The Electrifying Ride: The Best Players I Have Seen From 1/24-2/3
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Over the past two weeks, I have seen a lot of electrifying players from all the different classes. I watched a freshman that I have heard a lot of talk about, two top three seniors battle it out, and several…
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Continue ReadingOver the past two weeks, I have seen a lot of electrifying players from all the different classes. I watched a freshman that I have heard a lot of talk about, two top three seniors battle it out, and several ranked teams going head to head. It provided a thrill, which led to me coming up with the title: The Electrifying Ride. The article features the games between Inola vs Claremore-Sequoya, Broken Arrow vs Bixby, and Jenks vs Owasso. Inola was able to pull out a 58-44, which avenged a one point loss that they suffered on December 17. The game between Broken Arrow vs Bixby was a thriller, with Broken Arrow prevailing 64-57. The final game was between Jenks vs Owasso. Owasso came out full-throttle, pulling out to a 15-0 lead early in the game. With 1:35 left in the first quarter, Jenks had an and-one for their first points of the game. This was followed by a corner three to reduce Owasso’s lead to 15-6. At halftime, Owasso led 24-12 and 38-23 at the end of the third quarter. Owasso extended their lead to 54-25 after a barrage from Jalen Montanati. They then emptied their bench with 4 minutes and 30 seconds left and prevailed to win 55-30.
Jalen Montonati Jalen Montonati 6’7″ | SF Owasso | 2026 State OK was sensational. I have heard a lot of talk about how this freshman has emerged the more the season has progressed, in which I can say that the hype is real. He is a player that plays like a senior on the court. He is a phenomenal shooter that is unstoppable when he heats up. He had two three pointers and eight points total in the first quarter, a three in the third quarter, and then three three-pointers and a total of eleven points in the fourth quarter (despite being taken out with 4:29 left because of how big of a lead his team had). His jump shot is beautiful and well perfect, being smooth and quick. He ended with 22 points total for the game, but his game expands way beyond that. On the first possession of the game, he came away with a steal. There was another play that he showed off great I.Q by beating an offensive player to the spot and taking the charge. Another play saw him come away with an emphatic block. He also grabbed a couple of rebounds. This is impressive against a ranked opponent, like they faced in this game. His game is well polished, especially for a freshman, as he already looks like an impact player on both sides of the court.
Boden Williams Boden Williams 6’1″ | SG Owasso | 2026 State OK caught my attention with his defense. He was fighting through screens and playing great on-ball defense. He locked the opposition down with his perimeter defense. His defense is not all that he did, as he came away with several rebounds and finished with eight points. He finished with a few assists, as he set up his teammates well and there were several other times that he did not get assists, because his teammates missed open shots. Great defense, playmaking, and a little bit of scoring sums up his game in this one.
Brandon Mann Brandon Mann 6’5″ | SF Owasso | 2023 State OK was an impressive rebounder and defender in this game. He dominated the glass in this game, coming away with one rebound after another, especially in the second half. He had a few assists, with one of them coming with a nice bounce pass. He showed the ability to drive and finish, finish with the double clutch at the rim over a defender, as he finished with eight points. He played solid defense and contributed on both ends of the court against a ranked opponent.
Highlights
Dylan Golightly Dylan Golightly 6’4″ | SG Jenks | 2023 State OK was one of the only bright spots on a rough day for the Trojans. He showed the ability to drive and finish in traffic multiple times and also had a put back. He rebounded well throughout the game, showing that he knows how to fight for positioning and utilize some athleticism to get the rebounds. Not the best day for his team, but he was one of the lone bright spots.
Highlights
Parker Friedrichsen Parker Friedrichsen 6’4″ | SG Bixby | 2023 State #165 Nation OK is an elite talent that is mesmerizing to watch every time that he steps onto the court. This is my second time watching him this season, third time if you include AAU this past summer. The first two games I have watched him play, he had 36 points and 40 points. In this game, it felt like an off-game for him against a great team that is ranked, despite him having 22 points. He hit multiple three-pointers, including one off of the dribble after a nice pump fake. He showed the ability to score from mid-range and at the rim. He put the ball on the deck and took the defender to the basket, as well as utilized a nice floater and pull-up. One thing that sticks out to me the most about his game is that he does whatever he can to win. He will dive for loose balls, set screens to get teammates open, and play great defense. He had a steal and multiple assists in this one, to go along with multiple rebounds. There is a reason why he is the #2 player in the state of Oklahoma and was once committed to Oklahoma State and Notre Dame. Whoever lands this stud prospect will instantly be made better. He is an elite talent that gives 100% on both ends of the court.
Highlights
David (DJ) Howell has been impressive in both games that I have seen him play this season. He does not look like a sophomore with how he plays, which showed in this game. He is ranked #3 out of his position and #11 in the state for the class of 2025. There is great reason for that too. He grabbed multiple rebounds in this game, as well as acted as a playmaker for his team. He showed good court vision to find the open guy. He showed the ability to drive gaps and kick to the corner or wing for his teammate to have an open three pointer, after he had collapsed the defense. His biggest assets are his defense and scoring ability. He utilizes is 6’5 frame to play good perimeter and on-ball defense. On top of that, he utilized the height mismatch to score inside, both with going up over the smaller defender and driving and finishing in traffic. Not only did he score inside, he showed the ability to knock down free throws at a high clip. It was an impressive game for him, as he finished with 20 points against a ranked Bixby team.
This is the second time that I have seen Jackson Welch Jackson Welch 6’7″ | SG Inola | 2024 State OK and he impressed me the first time. This game, he came out of the gates firing again, knocking down one three pointer after another. He ended the first quarter with four three pointers. He was fairly quiet throughout the rest of the game, knocking down some free throws and scoring inside the paint. He ended the game with 18 points, but also played great defense and snagged some rebounds.
Highlights
Trevor Groff
Trevor Groff
Trevor Groff had a great game, leading his team in scoring with 22 points. Outside of four points from free throws, he scored all of his points at the basket or around the mid-range area. He utilized his size advantage over some smaller guards to score at the basket. He showed the ability multiple times to put the ball on the deck and get to the basket. His game expanded beyond his scoring, as he came away with a steal and multiple rebounds. It was a good game for him, as he contributed in multiple areas.
Luke Woods
Luke Woods
Luke Woods was the best player on his team. He ended the game with 13 points, scoring in several different ways. He scored inside a couple of times, knocked down a few free throws, and had a couple of three pointers in the second half. He also came away with a few rebounds in this one.