Tournament of Champions: First Round Analysis

East Central 82   Okarche 69   East Central really flexed their muscle in this one, showing quality depth to overpower Okarche. The story of this one was forcing turnovers, as East Central forced the Warriors into 20 mistakes, while only committing 12 of their own. [player_tooltip player_id='2140742' first='Gregory' last='Nash'] stuffed the stat sheet for the Cardinals, finishing with 9 points, 7 rebounds and 5 steals. His defensive activity and intensity pressured Okarche perimeter turnovers throughout the game. [player_tooltip player_id='2560570' first='David' last='Douglas'] led the way offensively with 29 points and 11 assists. His ability to find the open man was huge in the win. No matter who the Warriors threw at him, he consistently broke down the defense and produced points for his squad. He scored from all three levels and was electric in transition. Deandre Rhodes finished with 18 points, and Rickey Bruner had another strong showing with 16. The Cardinals shot 50% from the floor, including 37% from the 3-point line.   For Okarche, the lack of assists (just 13), combining with the large number of turnovers, proved to be the death nail. However, both [player_tooltip player_id='1552358' first='Jett' last='Mueggenborg'] and Easton Roby played well offensively for the Warriors. Mueggenborg finished with 27 points and 11 rebounds. While Roby poured in 28 points. The story moving forward will be how much help they can get for those two. When defenses do make it hard on them, others will have to hit some open shots. Only 14 points were scored in this one from those not named Mueggenborg or Roby.   Millwood 76   Southmoore 60   Millwood was able to control this one from the get-go. After trailing early, 2-0, they never trailed again and built up an impressive 20-point lead in the first half. They did a great job in the second half of shortening the game by being methodical in the half court. The Falcons limited turnovers to really keep control. Millwood shot 55% from the floor and 37% from deep, while only committing 6 turnovers for the game. A large reason for this was due to the play of [player_tooltip player_id='1783189' first='Isaiah' last='Wilks']. He handled the ball well and when faced with perimeter pressure, consistently navigated the defense and found teammates. When open, Wilks also hit shots at a high rate in this one, finishing with 26 points in the contest. His ability to navigate the paint and finish while also hitting multiple long-range jumpers was very impressive.   Another notable contributor was [player_tooltip player_id='2223700' first='Amari' last='Barrett'], finishing with 16 points and 6 rebounds. The senior guard was highly efficient, converting 4 of his 6 buckets around the rim and keeping constant pressure on the Saber Cat defense. Barrett's biggest impact, however, was the defense he displayed on [player_tooltip player_id='2140800' first='Tyson' last='Pogi']. The junior did not hit a shot from the floor, until 6:33 to go in the contest.   As for Southmoore, the 20 turnovers were way too much to overcome. The perimeter defense of the Falcons completely through the SaberCats out of whack in the half court. Pogi finished with just 8 points due to a lot of activity and trapping on the perimeter. [player_tooltip player_id='2140751' first='Jasper' last='Chaves'] really came to play for Southmoore. He finished with 19 points and 9 rebounds, showcasing a lot of activity around the goal. He was decisive when he attacked offensively and helped Southmoore close the gap to 11 points early in the fourth quarter. Along with the turnovers, Southmoore could never get going from the 3-point line either. The defensive pressure from the Falcons limited them to shooting just 3 of 11.   Fort Gibson 49   Tulsa Memorial 47   This one back and forth all night long. Fort Gibson really controlled the tempo and, for the most part, limited the Chargers to one-and-done offensive trips. The Tigers were gritty both on the defensive end and on the glass. Both [player_tooltip player_id='2389001' first='Cash' last='Keys'] and Ky Murrell came up with some timely deflections while also holding their ground against strong perimeter talent from Memorial. [player_tooltip player_id='2327106' first='Cooper' last='Hackett'] was the key in this one though. Hackett blocked shots and rebounded well inside. He also backed down a defender with 1:15 left to put Fort Gibson up 47-46. After a pair of Murrell free throws (16 points) to extend the lead to three, [player_tooltip player_id='2527381' first='Jarius' last='Bossell'] was fouled shooting a step back three-pointer with 0.3 seconds left. Bossell missed the first two and hit the last before Fort Gibson ran out the clock.   As for the Chargers, they were led again by [player_tooltip player_id='2286954' first='Isaiah' last='Garrett'] who played consistently well in this one. Garrett attacked both the rim and the glass with a lot of intensity and finished with 16 points and 8 rebounds.   Cascia Hall 80   Owasso 70   Cascia Hall was sparked by a quick 9 points in the first quarter from [player_tooltip player_id='2140733' first='Dallas' last='Lowe']. [player_tooltip player_id='3191948' first='Ethan' last='Konkol'] took over in the second quarter and finished the first half with 11 points. The 6'4 wing took advantage of his open looks and made opposing defenders pay in one-on-one situations. The Commandos led at the break by six after hitting half a dozen three-pointers, while limiting the Rams to just two from beyond the arc. The lead continued to grow as [player_tooltip player_id='2327107' first='Roman' last='Poindexter'] took over in the third quarter. The junior provided what will likely be the highlight of the tournament, finishing an acrobatic dunk while being fouled. He led all scorers in the game with 25 points.   For Owasso, they struggled to gain momentum early and were outscored 23-17 in the second quarter. [player_tooltip player_id='1552362' first='Boden' last='Williams'] had a strong performance, hitting eight shots from the floor and scoring 23 points to go with 12 rebounds. The 6'4 guard played bigger than his height and continued to scrap for loose balls in the second half. Another bright spot for the Rams, was [player_tooltip player_id='1552386' first='MJ' last='Milton']. He was a perfect 3-3 from deep, while shooting an efficient 50% from the floor to finish with 16 points. The defensive end was where this game was lost, as they allowed the Commandos to shoot 58% from the field and 46% from 3-point land.

East Central 82