O’Connell vs Gonzaga Recap

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Prep Hoops #1 ranked Gonzaga Purple Eagles traveled to Arlington after winning the King Cotton Tournament in Arkansas last week to take on a Knights team still missing sophomore guard [player_tooltip player_id='1782699' first='Quincy' last='Wadley'] (injury) but coming off a championship run at the Beach Ball classic. Two teams tied for first in the WCAC early in the season. I expected this game to be a tight one and it did not disappoint, with O'Connell eventually pulling away to win 65-57.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Unsigned '24 O'Connell G [player_tooltip player_id='1259625' first='Jadyn' last='Harris'] turned in a masterful performance, finishing with 25p 8r 1a 1s 9/15 FG 2/4 3P 5/5 FT. The bruising 6'4 guard got downhill and finished well at the basket over each defender that Gonzaga threw at him, finishing through contact for 3 points the old-fashioned way twice in the second half. Harris hit shots from beyond the arc but also had his midrange jumper going off the bounce. Although he was certainly the aggressor throughout the night, Harris did a good job of remaining on balance for his fade-away attempts and didn't rush any of his shots, playing with good pace and tempo. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='2232329' first='Bryson' last='Tucker']'s jumper was just a shade off for most of the night, but he found other ways to contribute- particularly as a distributor and initiator for the offense, handling the ball well down the stretch for the Knights. His body looks much-improved, got to several key offensive boards late and is getting off the ground much better this season, his explosiveness on full display for a near-poster dunk on a baseline cut in the 3Q. The highly-touted unsigned senior finished with 13p 5r 4a 1b.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>It was a productive day for the O'Connell's other starters. [player_tooltip player_id='1494106' first='Shane' last='Lincoln'] finished with 9p 4r 3a 2s, showing his versatility on the defensive end and serving as a valuable connector on the offensive end. [player_tooltip player_id='1127313' first='AJ' last='Swinton'] played his role well to the tune of 9p 1r 1s 1b, showing off some defensively versatility by guarding 1-5 and forcing some tough shots. Aidan Caulker continued to show why he is one of the most valuable glue guys in the DMV, the unsigned senior finished with 5p 6r 2b 1a. The 6'4 guard takes on whatever defensive assignment Coach Wootten tasks him with while coming up with every 50-50 ball and clutch rebound. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The most impactful performance of the day for Gonzaga goes to '25 big man [player_tooltip player_id='1409272' first='Christian' last='Gurdak']. The burly 6'9 forward shot a perfect 5/5 from the floor and 4/4 from the free throw line, finishing well or passing out of double teams with relative ease. Defensively I still see him as one of the most underrated players in the area because he is very rarely out of position, directing traffic well from the last line of the defense and contesting shots in the paint. Will be interesting to track how many outside shots he takes throughout the season and how well he is converting them to provide another weapon for Coach Turner as he expands his game. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1370496' first='Derek' last='Dixon'] led Gonzaga in scoring, finishing with 21p 2a 1r 1s. The sharpshooter was uncharacteristically streaky throughout the game beyond the arc but showed better feel as he attacked hard closeouts to finish with layups at the rim- that shot diet balance will be key to his success this season. Nyk Lewis was a few points and assists away from a triple double, finishing with 8p 12r 7a. I thought it was very encouraging that even with a down night offensively, he still impacted the game and found his teammates effectively- with several precise backdoor dimes to Dixon as well as a really nice baseball pass to Gurdak for a dunk at the opposite end after snagging the offensive rebound. Despite standing at around 6'1, Lewis always has a knack for finding the ball coming off the rim and does a great job of knowing where he is going with the pass before his feet hit the ground. The stocky guard stayed aggressive throughout the game and made several impactful games down the stretch. Alex Tuoumou didn't shoot it as well as he normally does but made up for it defensively as a rim protector from the weakside, finishing with 7p 4r 2b 1a. Also would like to note that even though he wasn't his typical self on the offensive end of the floor, junior Gonzaga guard Will Harper did a hell of a job defensively on O'Connell's guards, with his primary matchup being the 6'7 [player_tooltip player_id='2232329' first='Bryson' last='Tucker']. His contests, defensive footwork, and screen navigation equaled a frustrating night for his matchup.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->