Kingfisher senior Caden Kitchens Caden Kitchens 6'2" | SF Kingfisher | 2023 State OK continues to be arguably the most consistent player for the Yellowjackets this season. Kitchens would lead the Yellowjackets with 17 points and was incredibly efficient from the field on Friday night. Kitchens couldn’t get his shot from the perimeter to fall but was about as automatic as you get near the basket. Kitchens did a great job on Friday moving without the basketball. That’s what was so impressive about Kingfisher in the first half. They constantly move the basketball and even if players don’t have the rock, they are constantly moving and cutting and putting more and more pressure on the defense to not let their guard down at any moment. Kitchens scored on several cuts to the basket as well as offensive put backs against a Weatherford team that had a distinct size advantage.

When watching Kingfisher over the last two year, Kitchens has been the subtle player that seemingly always came up big around the basket. Rather it be him being the beneficiary of their motion and off the ball screen offense leading to easy layups or popping up with a putback, his blue collar playing style always delivered. This season he still does those things but he’s added improved shooting to his repertoire and now makes big threes as well. This was evident in the Tournament of Champions last month. And became even more clear in this game when he once again joined in the three point parade. He also caught the eye with good vision and passing. One time he passed out of traffic to an open shooter on the perimeter with a “nutmeg” pass that went through a defender’s legs.

Perhaps the best way to describe this and last year’s Kingfisher teams is with a twist on a popular saying. The Yellowjackets are Jacks of All Trades, Masters of Winning. The unorthodox, effective post player with range is perhaps the best example of this concept.

While Douglass beating Newcastle might have been the game of the night in Class 4A, Kingfisher beating Weatherford 61-51, handing the Eagles their first loss this season might have been the biggest statement in 4A. And helping extend Kingfisher’s ridiculous winning streak at home was their senior Caden Kitchens Caden Kitchens 6'2" | SF Kingfisher | 2023 State OK . The senior standout finished with a game-high 26 points as the Yellowjackets would use a 15-0 run in the first half to put Weatherford in a position they simply haven’t been in before this season. We’ve written about Kitchens quite a bit this season because it seems like he’s been one of the more consistent players for Kingfisher night in and night out and he’s a big reason the defending champs are going to be in the mix again when March rolls around.

We got a good chance to see Kingfisher up close for three straight days when they played in the TOC in downtown Tulsa. Arguably the most consistent player over the three day stretch in the BOK Center was senior Caden Kitchens Caden Kitchens 6'2" | SF Kingfisher | 2023 State OK . The senior averaged in double figures last season as a junior and was outstanding for the Yellowjackets throughout the three days in Tulsa. While he might be known mostly as a shooter, he begins a trend that we’ll talk about with every player on this spotlight. Kitchens doesn’t fit into one role within the Yellowjackets. He does multiple things because all of their players do multiple things and they do them at a high level. That’s become the expectation within this Kingfisher program. Kitchens can heat up in an instant and he can also turn around and play in the paint and help out the Yellowjackets on the boards and on defense.

Kitchens was deadly from the three-point like all night long. At one point in time, I thought they were going to get blown out and kitchens knocked down two threes to get his team back in the basketball game. When he is on the offensive side of the ball he never stops moving and always finds his way to an open shot. Caden can fill a spot on a roster for a program that needs somebody to catch a shot.

Even when Kingfisher has had some of the best prospects in the state, they always had incredible balance and this year is no different. The Yellowjackets were led by Caden Kitchens Caden Kitchens 6'2" | SF Kingfisher | 2023 State OK on Wednesday as he led all scorers with 21 points and he also grabbed eight rebounds. Kitchens was 3-4 from beyond the arc and was a big part of Kingfisher’s incredible efficiency on the offensive end of the floor. We mentioned in our Tournament Of Champions preview that it is very possible that we could end up seeing three different players leading the Yellowjackets in scoring during the three days here in Tulsa. Kitchens was the guy on Wednesday, who knows who it will be on Thursday.