TOC: Battle of the Classes: Class 5A vs Class A
In Day One of the Tournament of Champions, we saw some heavy mismatches in classes. In the biggest mismatch of the day, Ringwood took on Booker T. Washington. Booker T. Washington took over the game early and never looked back. They pressed Ringwood and forced turnover after turnover. The gap in the classes showed in this game as Booker T. Washington went on to win the game 92-55.
MVP: Trey Phipps 2020 Booker T. Washington Guard
Trey Phipps was on fire from all aspects of the court today. Phipps helped Booker T. jump out to a 34-9 lead at the end of the first quarter and never looked back. Phipps forced turnovers and finished on the break. He was able to finish at the rim well and shot it well from deep. Phipps finished the night with 25 points in 15 minutes played on 10-16 shooting. Phipps has NCAA Division I offers and if he keeps playing like he did tonight is sure to secure more offers in the future. Phipps is one of the best shooters in the state and can pull up from anywhere on the court. As long as Phipps stays hot, Booker T. Washington will be hard to beat this year.
Foul Trouble: Camden Patterson 2018 Ringwood Post
It is not often that you see a player get four personal fouls in the first half, but that is exactly what Camden Patterson did. Patterson’s play time was obviously limited in the first half, because of the four personal fouls he picked up the first quarter. That compounded with the fact that his team was getting blown out might have made people think that his effort in the second half might lack intensity, but that was not the case. Patterson came out in the second half and showed why NCAA low major Division I’s are taking an interest in him. If Patterson can stay out of foul trouble, Ringwood has a good chance of making some noise on the Consolation side of the bracket.
The 2020 Splash Bros: Trey Phipps and Bryce Thompson
Trey Phipps and Bryce Thompson continued to show why people call them the Splash Brothers. Phipps and Thompson shot the ball lights out from deep today. They both shot .500 from beyond the arc today and hit tough contested shots. Oklahoma will have to watch out for two of the best players in the state because they still have two more years after this year. With Phipps and Thompson finding their stroke like they did today, it would take something special to beat Booker T. Washington. Thompson finished with 21 points and is the No. 1 player in the 2020 Oklahoma class.
Perfect Game: Seth Hurd 2019 Booker T. Washington Post
In a game that went just as planned for the Hornets, Seth Hurd found himself finishing with a perfect game from the court. Hurd was a perfect 4-4 from the court and finished the game with 8 points. Hurd is a great glue man for a talented Booker T. Washington team. He plays his role to perfection and does what is needed from him. Hurd only played 14 minutes due to the Hornets blowing out Ringwood, but still added 3 steals and a block to his impressive night. Hurd will be a player that does not always make the headlines, but is always consistent and does his job well.
Mr. Double-Double: Jeremiah Decker 2018 Post
Ringwood has two talented Posts that can put up big numbers. In a night where he had to compensate for the loss of Camden Patterson to foul trouble, Jeremiah Decker stepped up. Decker was constantly rebounding on both sides of the both and got five offensive boards, which gave him some easy points. Decker finished the night with a double-double with 16 points and 14 rebounds. Decker will be a player to keep an eye on as Ringwood continue throughout their season. If he can consistently put up the numbers he put up tonight, Ringwood will be hard to beat with two talented big men.