Jay Tyler is comfortable in new situation at Cordova

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Four games into the 2023 season, <strong>Jay</strong> <strong>Tyler</strong> has solidified himself as one of Cordova's best offensive players. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Going into this season, many wondered if he, <strong>Julius</strong> <strong>Thedford</strong>, and <strong>Emerson</strong> <strong>Tenner</strong> could coexist. Many wondered if one basketball was enough to satisfy the appetite each prospect possesses. Many wondered if the trio would even work well enough for the Wolfpack to win games. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Well, the wondering can be put to rest. Cordova is 4-0, with keys win over Independence and Whitehaven and Tyler has been productive in both wins. Against last season's TSSAA Division 1 Class 4A state runner-up, the Jones College commit stripped the Eagles' starting point guard [player_tooltip player_id='1195250' first='<strong>Jett</strong>' last='<strong>Montgomery</strong>'] with the game tied 64-all and went the other way for the game-winning layup.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>In Friday night's gut out win over the pesky Tigers, Tyler scored timely baskets in the second half to help the Wolfpack get the 84-79 win in the semifinals round of the MLK Tournament. In between Thedford's dominant performance (28 points) from mid-range jumpers to strong finishes at the rim to Tenner (26 points) living in the paint, Tyler simply gave Cordova another fast pitch Whitehaven couldn't hit. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Tyler had a steal in the fourth quarter before scoring on the other end to give the Wolfpack a 77-71 lead. He would score four more points late in the fourth quarter to help Cordova gain full momentum.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>”I'll say we are persistent. We aren't backing down from nobody,” said Tyler, who finished with 16 points. “Independence and Whitehaven are two tough teams. It's a good test for us in the beginning to show what we have and what we're working with.”</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Staying within striking distance</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>After trading leads in the first half, the Wolfpack found themselves down 56-48 after a layup by senior <strong>Tristan</strong> <strong>Fleming</strong>, but the deficit didn't shift momentum in the Tigers favor or make Cordova panic. Tenner got a 3-point play then King converted on one of his own to tie it at 56-all. The Wolfpack took the lead for good early in the fourth quarter after back-to-back scores from Tenner and King. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Tenner iced the game from the free throw line in the waning seconds. He went 10 for 14 from the charity stripe. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Diagnostics on Whitehaven</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Tigers have athletes. Whitehaven wants to get up and down the floor and score in transition. This team will thrive on creating turnovers and overwhelm its opponents with its length. Sophomore wing <strong>Dorion</strong> <strong>Bowen</strong> (6-foot-6), junior wing <strong>Cameron</strong> <strong>Brown</strong> (6-5), and junior forward <strong>Ottabwa</strong> <strong>Dickson</strong> (6-6) will bother a lot of teams because of how long they are. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>In Friday night's loss, Dickson led the Tigers with 21 points. Brown had 17. Junior point guard <strong>Kenton</strong> <strong>Smith</strong> <strong>Jr</strong>. and sophomore guard <strong>Marrius</strong> <strong>Harris</strong> each had 11.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->