Five Takeaways: Booker T. Washington vs. Sapulpa
The Booker T. Washington Hornets visited the Sapulpa Chieftains with revenge on their minds from a loss earlier in the season. Adding fuel to the fire Trey Phipps returned to Sapulpa for the first time since he and his father…
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Continue ReadingThe Booker T. Washington Hornets visited the Sapulpa Chieftains with revenge on their minds from a loss earlier in the season. Adding fuel to the fire Trey Phipps returned to Sapulpa for the first time since he and his father moved to over to Booker T. Washington from Sapulpa. The atmosphere of this game tonight was nearly standing room only featuring one of the best crowds I have seen at a regular season game in the last five years.
The Hornets defeated Sapulpa 74-67. Trey Phipps scored 24, Bryce Thompson 20 and Seth Hurd 17. Camryn Dennis scored 18 and Julian Smith 17 for Sapulpa. Booker T. Washington might have clinched the number one seed on the East side of the state for the playoffs.
Thompson Dominates the 4th Quarter
Over his high school career, Thompson has heard his fair share of doubters. If any of them were there on Friday night Thompson’s fourth-quarter silenced them. The Hornets finished Sapulpa with a dagger stepback three-pointer from Thompson followed by one of the best dunks of his career, especially with the timing of it in the game. Thompson has clearly taken the next step in his game. Two years ago Thompson could not have made several of the plays he made tonight. It should also be noted Thompson showed terrific vision on the court running the Point as well.
Phipps Triumphant Return
This game meant a lot to Phipps returning to what was his home gym his freshmen season. Tonight was Phipps at his best scoring the ball on good shots for the most part other than a few. Phipps came up with several nice shooting streaks throughout the game. He also hit many clutch free-throws.
Hurd is the Key
It was a typical performance for Hurd on Friday night bringing down huge rebounds, diving on the floor for loose balls, and coming up big on defense. Another area of his game that never gets the attention it deserves was his scoring output. The 17 points Hurd accounted for came from great footwork with toughness in a crowded paint. Hurd is a big-time key for this team. The willingness of Hurd to take a back seat to Thompson and Phipps from the limelight and be the star of his role is outstanding. Hurd will be a steal for the college who lands his talents.
Sapulpa Duo
The duo of Sapulpa had a good game tonight. However, I think Dennis and Smith could have done more at times throughout the game. First thing is first to give credit to both Smith and Dennis for stepping up and playing big time on the defensive end. The duo putting a big emphasis on defense is an impressive feat that the coaching staff deserves credit for this year. If Smith and Dennis can bring the level of play they brought Friday with a few more free-throws falling in they will have a shot to compete for a state championship.
Team Flaws:
Sapulpa: The Chieftains will look back at this game wondering what could have been if they had cashed in on free-throws and not made mental mistakes.
Booker T. Washington: The Hornets played seven players, which is not typical. The seventh man did not get a bunch of time but did help give key guys rest. If Booker T. Washington is going to win a state championship they must go deeper into the bench than playing 6 guys over the three-day span. It will be interesting to see how the Hornets respond after a physically draining game tonight when they take the floor Saturday night against Sand Springs.