Friday’s Finest: December 15th

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>With holiday break right around the corner, Friday was one of the last chances for many teams to head into the new year on a strong note. The Mid-Del school district was host to a pair of games with big early implications to Class 5A district races. Midwest City hosted their school districts rivals Del City, while Carl Albert hosted a surging Guthrie squad. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Midwest City and Del City was the game of the night for me, with a scrappy Eagles squad challenging the Bombers. Seniors Desean McCarroll and Kentrell Thurston were the heart and soul for the Eagles, as their relentless energy often allowed them to find the ways to the rim, while also causing havoc all over the court. But even with foul troubling plaguing one of their stars, Midwest City would find a way at home to pull off the tough rivalry win. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Meanwhile further east, Guthrie would upset Carl Albert, sending a loud message across the state that their 7-0 start is for real. More from that game will come tomorrow in Friday's Filmroom Heroes. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>For now, here's a breakdown of three standouts from the Mid-Del battle, along with a selection of standouts from around Oklahoma. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["1391433"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"Early on it looked Oklahoma's top junior prospect would live at the rim, but foul trouble would derails Young in this intense rivalry game.  Still when on the court, he had a handful of plays that showed he was a cut above of the rest of the prospects in the game. One particular play stood out in the third quarter when he recorded a steal near halfcourt. Then made the opposition look like they were in moving slow motion as he glided through them, then avoided traffic in the paint for a smooth finish.  Perhaps it was the nature of the foul trouble and good defensive scouting, but he never got settled in from distance and in the second frame he had a couple sloppy turnovers.  Still with his disruptive nature on defense and outstanding finishing package, the Oklahoma State commit is set for a huge junior season for the 5-2 Bombers.","_player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_1_not_in_database":["not_in_db"],"_player_evaluations_1_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_1_player_details_selected_featured_image":"","_player_evaluations_1_player_details_selected_featured_image":"field_62cca28ffa4e7","player_evaluations_1_player_details_player_name":"Desean McCarroll","_player_evaluations_1_player_details_player_name":"field_62aba4c9ecf2f","player_evaluations_1_player_details_graduating_class":"2024","_player_evaluations_1_player_details_graduating_class":"field_62aba4ddecf30","player_evaluations_1_player_details_height":"6'0u0022","_player_evaluations_1_player_details_height":"field_62aba4e8ecf31","player_evaluations_1_player_details_position":"77247","_player_evaluations_1_player_details_position":"field_62aba4f0ecf32","player_evaluations_1_player_details_school":"Del City","_player_evaluations_1_player_details_school":"field_62aba4fdecf33","player_evaluations_1_player_details_club_team":"","_player_evaluations_1_player_details_club_team":"field_62d20e723441a","player_evaluations_1_player_details":"","_player_evaluations_1_player_details":"field_62aba4afecf2e","player_evaluations_1_evaluation":"The heartbeat for the Eagles, McCarr0ll has a non stop motor. With every bucket he made, the passion was clear.  He played bigger than size all night, consistently finding ways to the rim. Where he would finish through contact and energize his teammates. Late in the game, he even got loose in transition for an impressive slam.  The junkyard dawg like senior combined with Thurston gives Del City the grit to remain competitive in 5A, even as they replace a lot of production from last year's Class 5A State Championship squad.","_player_evaluations_1_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_2_player":["1552391"],"_player_evaluations_2_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_2_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_2_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_2_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_2_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_2_evaluation":"Another double digit scorer for Midwest City, the sophomore is continuing to prove that he's more than just a sharpshooter like he was as a freshman.  He's a bit taller, has a little more wiggle and most importantly is more confident off the dribble.  Which is vital, as with his sweet shooting stroke, Del City was eager to run him off the line and he was able to make them pay with good drives to the rim.  Denson II is putting the building blocks together of an outstanding four year starting career for Midwest City,","_player_evaluations_2_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_3_player":["1151506"],"_player_evaluations_3_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_3_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_3_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_3_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_3_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_3_evaluation":"One of the top glue guys in the state, Eshelman helped his Timberwolves avenge last week's loss in the Crosstown Clash. The junior scored 17 points, on a perfect shooting performance from the field (6-6 FG, 2-2 3s). But as his rep, his impact wasn't just scoring. He grabbed 7 rebounds and recorded 3 steals.  After a mini-slide of two losses, the 57-47 win pulled the Timberwolves back to .500 on the year, with a 4-4 mark.  They're off till after the break, with a trip to the Putnam City Invitational next on their schedule.","_player_evaluations_3_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_4_player":["1552317"],"_player_evaluations_4_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_4_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_4_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_4_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_4_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_4_evaluation":"The sophomore sharpshooter is starting to heat up for the Chargers. On Friday, he scored 18 points, going 5-8 from three as Memorial won 51-39 over homeschool program, the OKC Storm.  This performance comes on the heels of a 31 point outburst on Thursday night. The reloading Chargers are now 7-2 on the year, and the emergence of Harris' scoring and shooting ability is huge for an athletic and defensive mind squad. They have one more contest on Saturday afternoon before taking nearly a month off.","_player_evaluations_4_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_5_player":["1364821"],"_player_evaluations_5_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_5_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_5_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_5_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_5_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_5_evaluation":"After back to back wins against 6A foes to start the year for Bixby, the Spartans slipped up in close battles with fellow 6A squads Deer Creek and Southmoore. Tuesday presented a huge opportunity for the 918 team to finish the first semester on a strong note, as they hosted undefeated Choctaw.  Driver, who has torched the nets in previous games this year, saw his scoring performance be tame by his high standards with only 15 points. But perhaps more importantly, the junior handed out 7 assists.  That contribution was pivotal in the big 71-63 win over Choctaw.rnrnDriver and the Spartans are now 5-2 on the year, with a 3-1 mark in district that has them at a tie on top of the 6A District 4 standings. Importantly Bixby has wins over the fellow 3-1 teams, Jenks and Choctaw.  The junior guard was expected to be one of the best shooters in the state, but this win over a senior laden, athletic Yellowjacket team where he had a balanced stat line is a huge sign of his development.  The Spartans are off till the new year, with their next games coming in Bartlesville for their tournament.","_player_evaluations_5_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_6_player":["2140789"],"_player_evaluations_6_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_6_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_6_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_6_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_6_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_6_evaluation":"Freshman alert! Top 10, Class 3A ranked Kellyville moved to 5-2 on the season with a 62-57 win over Riverfield Country Day.  The youngster exploded for 25 points for the Ponies.  There's a lot of freshmen starting to make waves throughout the state, and the young lead guard is now on the list of early prospects to keep an eye on as he attempts to help his squad to the Big House in a loaded 3A.","_player_evaluations_6_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_7_player":["1391441"],"_player_evaluations_7_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_7_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_7_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_7_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_7_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_7_evaluation":"Mustang was facing the prospect of entering the winter break with three straight losses.  Miller continued his impressive scoring start with 24 points while even grabbing 7 rebounds. The junior is a smooth guard, who can fill it up from all the court. The Broncos are one of the few teams in the state with more games left this calendar year, as they host a loaded tournament from December 28th-30th.","_player_evaluations_7_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations":8,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"edit","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-657d3fa9b25f8"} /--> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->