918 Clash: BA vs Union standouts

Thursday brought one for the bragging rights, with two of the largest school districts squaring off. Broken Arrow won the first match up between the neighboring districts back in December for the Bishop Kelley Tournament championship. Broken Arrow stormed to an early lead and had a counter for every push by Union. With the Tigers eventually winning 68-61.    Scored a game high 20 points, include a skying alley oop late in the first half that stopped an Union run and seemed to energize Shockley and his teammates. Shortly after the oop he blocked a shot on the perimeter, then raced to successfully contest another look at the buzzer. Carried that momentum into the second half with more energy on defense and perimeter shot making. When Shockley is locked in like he was on Thursday night, he has the size and athleticism to be one of the most impactful players in Oklahoma. An important player to watch as Broken Arrow is expected to make a push for the Class 6A State Title.     Was a high energy match up problem in the first quarter. When Union's big stepped out to deny his jumper, he would blow by him for scores at the rim. When given space, he hit in the 15-18 range. And in general was a high energy, inside-outside threat. His hops and big wingspan allows him to compete around the rim on defense and be an active rebounder. Strong game for one of Oklahoma's top available versatile prospects.     Table setting big guard, helped his team off to a hot start by grabbing defensive boards and generally pushing the tempo by making great transition passes for easy scores. Seemed to always be in control on offense, making right reads, using ball fakes and looks to manipulate the defense to open lanes to make passes to teammates. Stepped up and took a couple charges in transition on defense too. Was quieter as a scorer but still finished with 14 points and had to be over 5 assists.     The catalyst for Union's offense. Quick guard that often looks to push the tempo. Like a traditional point guard should, he also makes an effort to feed his forwards and keep them involved down low. Ended up with 15 points, by efficiently picking his spots. Including a nasty crossover that led to an open above the break the three in the first half. Has continue to develop into a reliable, all around guard with no true weaknesses. Especially with the relentlessness he often plays with.     Against the size and athleticism of BA, Driver had to unleash his full bag of tricks and moves to get it going. Which he has a wide array of scoring ability, good understanding of angles and feel as a driver to hit shots over the trees. His jumper was a bit off early, but closed strongly with tough threes during a rally attempt. Had a team high 17 points, with a good chunk of it being clutch buckets in the fourth.     Anytime Union needed a tough bucket, they seemed to feed the big man. He did a good job of sealing when fronted and scoring easy passes with his soft hands and touch. When they tried to defend from behind, it was "BBQ chicken" with his moves and scoring ability out to 6-8 feet. But the start of the game made clear the area of improvement for Flemons in this stretch run for Union and headed into his 17U season for AAU.   In the first quarter, Broken Arrow often isolated Flemons against their athletic and versatile wings. Either dragging him out of the paint and attacking off the dribble. Or hitting open 15-18 footers when he was late to contest. Flemons did a better job after that slow start, but to play at the next level those are the type of match ups he will see on more regular occasions. The big man must continue to work hard to maximize his quickness and motor on defense.     Bouncy bench piece, that proved how valuable he can be to Broken Arrow's State Tournament hopes. Has clear next level athletic ability with the explosiveness he has when attacking the basket. First half saw some tough misses, but second half he was money around the rim. Carving out a vital role on one of Oklahoma's best team, with the athletic traits to be a late bloomer who has a chance to turn heads throughout the calendar year of 2025.

Thursday brought one for the bragging rights, with two of the largest school districts squaring off. Broken Arrow won the first match up between the neighboring districts back in December for the Bishop Kelley Tournament championship. Broken Arrow stormed to an early lead and had a counter for every push by Union. With the Tigers eventually winning 68-61.