Top Ten: Edmond Memorial vs. Deer Creek
Edmond Memorial advances to the championship game of the Bruce Gray Invitational by defeating Deer Creek 57-42. Memorial had a number of players shine bright on the road and they helped the Bulldogs get the victory. Here are the Top…
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Continue ReadingEdmond Memorial advances to the championship game of the Bruce Gray Invitational by defeating Deer Creek 57-42. Memorial had a number of players shine bright on the road and they helped the Bulldogs get the victory. Here are the Top Ten from this matchup.
MVP: Jacob Thionnet 2019 Edmond Memorial
Thionnet was all over the floor agains’t Deer Creek so much so that he was barely out of the game which shows you his value. He was outstanding on both ends of the floor with his outstanding rebounding ability and great timing to block shots.
He scored around the basket and got his teammates involved as well. One of Thionnet’s greatest traits were on display tonight as well and that his leadership.
You wont find a player in Oklahoma that is more vocal than this senior forward. He always makes sure his teammates are in the right spots on defense.
Best offensive performance: Miles Slater 2019 Deer Creek
There was some good performances on the offensive end of the floor but no one topped Slater’s performance Friday night.
The score of the game doesn’t indicate how close this game was up to the final two minutes. It was a single digit game all the way through and that is mostly because Slater would not let the Antlers go away.
Every time Memorial got in a flow, Slater would answer with a big bucket. He used his lefty stroke and ability to get to the free line to keep DC in it when no one else on his team had it going.
Best Defensive performance: Jacob Thionnet 2019 Edmond Memorial
Thionnet is the foundation of the Bulldogs defense and he led them to an outstanding performance against Deer Creek. Not many teams in the state are going to be able to hold DC to 42 total points.
The 6’6 junior blocking shots around the rim but then he showed his effort by sprinting to get blocks on perimeter with some great contests.
Whenever DC would call out a set, the witty senior would call it out so his squad would know where to be defensively.
Best Passer: Drew Tennial 2019 Edmond Memorial
Tennial didn’t have his best day scoring the basketball but he didn’t let that stop him from putting pressure on the Antler defense.
Thionnet would grab the defensive board throw and outlet to Tennial as he was headed up the floor and he would get in the lane and kick to Pedulla or drop it off to JV Seat.
Tennial’s ability to make decisions while taking contact is impressive. So many teams want to beat him up because of his size and he never lets that affect his vision on the floor.
Best Underclassmen: Sean Pedulla 2021 Edmond Memorial
Pedulla is going to be a fun player to watch for the next couple of years because he never gets rattled and he isn’t afraid of the big moments.
The shifty sophomore shot really well Friday night and he hit a big three late in the fourth quarter to give the Bulldogs some breathing room on the scoreboard.
His awareness on offense with or without the ball was impressive because h always knows what to do if his first initial decision doesn’t work out when he drives the ball.
Pedulla will be a prospect that you hear more and more about these next couple of years.
Best Under-the-radar performance: Baron Hopgood 2020 Deer Creek
Hopgood wasn’t a name that I knew walking into this rivalry matchup but he performed well enough to get on my radar going forward. The junior wing played excellent defense on Tennial of Memorial and he made him work on every possession rather he scored or not.
Hopgood was a big spark for DC coming out of halftime as he scored two buckets in a row off a coast to coast layup and a nice steal in the open floor that he ended up finishing as well.
I was impressed with confidence in himself to be able to get it done against one of the toughest guys to stay in front of in Tennial.
Best Post Player: JV Seat 2022 Edmond Memorial
Seat just looks like a guy who puts a helmet on and runs guys over for fun in the Fall. Not all strong guys can transfer that to the basketball court and be successful not to mention he is starting in 6A as a rookie.
Seat is a below-the-rim allstar because he won’t wow you with his ups but clears out so much space around him and he anticipates when the ball is going to come off the rim.
The freshmen also showed off a nice post up game displaying a both a right and left handed turnaround hook shot that was effective.
Best Intangibles: Jacob Thionnet 2019 Edmond Memorial
Thionnet seems like he would be a dream to coach and just soaks up knowledge which is a great weapon for this young Bulldogs team.
This senior forward is the type of guy who his coaches will be talking about him longer after he is done wearing that Bulldog jersey.
Best part of the environment: Ed Memorial student section vs. DC student section
Not only was this a good game to see just off of the rankings but it was a rivalry game that is growing every year. That you could tell by the way both student sections brought their A games Friday night.
It was packed under both baskets where both student sections tried to disrupt the opposition any way they could. At halftime, both sections sent out a student to represent the school in a one-on-one basketball game.
Deer Creek got the victory in that matchup and although it wasn’t the best basketball you will ever see but it was a fun thing to watch and it got the crowd engaged.
Best story going forward: Edmond Memorial taking on Midwest City in the tournament championship
Memorial has been here many times before and now they will take on a familiar opponent in MWC. They will face off for an opportunity to win the Bruce Gray Invitational Championship.
Memorial will be the favorite in this matchup based off of rankings but MWC has had a good season and hung in tough with some of the best teams in the region so it will be a great game to attend at Deer Creek.