Friday Feature: Carl Albert vs. Midwest City

Friday night delivered plenty of excitement across the state, with no shortage of standout moments. From outstanding individual performances to impressive team efforts, the action lived up to the hype and then some. Among all the games played, one matchup rose above the rest, capturing attention with its intensity and quality of play. Today, we will take a closer look at that game and break down what made it one of the best showdowns of the night.   Final:   Carl Albert 72   Midwest City 63   The Titans came out with some tremendous defensive intensity. They forced some early turnovers, enabling them to jump out to a 9-0 start in the first five minutes of the contest. Consistent ball pressure and numerous help side defensive rotations were the theme early on in this one. Carl Albert led 20-9 after one quarter of play. Offensively, they owned the paint, scoring most of their points around the rim. With multiple players that can put the ball on the deck and get downhill, the Bombers were on their heels a lot defensively.   Midwest City flipped the script in the third quarter. After trailing by double digits for most of the first two periods, the Bombers defense showed better connectivity to start the third quarter. The stronger defense seemed to fuel the offense as well, with multiple players playing more aggressively on that end of the floor. Although the Titans made more plays down the stretch, Midwest City should win their next three games before a rematch at home. The Bombers need to focus on fast starts and being ready to play at the start of games.   Midwest City Top Performers   [player_tooltip player_id='1987389' first='Caleb' last='Stephens'] | Guard   The senior could not be stopped, pouring in eight straight points and cutting the deficit to just four early in the third quarter. Stephens puts constant pressure on the defense with his off-the-ball movement. With the senior running off screens and moving well without the ball, he can eventually find space on the floor. Stephens finished in the paint, showed a solid stroke from outside and controlled his body through contact on a strong and one finish inside.   [player_tooltip player_id='1552391' first='DeShawn' last='Denson II'] | Guard   Denson helped the Bombers take the lead in the third quarter after providing a personal 7-0 run. The Bombers lead was one point at the 2:17 mark in the third quarter thanks to two impressive drives past defenders and a very deep step-back wing 3-pointer. As a defender, it is tough to keep Denson in front as he is such an explosive player. His ability to handle the ball was on full display again on Friday.   Carl Albert Top Performers   [player_tooltip player_id='2499150' first='Delijah' last='Matthews'] | Guard   The junior got things going for his squad in this one. Matthews put pressure on the defense early and often with his ability to get downhill and finish inside. Matthews owned the opening quarter, scoring eight points and showing an ability to finish on both sides of the rim. Matthews is a fearless driver that can absorb contact well. He was nearly unstoppable when the Bombers allowed him to get to his dominant left hand.   Darion Thomas | Guard   Thomas was clearly the go-to guy down the stretch for the Titans. With the Bombers cutting the lead to just three with just under six minutes to go, Thomas closed the game out. His ability to deliver in a key stretch really stood out. The junior had a finger roll finish, followed by a strong defensive rebound, before hitting a fadeaway jumper in the post to push the lead back out to ten with just under two minutes remaining.   Brandon Rogers | Guard   Rogers was another key piece in the victory for his team. Not only did he handle the ball well and help initiate offense at times, but he also hit very timely shots from outside the arc. The Titans were able to take the lead back at the end of the third quarter thanks to a deep left wing 3-pointer from the senior. He fired in another one, this time from the right wing to push the lead back to six points midway through the final quarter.   Moving Forward:   Carl Albert @ Lawton, Tuesday, January 3rd, 7:30 PM   Midwest City vs. Southeast, Tuesday, January 3rd, 7:30 PM

Friday night delivered plenty of excitement across the state, with no shortage of standout moments. From outstanding individual performances to impressive team efforts, the action lived up to the hype and then some. Among all the games played, one matchup rose above the rest, capturing attention with its intensity and quality of play. Today, we will take a closer look at that game and break down what made it one of the best showdowns of the night.