Bi-district breakdowns: Mckinney vs FM Marcus

<p>Playoffs are officially underway in Texas where even in round 1 you could end up with a regional feel type matchup. Both games I covered this week were just that starting with Mckinney vs FM Marcus who both carried a even record coming into the matchup. Mckinney being most outlets favorite and look a little better on paper as well but the game still has to be played and with every round being a sudden death anything can happen. The game started blow for blow and Marcus carried a 1 point advantage heading into the half. Mckinney responded with a huge 3rd quarter run opening up a 10 point lead. Marcus responded in the 4th narrowing the lead to 2 late but was unable to do anything with Mckinney's many weapons on offense to complete the comeback. Tough first round matchup, Mckinney is dangerous when firing on all cylinders.</p>   <p>We'll start with 6'3 2024 point guard [player_tooltip player_id='2209416' first='Malek' last='Archie'] who's been making noise all year as one of the top underrated prospects in the 2024 class and lived up to just that finishing with 26 points and several dimes on the night. From the start, it was easy to tell Marcus had a game plan to minimize Malek and force someone else to beat them. None of that mattered as Malek is just to physical at the guard position and was able to penetrate pretty much at will. He also knocked down some timely 3 pointers that grabbed momentum back off of 2 runs Marcus made. Most impressive is his defensive presence, he took it on himself to guard Marcus's leading scorer at half and held him to just 5 points in the 2nd half. This type of competitiveness is what the playoffs is all about and Malek seems to rise with the occasion every time I catch him.</p>   <p>Next up is 2024 point guard Quintel Wilson who operates as Mckinney's true point guard most of the game and can score if needed but seems to be a facilitator at heart. This game Mckinney's shooters missed a couple good looks early and Quintel was ready to carry weight offensively finishing with 20 and some tough defensive play as well. He's a energy guy but smooth at the same time, never rattled and picked his spots well Tuesday night. He was able to penetrate & finish at the rim while also knocking down some huge shots from the arc. If Quintel & Archie are able to both play at this level Mckinney could be a super dangerous team to matchup with in the following rounds.</p>   <p>Mckinney's 6'2 2024 Jean Michel Anderson is also a honorable mention hitting some big shots down the stretch and making some key defenses plays in isolation in the 4th quarter as well.</p>   <p>Although they took a loss, FM Marcus had some super bright spots and both of their leading scores will be returning next year as well.</p>   <p>2025 point guard [player_tooltip player_id='1515345' first='Jayden' last='Ramnanan'] was also impressive for FM Marcus. Know for his sharp shooting he had a relatively quiet 1st half but still managed 8 points. Down by 10 heading into the 4th quarter he was able to lead a comeback scoring 11 points in the quarter and finishing with 19 making plays on both sides the brought Marcus within 2. Unselfish facilitator who can really handle the ball and knock down the 3 ball. He had 4 of those. He'll look to have a breakout season next year.</p>   <p>2026 [player_tooltip player_id='1593895' first='Luke' last='Susko'] was a fresh face for me. Excellent size at 6'5 and very poised to only be a sophomore. His shooting ability was top notch to start the game leading all scores with 13 going into the half. I wouldn't be surprised if he creeps up the state rankings heading into next year with his value on both sides and rebounding the ball. His potential is BIG time and could be Marcus's top scorer per game next year. </p>   <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-instagram wp-block-embed-instagram"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://www.instagram.com/reel/C3lkFz-xBja/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_linku0026amp;igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA== </div></figure>   <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-instagram wp-block-embed-instagram"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://www.instagram.com/reel/C3oa5QiJLhg/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA== </div></figure>

Playoffs are officially underway in Texas where even in round 1 you could end up with a regional feel type matchup. Both games I covered this week were just that starting with Mckinney vs FM Marcus who both carried a even record coming into the matchup. Mckinney being most outlets favorite and look a little better on paper as well but the game still has to be played and with every round being a sudden death anything can happen. The game started blow for blow and Marcus carried a 1 point advantage heading into the half. Mckinney responded with a huge 3rd quarter run opening up a 10 point lead. Marcus responded in the 4th narrowing the lead to 2 late but was unable to do anything with Mckinney's many weapons on offense to complete the comeback. Tough first round matchup, Mckinney is dangerous when firing on all cylinders.