Road to State: Ringwood vs Garber
Prep Hoops traveled north to watch the action from the Class A Area Tournament in Enid on Saturday afternoon. The game started with a bang as Garber jumped out to a large lead over Ringwood. Camden Patterson went to work in the second quarter closing the gap to single digits at the half, 24-18. The third quarter was the turning point in the game. Ringwood put up a great fight, but every time Garber had an answer including a huge bucket at the third quarter buzzer. The victory puts Garber just one game away from the state tournament. Watch highlights from the game below and read about the players to know!
Camden Patterson 2018 Ringwood Forward
Saturday afternoon Patterson lifted the Ringwood Jersey off his back for the final time as his high school career came to a close. Ringwood will miss the talented 6’10 big man. The biggest reason Ringwood could not overcome Garber was their inability to handle the basketball. The pressure of Garber made it near impossible to get the ball inside to Patterson. The recruitment of Patterson is one of the more interesting stories to follow as the April signing period approaches. Northern Colorado is the most recent school to reach out to Patterson. Personally, I think Patterson would do best for his future going to a JUCO for one to two years and then making the jump to the NCAA Division I level. At a JUCO he could work on his game and have a better setup to showcase his skills. NCAA Division II programs are in hot pursuit of Patterson, most notably Central Oklahoma. Now that the season has come to an end for Patterson he will be able to have some time to make the best decision for him.
Jeremiah Decker 2018 Ringwood Post
Decker is an unknown player to most around the state of Oklahoma. The 6’9 frame of Decker makes him the perfect get for a small college that is looking for size. He is a good rebounder that has some solid moves in the post. NAIA Division II programs would get an immediate boost with Decker.
TJ Bennett 2021 Garber Point Guard
The most impressive player for Garber on Saturday was the freshman, TJ Bennett. Small schools are where you find a lot of diamonds in the ruff Bennett could be a gem with his maturity on the court at such a young age. Grassroots programs this is your cue if you need a Point Guard for your 15U team Bennett would be an option to check out. Bennett handled the ball very well. When he was at his best the 5’9 Point Guard was creating offense off the dribble. The primary reason Garber was able to get so many open looks with the Ringwood defense had no choice but to collapse on Bennett. The quickness of Bennett makes him tough to handle. College wise Bennett will be a small college guy.
Rodney Phelps 2018 Garber Guard
Phelps had himself a day scoring 18 points to lead all scorers. It felt as if he could not miss from three-point range. Five triples found the bottom of the net for Phelps. If Garber is going to make it state they need Phelps to continue his hot shooting streak on Monday. Size will hinder Phelps from the next level. The Garber senior was fun to watch with his great passion and intensity.
Jacob Briggs 2020 Ringwood Guard
Briggs was a major bright spot in the offense for Ringwood. He hit two late three-pointers to help close the gap. Briggs is a player to keep an eye on that could end up being an NAIA Divsion II or NCAA Divsion III player.
For more information email Matt@prephoops.com