Baker Started the game off hot by knocking down a three-pointer from college range then followed it up two plays later by beating the defense for a contested lay-up. To start the second half, he was able to get a few steals and give his team opportunities to get easy baskets. During the entire game, he was very disruptive on the defensive end of the ball and made it hard for the Broken Arrow guards as they were bringing it up.

In one of the top tournament championship games on Saturday night, it was 6A’s #3 Putnam City North taking down 5A’s #1 Carl Albert 62-61 in overtime. While senior standout CJ Smith CJ Smith 6'7" | SF Putnam City North | 2023 State OK was the star of the tourney title game with 26 points and 10 rebounds, it was fellow senior Zander Baker Zander Baker 5'10" | PG Norman | 2023 State OK who walked away with tournament MVP honors. Baker has been unbelievably consistent and the 1-2 punch of Baker and Smith has been tough for opponents to stop. Throw into the mix Kejuan Payne II Kejuan Payne II 6'4" | SG Putnam City North | 2023 State OK and the Panthers are a legitimate state championship contender. Baker has one of the quickest shot releases in Class 6A and he showcased that on a big stage in one of the best tournaments of the week. That PC North big three of Baker, Payne and Smith is going to be fun to watch the rest of the way.

One of last year’s breakout stars throughout the 2021-2022 season was senior guard Zander Baker Zander Baker 5'10" | PG Norman | 2023 State OK . It was apparent early on in last season that Baker had the makings of a legitimate star within Class 6A. First off, he can fire from just about anywhere on the court as his range is incredibly impressive. And because he is on the shorter side when it comes to point guards, he has to get that shot off quick and that release is lightning fast. Last year, Baker took on the role to be more of a scorer and could absolutely light up the scoreboard when he wanted to. He’s shown flashes of that throughout this season but as we’ve noted with Smith and Payne, Baker has some legitimate scoring threats around him as well. The PC North backcourt is incredibly talented and Baker isn’t in the same position where he needs to go for 25-30 points a night for them to be successful. Watching that element of his game evolve has been fun to watch.

Everybody knows Baker is one of the most skilled scorers in Oklahoma. That was backed up when he had an efficient 17 points on only 8 shots this afternoon. What was likely more impressive was the 5 assists he handed out. Baker can excel as a primary scorer at this level thanks to his great shooting, handles, saviness at drawing fouls and off the ball movement. But last season he was a bit of a volume scorer on an inexperienced team that lacked other consistent offensive weapons. Seeing Baker thrive this year as a table setter and floor general for the Panthers is a big checkmark that will help boost his college recruitment.

Putnam City North might have had the best tournament week as they knocked off Douglass, Norman and Del City to capture the Joe Lawson Invitational. You can make the argument that they just beat top five teams in 4A, 6A and 5A respectively. Leading the way was senior guard Zander Baker Zander Baker 5'10" | PG Norman | 2023 State OK . All three days, Baker was on absolute fire. His quick trigger shot was hitting from just about anywhere on the floor. And when teammate CJ Smith CJ Smith 6'7" | SF Putnam City North | 2023 State OK went down momentarily on Saturday, Baker continued to elevate his teammates and the overall performance from the Panthers. Baker and the Panthers are back on the court Tuesday night when they host rival Putnam City.

Putnam City North senior guard Zander Baker Zander Baker 5'10" | PG Norman | 2023 State OK led all scorers with 26 points on the afternoon. He would have 20 in the first half and it was that performance in the first two quarters that put Putnam City North up an they were able to hold off several different Douglass runs. Baker was red hot from the field and it felt like everything he put up was going in. His trigger was incredibly quick as he got up his shot in the blink of an eye. He was doing it at all three levels on the floor. He could finish at the rim, hit the mid-range shots and was lights out from the perimeter. He slowed down in the second half but the combination of Baker and Smith was hard for Douglass to stop on Thursday.

Last season was Bakers’ first year in the OSSAA after previously being homeschooled. It took him little time to make his mark as one of the most complete scorers in Oklahoma. He even made it onto Sportscenter with a 3/4ths court shot to force overtime. This year, he’ll be looking to get the Panthers back in the State Tournament, where they have been regulars for the last half decade. Including a title in 2018 and a title game appearance in 2019.

Putnam City North guard Zander Baker Zander Baker 5'10" | PG Norman | 2023 State OK is the smallest player on this breakdown but he’s one of the more dynamic scorers in the 2023 class. Baker enjoyed an outstanding junior season as he helped PC North throughout the year as the Panthers came up just shy of making it to the state tournament. Not only does Baker have so many aspects to his offensive game that should excite college coaches, there’s the other intangibles that are tough to measure. This guard produces at a high level almost every single night and it seemed like during his junior season, he played his best when the lights were their brightest. Baker is outstanding as simply a shooter on the perimeter but he’s much more than that. The Panthers are confident in Baker leading their offense this winter.