Five Takeaways: Daniel Webster vs. Tulsa Memorial
Daniel Webster (4A) traveled across town to take on the defending 5A State Champion Tulsa Memorial Chargers Thursday night. In Tulsa Memorial’s 100-58 win over the Warriors, these were my five takeaways from the evening:
Toujan Pryor: Defensive sleeper
I think Toujan Pryor could be a shocker in 4A basketball, especially on the defensive side of the ball. In the debut of his second season as a starter for Webster, he showed up big. I was impressed by the amount of blocks he had over guys 4-to-5 inches taller than he was. He was also getting steals and playing aggressively on the Memorial ball-handlers. Before Memorial started to run away with the score, Webster was trading shots with the Chargers, and Pryor was instrumental in that happening.
Chargers’ athletic D was a force
I thought Tulsa Memorial’s defensive play was exceptional for the most part. When switching to a smaller lineup, they were able to defend pretty well around the perimeter and not allow too many points. Of course, they’re going to get each opponent’s best look, week-in, week-out, but that’s nothing new for the Chargers. My only question for the Chargers going forward will be if they are able to defend the perimeter for 32 minutes with their taller lineup, who was primarily a force when entering a full-court press. The taller rotation was able to heavily limit any inside scoring for the Warriors.
Stephen Cur-I mean, uh, Anthony Pritchard
I was highly impressed by Anthony Pritchard’s shooting and all-around scoring Thursday night. As I previously mentioned, I thought Tulsa Memorial’s big defensive lineup when guarding the perimeter could have been better, but Pritchard was also just playing lights-out. He didn’t back down to Memorial and all of its stature. He played unbothered and unassuming against the defending, back-to-back 5A Champions, leading all scorers Thursday night with 29 points off 5 3-pointers. I believe Pritchard’s window is as high as as any shooter in 4A. No wonder he wears 30 on his back.
James Alexandre’s great showing
James Alexandre started off his senior year with an impressive performance. He was a scoring, defensive, and passing threat for the Chargers. His knack for finishing shots at the rim, made available to him by his lateral footwork and explosiveness, adds a touch to the Chargers’ game that I believe will be a big advantage going forward. I think his presence on the floor will only open up 3-point shots for him and allow his teammates to have all-the-more opportunities to get their share as well.
Chargers big advantage came in rebounding
The Chargers, anchored in rebounding by the Boone’s, Julian Cockrell, and Kavon Key, just to name a few, were able to out-rebound the Warriors pretty handedly. Their height was a huge advantage Thursday night in getting second opportunities. I believe this really carried the Chargers to the win.