Choctaw vs Putnam City West: Game Recap

<p><span style="font-family: georgia, palatino, serif;">In a great environment for some high school hoops, the Choctaw Yellowjackets and the Putnam City West Patriots faced off for a great Tuesday night matchup. Both teams coming off of their respective tournament appearances at the Putnam City Invitational (PCW) and the McGuinness Classic (Choctaw).</span></p> <hr /> <p><span style="font-family: georgia, palatino, serif;">Things started chippy in the first quarter as Putnam City West got to work with its very high-intensity defense, causing a double technical to be called. However, Putnam City West never let that call get to them as they continued to play with confidence and aggressiveness, making Choctaw work for every little point. It is obvious that PCW will be one of the best defenses in the state come playoff time, as they play with great heart and never take a possession off.</span></p> <p><span style="font-family: georgia, palatino, serif;">On the other side of the ball, PCW thrived on the fastbreak as their first points came from a <span style="color: #ff6600;"><strong>Rondel Walker</strong></span> slam. Walker and <span style="color: #ff6600;"><strong>Emahdre Hightower</strong></span> led PCW on the defensive end with 5 and 3 steals apiece.</span></p> <p><span style="font-family: georgia, palatino, serif;">Walker let it rain from downtown going 6-of-9 from behind the arc, <span style="color: #ff6600;"><strong>Jacob Blount</strong></span> and <span style="color: #ff6600;"><strong>MJ Warrior</strong></span> also contributed 2 threes of their own, both at 50% shooting rates. Warrior had 20 points in total, creating many opportunities for them to come easily at the free-throw line by attacking the basket strong and with confidence. Warrior's energy and pride that he plays with is close to unmatched in the state and he isn't afraid to go toe-to-toe with any other guard in the state.</span></p> <p><span style="font-family: georgia, palatino, serif;">Choctaw displayed high-energy and never gave up. Guards <span style="color: #ff6600;"><strong>Anthony Bowen</strong></span> and <span style="color: #ff6600;"><strong>Eric Gooden</strong></span> acted as great leaders for their teammates and helped them keep their heads up and to continue to push through adversity. Both guards had good games on the offensive end and worked hard to keep their team locked in and focused for all 32 minutes.</span></p> <hr /> <p class="p1"><span style="font-family: georgia, palatino, serif;"><i>If any information on this article is incorrect, please contact me at<span style="color: #ff6600;"> </span></i><a href="http://www.twitter.com/JoshuaRCleary"><span class="s1"><b><i><span style="color: #ff6600;">@JoshuaRCleary</span></i></b></span></a><i> on Twitter!</i></span></p>