Friday's Finest at the McGuinness Classic

Exploded for 30 points in the victory. He built his momentum early with hard nosed buckets at the rim. Has fantastic balance and improved handles to take the bumping of physical defending and still navigate his way to the rim. Knocked down a tough pull up triple late in the first half and that ignited his long range shooting form for the second half. The complete scoring effort was a reminder of the development Buckingham has made in the last year. And that the 4A Knights have a scoring guard they can turn to during tough moments even against the state's best.     Newton's breakout sophomore season continued with an efficient performance. He is Santa Fe's premier perimeter threat, effortlessly draining threes. Clearly has started to establish himself as one of the top shooters regardless of class in Oklahoma. His fluidity and confidence in the mid-range and attacking the rim has really added his ability to stress the defense. He's nearly able to bust zones by himself through his combination of threes. While also hitting in the pockets in the mid-range. Certified sniper with a rapidly developing all around scoring game.     Witte put a defender on skates late in the first quarter and nailed a three with the space he created. From that point forward, he was locked in from three. Finishing with over 20 points. Has the type of soft shot with great rotation that makes it look like every shot is going in. While primarily a sniper, he's starting to have a gliding like quality to his movements. Had some solid takes and came close a couple big time acrobatic finishes. The type of finishes that if he continues to put in the time in six months, he should be nailing and would elevate his all around scoring.     The second part of Deer Creek's sophomore duo that went off. Mayo had 21 points in the win. He was a consistent shooter throughout, but really stepped up late when McGuinness tied it up. This performance makes it back to back 21 point games for Mayo, as he went for 21 points and four threes the night before against Santa Fe. It's a growing year for the Antlers, and their sophomore sharpshooting duo are taking advantage of the reps     The sophomore nearly led the Irish to a double digit comeback, even tying up the game midway through the fourth. He's an energetic guard, who is a nuisance on defense. Key part of the Irish's pressure when they sped the game up, as his quick hands and quick feet make life very difficult for opposing ballhandlers. He's a nightmare in transition, did a good job of often making the right plays to either get all the way himself. Or reading the defense and making the right passes with kickouts to shooters or finding open/cutting teammates at the rim. An encouraging sign were a pair of in rhythm catch and shoot threes he hit. Being a consistent shooter is the next step in his development. And starting by being a spot up threat will help open up even more driving lanes for the lightning fast guard.     A bright spot for North's future in a tough contest. Some of it was garbage time shooting that got Collins over the 20 point mark. But he was a consistent spot up threat throughout. Unlike a lot of young shooters, he's already starting to grow into his frame, which indicates he should become a strongly built guard. If Collins puts in the time, he could become a strong slasher. Which would turn him into an all around scorer as an upperclassman. But even now, his shooting ability could be crucial in the Timberwolves being a surprise team come playoff time.