Class 3A All Tournament Team

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><em>Get 25% off your subscription by entering Knight25 in the coupon code area. Enjoy!</em></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The 2023 state tournaments are in the books and we watched some great basketball at OU and at the Big House in Oklahoma City. This week, we're taking a look at the best players from each class throughout the state tournament. We're starting off each post with a look at the MVP selection, along with four other All Tournament selections. In this post, it's all about Class 3A as the Millwood Falcons captured back to back state championships and set the state record for most gold balls by a boys basketball program.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Millwood came into the state tournament battle-tested with a 17-10 record. And despite several bumps in the road throughout the season, the Falcons not only made it back to the Big House, they were once again lifting the gold ball over their heads. Led by two sophomores, the Falcons beat Metro Christian in the title game and they are already considered the favorite in Class 3A heading into next season. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1625174' first='Zyhir' last='Fisher'] - Millwood (MVP)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The MVP of the Class 3A state tournament this year was Millwood sophomore [player_tooltip player_id='1625174' first='Zyhir' last='Fisher']. That 2025 class at Millwood is absolutely special and Fisher is just another example. The class also features fellow All Tourney selection [player_tooltip player_id='1391439' first='Jaden' last='Nickens'] and guard Bubba Davis, who hit the game-winner for Millwood in last year's state title game. All three would score in double figures on Saturday as Millwood captured another gold ball. But when you look at the three days in OKC, there was no doubt that Fisher was the best of the bunch. From the start, Fisher was the most consistent player. It began in their first round win over Lindsay when he got going in the second half and he kept that momentum going in the semifinals and championship game. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Fisher averaged double figures throughout the tournament and was incredibly efficient on the offensive end of the floor as well. As Millwood continued to move on, Fisher started heating up from the perimeter. In their semifinal and championship win, Fisher was lights out from beyond the arc. We've already mentioned it and will again with Nickens. But if you're going ahead and looking forward to next year, the conversation in Class 3A has to start with Millwood and their special 2025 class. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1848251' first='Blestin' last='Miller'] - Prague</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Prague was led to the state tournament by their senior guard [player_tooltip player_id='1848251' first='Blestin' last='Miller'] and he once again carried the Red Devils when they were in OKC. In their quarterfinal win over Claremore Sequoyah, Miller sparked the Red Devils in the second and third quarters as they outscored the Eagles 34-16 to run away with the win. He would finish with a game-high 19 points in the win over Claremore Sequoyah. In the semifinal against Metro Christian, Miller had a tough game but he still led them in scoring with 16 points. He struggled from the field, going 4-18 and unfortunately he had his career cut short as he fouled out late in the game as the Red Devils were trying to rally. We'll never know if Prague could have rallied to win but Miller definitely would have given them a good shot. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1495348' first='Daevion' last='Hill'] - Crooked Oak</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Crooked Oak senior [player_tooltip player_id='1495348' first='Daevion' last='Hill'] might be headed to the next level for football (signed with UCO) but he had an outstanding state tournament in Oklahoma City. Hill was a monster in the paint for the Ruf-Nex, especially in their quarterfinal win on Thursday over Roland. Hill would finish with 22 points and 12 rebounds. He did almost all of his damage in the paint in the points department and did a good job on capitalizing at the free throw line. On Friday, in the semifinals, Hill was once again their leading scorer with 15 points in the loss to eventual champion Millwood. The Ruf-Nex just could not hit shots on Friday and Hill had that issue as well as he went 5-14 from the field after going 7-11 the day before. Despite the struggles on Friday, Hill still had a really strong showing in OKC. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1391439' first='Jaden' last='Nickens'] - Millwood</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>For the second straight year, Millwood's [player_tooltip player_id='1391439' first='Jaden' last='Nickens'] was arguably the most electric player in the Class 3A state tournament. Afte helping lead the Falcons to a state championship as a freshman, Nickens was back at it again last week, averaging in double figures all three days and providing a spark for Millwood. In their first round win over Lindsay, Nickens came in and sparked a 20-7 second quarter that helped the Falcons run away with the quarterfinal win. He would score 20 on 8-10 shooting from the field. Nickens would score in double figures the next two games as well as he continues to be one of the top sophomore basketball prospects in the state. With Nickens and Fisher returning next year, the Falcons should certainly be penciled in for the early favorite in Class 3A. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1696637' first='Mario' last='Darrington'] - Metro Christian</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Metro Christian had to settle for the silver ball on Saturday but senior guard [player_tooltip player_id='1696637' first='Mario' last='Darrington'] went out with another stellar performance over the three-day stretch in Oklahoma City. Darrington has to be one of the leaders for "breakout star" when you talk about Class 3A this season. He was outstanding for the Patriots all season and absolutely skyrocketed up the 2023 prospect rankings when they were updated last month. Darrington would average in double figures and scored a team-high 17 points in the championship game against Millwood. Darrington continued to improve as a shooter throughout the season and his pull up jumper in the midrange game has become one of his best weapons. Darrington and junior guard [player_tooltip player_id='1238739' first='Wyatt' last='Powell'] was an outstanding duo to watch.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->