Playoff Standouts: Small School Heroes and PCW vs Lawton

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>This weekend of playoff games around the OKC area brought variety, with the chance to see small school standouts from all over Oklahoma. Along with top performers from an intense Putnam City West-Lawton match up. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["1159410"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"The unflappable senior guard was at the heart of Ada's fourth quarter comeback that kept their season alive.  His feel at navigating traffic at his own pace and his touch around the rim on floaters is among the best in Oklahoma.  After his team trailed by 8-12 points for much of the game, it was a trademark tough floater finish that tied up the contest with about a minute remaining. MacCollister's game is a great example of how controlling pace can be more effective then just pure speed. His ability to get off tough shots in crowds is remarkable and will be on display for at least one more week as Ada battles for a Class 4A State Tournament berth.","_player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_1_player":["1391440"],"_player_evaluations_1_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_1_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_1_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_1_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_1_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_1_evaluation":"Watching prospects grow up and continue to develop in spans as short as 48 hours is one of the best parts of this job.  On Thursday night it was noted that while Rayfield played well early, he struggled in the second half and his frustrations were apparent. Fast forward to Saturday night. In a high pressure game he was often face guarded and played physically due to his height, but he remained more even killed and produced for Putnam City West in the win.  Rayfield even forced it less on the offensive end, instead he had better shot selection and awareness. Which included a simple but great off the dribble move that got him a good look in the mid-range.rnrnAfter defensive rebounds, he was more willing to pitch it ahead and put trust into his teammates.  One of those times paid off during West's huge third quarter run and a teammate drilled a transition three. Rayfield was one of the happiest players in the gym at his teammate's success. Little moments like that add up to big success and continue to put the high upside wing-forward on a high major trajectory.","_player_evaluations_1_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_2_player":["1295731"],"_player_evaluations_2_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_2_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_2_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_2_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_2_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_2_evaluation":"There are few players in Oklahoma who can match the senior's guard attention to detail on the defensive end.  He's always been a ball hawk on the ball, capable of playing 94 feet and making life difficult for opposing guards.  But with senior urgency flowing through his veins, he was flying around and making even more plays off the ball.  A great example of this came in the second quarter, where he blocked a shot in the corner. Then stole the ensuing inbound pass, did a behind the back dribble to himself to keep his momentum going and raced away for two points.  Warrior also had some impressive drives and finishing at the rim, which helped keep his team's season alive.","_player_evaluations_2_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_3_player":["2335421"],"_player_evaluations_3_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_3_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_3_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_3_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_3_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_3_evaluation":"There was a stretch in the first half where the sophomore looked like a senior on the court. He was calm when handling the pressure of Putnam City West, hit big threes and got after it on the defensive end.  Young even made the pressure defense pay a couple times by burning them on drives, including a nice coast to coast take during his big second quarter.  The sophomore looks primed for a big spring and summer, before stepping into a bigger role for a Lawton team that should be among the 6A contenders next year.","_player_evaluations_3_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_4_player":["2140743"],"_player_evaluations_4_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_4_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_4_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_4_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_4_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_4_evaluation":"Watching streams and highlights of the freshman guard do not do justice to just how quick and dynamic he is.  For three quarters he was simply unstoppable against Ada. He carved up their halfcourt defense with outstanding drives thanks to his tight handle and amazing body control with includes great balance.rnrnHowell is also an absolute blur in transition, even able to push it off scores. Those opportunities provided some of the best displays of in and out dribbles and other hesitation moves where he froze defenders. Then he has the quick acceleration to make it look like defenders are stuck in quicksand.  Eventually the waves of pressure and double teams were able to slow him down, but not before he left his mark.  The lefty lived at the rim thanks to his dynamic gifts, so it wasn't a great opportunity to assess his shooting. But he did close out the game drilling a 40 foot buzzer beater when his team was down four.rnrnThe southeastern Oklahoma standout belongs in the conversation with the four elite freshman guards from OKC and Tulsa as part of the state's best in a promising Class of 2027.","_player_evaluations_4_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_5_player":["2241904"],"_player_evaluations_5_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_5_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_5_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_5_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_5_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_5_evaluation":"It was the first viewing of Benard since a camp last September, and he remains a promising prospect with a great physical frame, a plus wingspan and good athleticism. It was a struggle for his squad against second ranked Duke, but there was a second half stretch where he caught fire from three with deep and tough makes.  After the loss to Duke, Benard and his teammates rebounded to win the Area consolation on Saturday night so his season is still alive.rnrnTracking the 2025's guard development and play at the grassroots level will be a fun watch this spring and summer.","_player_evaluations_5_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_6_player":["1367224"],"_player_evaluations_6_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_6_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_6_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_6_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_6_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_6_evaluation":"The Regionals defeat brought a close to Padilla's productive high school career. Even though it was his third game in three nights (with the previous two being overtime battles), the senior dug deep during a spirited fourth quarter comeback.  He hit giant killer shots over the long arms of the taller Rayfield and even took a charge in transition as he left it all on the line. The remains one of Oklahoma's top available unsigned point guards.  His quickness and ability to finish efficiently for a smaller guard makes him play much bigger than his size.","_player_evaluations_6_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations":7,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"edit","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-65db953b12ddd"} /-->