Double Header: McGuinness-Community, Tuttle-Madill
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Thursday saw the playoffs fully underway for Class 4A, with teams being eliminated and teams clinching their spot for the Regional Championship on Saturday. This allowed for a double header of scouting with a pair of games around the 405…
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Continue ReadingThursday saw the playoffs fully underway for Class 4A, with teams being eliminated and teams clinching their spot for the Regional Championship on Saturday. This allowed for a double header of scouting with a pair of games around the 405 metro.
Tuttle 62 Madill 31
Earlier this month Tuttle earned back to back top 10 4A victories over conference rivals Anadarko and Newcastle. It was a strong statement that they could be positioned to shake things up in Area III in the 4A playoffs. The complete dismantling of Madill on Thursday night ensured that they will firmly be in the mix next week at Area, with the opportunity to earn a trip to State. The Tigers’ zone defense was stiffing as they roared out to a double digit lead and rarely looked back. Next up is a sterner test, as they visit a talented Community Christian squad on Saturday, with a Regional Title on the line.
The Wildcats could not keep Redwine out of the paint. He did his damage with a mixture of finishing through contact and displaying nifty dribble moves to avoid defenders. It was a balanced scoring night for the Tigers overall, as seemingly everyone for the Tigers was hitting from deep or getting to the rim. Which meant more of an efficient night of picking his spots on drives rather than a full offensive take over.
Highlights
A packed zone defense limited Wilkerson’s impact on the night. There were a couple times he was able to catch the ball near the basket and muscle through the crowd to finish, where he has great touch around the rim. But overall he was kept quiet. His jumper wasn’t working on the night either. Past viewings of Wilkerson during national grassroots tournaments were promising, but it was disappointing to not see more out of the often skillful and industrious forward.
Bishop McGuinness 57 Community Christian 47
After making State in 5A last season, it’s been an up and down year for the Irish down in 4A. There’s been great wins over top 10 5A teams, Bishop Kelley, Holland Hall and El Reno. But they entered the playoffs only one game above .500, and earning a tough Districts match up with a ranked Bethany team. A loss last Saturday saw the Irish headed into the lower bracket of Regionals, requiring three wins in three days to keep their season alive. They got that mission started on the right now by keeping Community Christian at arm’s length throughout the game.
Playoffs often bring out the best in seniors, the best example of this was how Bradley closed out the third quarter. After Wallace had drained a tough and deep three for Community Christian to cut into the lead, there were only a few seconds remaining in the third. Bradley quickly got the ball down the court and drilled his own deep three to keep the Irish’s lead at 5 points going into the final frame.
Not satisfied with the 5 point lead, Bradley continued applying pressure with transition points. In the halfcourt he often got downhill to score for himself or set up his teammates with good looks. He scored a team high 19 points in the victory. The senior has a silky way with how he drives by opponents, and looked more willing to get downhill and attacking, instead of settling for jumpers.
Cooper Bradley
Cooper Bradley
The sophomore was a big reason why the Irish built an early advantage in the first half. He started the game on fire from beyond the arc and kept hitting big shot after big shot as he finished with 16 points on the day. Bradley has a good frame and if this shooting display was any indication, he should continue to develop into an effective off the ball scorer, with the upside for more.
The scoring of the explosive junior is what kept Community Christian a threat throughout the game. He opened the game with 7 quick points, which included a triple and catching an oop. After that, he operated in the midrange by knocking down long twos against the zone, and even draining tough pull up 3s. Off the bounce, he had one impressive, explosive driving taje in the second half. The Royal finished with a game high 23 points. With his combination of athleticism and shooting, scoring is a key part of Wallace’s game and gives him an intriguing upside.
It was a mixed bag for the freshman floor general as he closed the book on his first varsity season. The obvious passing traits with vision and touch were on display, as he has a feel for the game beyond his youthful experience. An issue on Thursday, was his struggle with scoring. There was one particular second half contest drive and finish that was impressive, but otherwise his scoring output was muted. There were good looks, rather at the rim or from deep, but the majority were just off.
There’s still a lot of basketball to be played for young Edwards, and his feel as creator has caught some notice but for smaller guards to thrive against faster and bigger competition they must bring a more consistent scoring punch.