4A District Clash: Playoff Action at Crossings Christian

Saturday night featured the start of district tournaments around the state of Oklahoma. In one matchup, Tuttle headed to Crossings Christian to take on the Knights. The Tigers surprisingly led for most of the evening, making this game very interesting in the second half. The Knights utilized a strong end to the third quarter, as well as an impressive final period to pull away and advance. Let's take a look at some of the players that stood out to us in this one.   Final: Crossings Christian 60, Tuttle 46   Crossings Christian Top Performers:    Sykes was on the attack for much of the evening. The junior put together a solid opening quarter performance to help keep his team in the game. Sykes first hit a mid-range pullup after crossing over a defender before hitting four straight from the foul line to give his team an early edge. The Knights trailed by seven at halftime but were able to shave the lead down to a single point to close the third as Sykes cut to the rim and finished. To start the fourth quarter, he again attacked by putting his head down and driving past a perimeter defender, before grabbing a defensive rebound and taking it the distance for another pull-up jumper. Sykes helped to finish the game off by handling pressure with the ball in his hands before consistently hitting his foul shots as Tuttle tried to climb back into it in the fourth quarter.     Buckingham played with a ton of energy in this one for his club. It was evident early on that his mentality was to attack loose balls. The sophomore seemed to be all over the court as he continually got his team extra shot opportunities by grabbing offensive rebounds. Beckett also shot well from deep, helping to relieve scoring pressure from Sykes. Buckingham closed strong, with some explosive finishes above the rim, while also hitting his foul shots.     The effort was contagious in the final period. With Sykes and Buckingham leading the way, the rest of the team began to gain confidence on both ends of the floor. Suddenly, a 9-point third quarter deficit was erased and turned into a 12-point lead with just over four minutes to play. Veatch showed great anticipation and positioning on defense, leading to an altered shot that was pitched ahead to [player_tooltip player_id='2554643' first='Slade' last='Black'] for an easy transition bucket. This was followed by a steal from [player_tooltip player_id='1552365' first='Braden' last='Buckingham'] that had the entire bench standing an applauding the defensive efforts. Veatch helped alleviate pressure as another ball handler down the stretch and made free throws to help put the game in ice with just over 20 seconds remaining.    Tuttle Top Performers:    Price led the way in the opening frame with five points for the Tigers. The junior hit a big 3-pointer from the left corner early to help quiet the crowd and give his team the early lead. The first quarter was vital as far as confidence went, and his team only trailed by one to end the quarter. Price continued to play well as the game moved along, showcasing good patience and footwork inside. His ability to absorb blows off the bounce and remain under control were evident as he scored multiple times utilizing his left hand. The junior continued to lead the way in the second half with another strong performance both inside and out. His 3-point shot remained hot, keeping the defense off balance.     The freshman put together an impressive performance. His ability to score inside, when the Knights turned to a zone defense, was a huge boost for his squad. Velletta also showed to be a tremendous passer out of the post. He routinely read the defensive rotations and found open shooters on the perimeter. Price was the beneficiary on two different occasions. Brody used a drop step move with regularity inside and was able to also generate fouls, in which he was able to get the the free throw line and convert.

Saturday night featured the start of district tournaments around the state of Oklahoma. In one matchup, Tuttle headed to Crossings Christian to take on the Knights. The Tigers surprisingly led for most of the evening, making this game very interesting in the second half. The Knights utilized a strong end to the third quarter, as well as an impressive final period to pull away and advance. Let's take a look at some of the players that stood out to us in this one.