Scouting the State: Guards leading the way

Use promo code OKHoops50 at checkout for a discount on your first month's subscription.   Breaking down notable guards from games attended last week.    Piedmont is a step closer to hosting a Regional, and it came largely on the back of the senior guard. Was money as a spot up threat and movement shooter. Including a clutch triple in the fourth. Peppered in a consistently old school mid-range jumper through out. Isn't fancy with his handles but knows how to generate that inch or two space to stop and smoothly hit. Got to the rim for a big finish to take the lead in overtime. Then helped seal the game with free throws. Finished with 24 points for the Wildcats in a playoff type win.     The style of the old school point guard may be rare now, but Cravens would fit into any era of basketball. Has some of the best vision in the state, as his head is always on a swivel, looking for advantages. Most apparent with the way he operates in transition. Turns defensive rebounds into transition opportunities pushing it and finding teammates running to the rim or spot up threats. Truly elevates the play of his teammates.   Cravens also usually does well when picking his spots to score. Has a true burst with the ball in his hands. But he doesn't over use it. Truly plays at multiple gears and tempo, then will explode by to the rim. Good iso scoring style game in the mid-range with stepbacks and turnarounds.     The second part of the Wildcats' hard nosed backcourt. Hainrihar handles the point guard duties, with steady consistent play. Gets Piedmont into sets, makes the right passes. While also creating a bit with hard nose drives to score himself or feed teammates. Also popped up with spot up three point shooting throughout. Had a tough defensive assignment and never backed down in that regard. Plays patient and strong on that end. Earned a huge stop in overtime by forcing the opposing guard into a travel. He did it by sliding his feet and beating the quicker guard to his spots multiple times.     Huffmyer has been a handful off the bounce all season, and that was the case in a tough battle against OCA. What made his scoring more impressive is OCA has some size and strength at the rim. The OCS senior plays under control, knowing when to go for speed and power to finish. Or slow down with head fakes and pump fakes to get defenders off balanced. Had a couple impressive blocks on defense, further showcasing his battler mentality around the rim.     In last Wednesday loss to Mustang, Hardeman went toe to toe with one of the top teams in the state. For a lot of his scoring, it was a return to his sharpshooting ways that he made his name with as an underclassman. But he's doing more on the ball now as the top player for the Timberwolves. Including hitting tough off the dribble deep pulls ups. Has improved his handles and passing to help break tough pressing defense. The junior is one of the more improved players in his class, as he's transformed from an off the ball shooting specialist to more of a modern lead guard.     After a first half that saw McGuinness close and threatening an upset, Brammer was one of the Racers to step up and help them pull away. Started the second half with a triple, then went to work off the bounce. Did a good job of dissecting the defense with patient play out of ball screens. Can keep defenders casually on his hip while waiting for openings for himself or his teammates. His mid-range pull up game remains his biggest strength. Able to stop in the 8-12 range with great touch. Or shake opponents and make 14-18 footers look like easy money. Did just that to cap off the game later in the fourth, where he stopped on a dime and expertly used a subtle push off to hit the jumper.

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