The Five: Del City punched their ticket to the 5A State Tournament
With all the marbles on the line, Del City defeated Piedmont 53-50 in an exciting back and forth encounter.
Del City has punched their ticket to compete in the 5A State Tournament.
Here are five observations from the great matchup:
No quit in the Eagles
Del City was down a majority of this ballgame but they never stop believing they would come out victorious. 2019 guard Kobe Higgins was huge in changing momentum.
Piedmont ended the first half well and controlled the third but Higgins hit a big three to keep it within one going into the fourth. 2020 Nate Goodlow was huge in the second half hitting three threes and playing the role of zone buster.
DC has what it takes to have a great run at state because of their fight.
Dylan Hahn and Rylan McDaniel are underrated
Dylan Hahn put on a scoring clinic in the second quarter of how to score in many different ways. Hahn has a smooth pull up jumper but he also got to the rim using his length to finish at the rim.
Rylan McDaniel is a quick shifty guard who does well in pick and roll situations. He turned the corner and exploded to the rim.
Both players were effective for their teams tonight despite the loss and have a lot to be proud of.
Del City has a star guard duo in the making
As mentioned before, they dynamic duo of Higgins and Goodlow have a bright future together. They compliment each other so well.
Higgins is the speedy guard who makes plays all over the floor. He is a ball of energy who the home crowd feeds off of.
Goodlow is the calm cool competitor who can play on or off the ball. He hit big shots vs Piedmont to get them out of their 2-3 zone. Goodlow is a lot longer than it appears and always ends up with numerous deflections at the end of the game.
Del City should live in the moment and worry about this season but they are in good hands going forward.
Pressure is what won the game for DC
Piedmont had a somewhat firm grip on the game and the momentum until DC turned up the heat.
DC doesn’t press all game long instead they pick their spots when they want to speed things up.
Coach Hatchett let the dogs loose in the fourth quarter and it payed off. Piedmont just could not keep up with the pace of play.
They began turning it over and looked less confident handling traps.
DC has the depth and athleticism to shift a game on its head and change the complexion of a game. Those are dangerous tools to have heading into tournament play.
The 5A tournament will be interesting
With favorites like Tulsa Memorial and Booker T. Washington and impressive teams like Northwest Classen and Lawton Ike, 5A could get crazy. The best matchups and most talent in the state will not be in 6A but in 5A.
Del City and Carl Albert will also have a say in who wins in all.
If college coaches are looking for legit talent to watch, just pick any 5A game and you will be fine.