half. He was able to use his long wingspan and change of direction to find ways around Knight defenders and get to the rim for tough scores [player_tooltip player_id="1068564" first="Jadon" last="Cool"], 6’3 Junior Guard, Holland Hall There were times Cool looked the part with his strong body grabbing offensive rebounds and attacking the rim on drives. He has good vertical leaping ability which allowed him to excel at those two activities. He 9 points and 9 rebounds on the night and left a good imprint on the game. Longterm the issue is that his hips are tight and he currently doesn’t have great agility for a next level player. This allowed him to be walled off at times on drives and unable to find the extra gear to turn the corner. To truly become an effective slasher at the next level, he’ll need to work on having more wiggle and burst laterally.