Class 4A Quarterfinals: Top Peformers
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The much anticipated Class 4A semifinals took place this morning and early afternoon at the State Fairgrounds. The 8 top teams in 4A clashed and here’s a look at some of the players that stuffed the stat sheet and dazzled…
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Continue ReadingThe much anticipated Class 4A semifinals took place this morning and early afternoon at the State Fairgrounds. The 8 top teams in 4A clashed and here’s a look at some of the players that stuffed the stat sheet and dazzled with their skill, athleticism and more.
Often Kingfisher’s offense is death by a million cuts. The ball finds open players, and it leads to a diversified scoring load. Today it was Ridenour putting the team on his back as he scored nearly half of the Yellowjackets’ 53 points. And it only took him 10 field goal attempts to score those 26 points. The 5 of 7 shooting from three helped, but it was more than that. He only took great quality looks and he was rolling. It doesn’t get any easier for the Yellowjackets from here on out and while the ball will likely be shared, Ridenour will likely be counted upon to keep producing big scoring nights.
Highlights
Another 26 point performance, Furnish one upped Ridenour in the three point column. The Crossing Christian Knight went 6-10 from distance. Many of them were big time makes off the dribble. The crafty lead guard also operated in the midrange with a floater and even got to the rim a few times for his 26 points. This year, Furnish has done a great job of balancing pulling the strings on offense and picking his spots to score. With his return to the Big House, the sophomore showed he can still score with the best of them.
It was a 9 AM tip, but that didn’t slow down the shifty sophomore one bit. Ballard had 10 points in the first frame as he helped the Trojans race to an early edge. He got his points by racing by the Saints’ guard with hesitation moves and general shiftiness that made him impossible to keep out of the paint. The sophomore has been a consistent threat as a downhill attacker this year, with a soft tear drop floater that seemingly gets better with every viewing.
The senior wing made a huge difference in the closing quarter of the contest. At times in the fourth quarter, Douglass actually looked rattled. It was Breath who got on the ball, helped bring it up the court and generally calmed the team down. Then he ended a longer possession with a great drive to the rim that ended an OCS run and started to swing momentum back Douglass way. Breath remains an interesting prospect because he has these flashes of true guard skills with a big wingspan, 6 foot 6 frame. If the light fully comes at the next level, Breath could be a sneaky steal for a college program.
Just another “ho hum” 19 point performance, with scores from all over the court for the powerful wing. Some of the fluidness he shows when getting seperation to hit off the dribble shouldn’t be possible for a player as physical built as Nickson. The physical gifts are also shown when he crashes the glass and drives to the rim. He even opened the game with an empathic rejection, a regular occurrence at Weatherford games. Nickson already has Power 5 football offers, and while his frame does lend itself to the gridiron. It’s hard not to think that combined with his improved shooting, the Eagle could become a major basketball recruit if he chooses that path.
Gray started the game hot with physical finishes and shots in the midrange. But as the game wore on and the Douglass attention grew, his efficiency dropped a bit. The stretch forward still battled his way to a 19 point and 11 rebound double double.
Some of the finishes, passing and off the dribble moves were the best Young has shown in any viewing all year. When he plays with the purpose he did today to get down hill, and with some of the rhythm it’s very difficult to stop the talented sophomore. Still there were a couple times when his shot looked rushed by pressure and other times he settled for longer jumpers. It was a very productive season for the sophomore who already has big time interest, and his development with the potential to keep improving as a dynamic slasher and finisher will be interesting to watch.
Another double double performer, the strong 6 foot 5 sophomore has developed into an impressive player for the Knights this season. In other viewings he’s shown the ability to step out and hit in the mid-range and three as a pick and pop or spot up threat. But today he had his hardhat on by taking advantage of his size and power advantage down low. Parker finished with 14 points and 10 rebounds on a nice 6 of 9 shooting performance from the field.
Caleb Hawkins Caleb Hawkins 6'2" | SF North Rock Creek | 2025 State OK
Caleb Hawkins Caleb Hawkins 6'2" | SF North Rock Creek | 2025 State OK
The explosive two sport standout had a very productive first half with 10 points at the break for the Cougars. These points came off a mix of acrobatic finishes at the rims and hitting in the midrange. He also brought the thunder late in the second quarter with impressive explosiveness on a two handed slam in the halfcourt during a big run made by the Cougars.