6A State Playoffs Quad A - Keys to Success

With the first round of the OSAA 6A Playoffs tipping off on Tuesday night, we decided to dig a little deeper & try to identify, a supporting player for each team that might play a key role in their teams moving on to play Friday. We all know the leading scorers on each team, the guys who regularly get highlighted, but who is the next guy(s)? We take a look bracket quadrant by bracket quadrant, starting with Group A.    The 6'9 junior big man gives one Century one of the few traditional posts to match up with [player_tooltip player_id='1787372' first='Ryder' last='Zanon']. Walkenhorst is a skilled big man with good hands that finishes well around the basket. Staying out of foul trouble will be key for the Jaguars.     The talented combo guard does a little bit of everything for the Skyhawks. Some of his teammates garner more "love" at times, but Kalish is really the glue that holds them together. Versatile player that can play both guard spots, is explosive in transition, & really defends on the perimeter.      His younger teammates such as Richard Hudson & Kendall McGlothen garner a lot of attention for their scoring ability, but Alecar's shooting ability really keeps defenses honest & creates a ton of space for his teammates to attack the basket. The senior sharp shooter recently went over 1000 career points & must play well if the Astros are to advance past this week.     Gallic truly is the engine that powers Sheldon on both ends of the floor. Skilled enough to score when needed, it's really his leadership & willingness to run the offense that reveals his true value. Defensively he has the ability to pester & pressure an opposing point guard, making it hard for teams to initiate their offense.     Playing along side two teammates that have D1 offers in [player_tooltip player_id='2026057' first='Braylon' last='Gaines'] & [player_tooltip player_id='2427510' first='Carter' last='Lockhart'], Day has been able to develop in the shadows. His play this season shows that he's more than ready to carry a big load for the Hawks. Great perimeter shooter that is athletic enough to get to the rim. Uses his length on the defensive end to play the passing lays & create turnovers in Nelson's pressure defense.     Lindsey is an explosive scorer that can attack off the bounce as well as shoot the ball from deep. Provides the Cardinals with a nice perimeter option to [player_tooltip player_id='2351856' first='Miles' last='Novy-Hildesley']'s inside power game. His ability to match Nelson's dynamic back court will be a key factor if Lincoln is to pull off the upset.     Physical combo guard who is effective attacking the paint & scoring for himself or setting up his teammates. His ability to control the pace of the game will be important if Mcnary is able to create the slower tempo game that they will need to beat Clackamas on the road.     Mcnary coach Ryan Kirch will surely come up with a creative game plan to try & limit Clackamas' big three ([player_tooltip player_id='2026062' first='RJ' last='Barhoum'], [player_tooltip player_id='2684850' first='Max' last='Martinov'], [player_tooltip player_id='2245263' first='Syrius' last='Owens']), so we would expect that Marcoe will be called on to make plays that will impact the Cavs success. A 6'4 athletic wing, Marcoe does a nice job of playing off of his high scoring teammates & usually takes on the task of guarding one of the opponents best players.

With the first round of the OSAA 6A Playoffs tipping off on Tuesday night, we decided to dig a little deeper & try to identify, a supporting player for each team that might play a key role in their teams moving on to play Friday. We all know the leading scorers on each team, the guys who regularly get highlighted, but who is the next guy(s)? We take a look bracket quadrant by bracket quadrant, starting with Group A.