Players to Watch: 3A State Finals

The class 3A State Finals kick-off in Oklahoma City on Thursday. Eight outstanding teams will battle it out for the golden ball. There will be a lot of great young players on display and college coaches should definitely keep an eye out. Good luck to everyone involved! <strong>Game 1: Eufaula (25-4) vs. Jones (26-1) at Fairgrounds (2 p.m. Thursday)</strong> The Jones Longhorns have beaten every team they have played except for Sequoyah Tahlequah, a team that they very well may face in the final game of the season. They beat Hartshorne by a lot. The same Hartshorne who beat Eufaula for one of their four losses on the season. Jones lost early in the playoffs to Adair, but has rebounded nicely ever since. <strong>Players to watch:</strong> Jordan Jones for Eufaula is a very hard worker. Watch tape of Eufaula and you will see Jones flashing all over the place. She plays with flair and style and is the heart of her team. Jones can shoot the three and handles the ball pretty well. She is quick on defense, allowing her to recover from any mistakes. The undersized guard is a very good player. For Jones, Trinity and [player_tooltip player_id="151343" first="Tirzah" last="Moore"] are bigs who can change the game for the Longhorns. Both are 6’1" power forwards and both play very strong defense. They defend well and block a lot of shots. Trinity may be a better scorer, but not by much. Her ability to shoot the three as well as play inside is probably the major difference. <strong>Prediction:</strong> Jones is marching their way to the state finals and this should be a big win to start the state portion of the tournament off. Longhorns 62-45. <strong>Game 2: Sequoyah Tahlequah (26-1) vs. Comanche (25-5) at Fairgrounds (3:30 p.m. Thursday)</strong> Sequoyah Tahlequah may be the best team in the state. Not in 3A. In the ENTIRE state. They have run through opponents on a weekly basis all season and the tournament has not slowed that down one bit. Their only loss this season was by five to one of the top-ranked 6A teams, Booker T. Washington. Comanche has played very well to get to state, but had a slip-up in the Regionals against Kingston. It will be an uphill battle for them to stay with Sequoyah in this one. <strong>Players to watch:</strong> Alexis "Lexy" Keys is No. 12 ranked prospect in the 2020 class. She has a tremendous first step leading to great penetration when the defender gives her a little too much space. If the UT-Arlington commit receives the ball on the perimeter without a hand in her face, she will make the shot almost every time. Her senior leadership is invaluable for Sequoyah. Brooklin Bain for Comanche is a great all-around athlete and can play every position on the floor. Although slightly undersized for a post player, she fights hard for rebounds and often ends up in double figures. Bain is committed to Oklahoma Christian to play basketball and softball. <strong>Prediction:</strong> Nothing is going to stop Sequoyah Tahlequah at this point except for maybe their championship game match-up. Sequoyah wins big, 65-52. <strong>Game 3: Millwood (22-4) vs. Christian Heritage (21-8) at Fairgrounds (7 p.m. Thursday)</strong> CHA got revenge for their only loss in the playoffs to Kellyville last weekend in order to clinch their spot in the state finals. A one-point loss at regionals was made better when CHA won by 10 to put the team who previously defeated them out of the tournament. Millwood has had a slightly easier path to the finals and defeated most opponents in the early rounds rather handily. In the regular season, Millwood never lost to a team from 3A or lower. <strong>Players to watch:</strong> [player_tooltip player_id="53118" first="Cymirah" last="Williams"] for Millwood is a 6’0" inside player who has great instincts for reading the ball off the rim. She gets a lot of rebounds and is also very good at gaining position on her defender and getting easy buckets underneath. The senior forward is not committed yet, but holds offers from Barton and College of the Ozarks. CHA from Del City has an all-world point guard in [player_tooltip player_id="30484" first="Rylee" last="Langerman"]. The No. 3 player in the class of 2020 has great size (5’10") for a perimeter player and puts on a dribbling clinic every time you watch her. She gets buckets inside and outside with ease, often getting separation from her defender with her quickness and above average ball handling. Langerman is committed to play at Arkansas after this season. <strong>Prediction:</strong> The state finals are where the stars often take over and will their teams to victory. That being said, no player in the 2020 class can impose their will on an opponent like [player_tooltip player_id="30484" first="Rylee" last="Langerman"]. CHA continues to rebound from its regional loss and wins a close one, 52-49. <strong>Game 4: Alva (26-2) vs. Adair (22-4) at Fairgrounds (8 p.m. Thursday)</strong> This could very well be the closest game of this 3A state finals round. Adair may have four losses, but they have not lost since just after the new year. Alva only has two losses, but one came in the Area Round against Millwood. One team is very hot and the team that statistically is better appears to be cooling. This should be a good one. <strong>Players to watch:</strong> This game should feature an epic point guard battle. Grace Johnson from Adair is one of the better true point guards in the 2020 class. She drives hard to the basket, often dishing the ball to an open teammate after drawing the double team. She defends well and is incredibly intuitive. On the other side, [player_tooltip player_id="151405" first="Payton" last="Jones"] is also one of the best guards in the state. Her ball handling allows her to punish teams for not guarding her with multiple people. She speeds around defenders with quick cuts and superior dribbling to score at will. These two could potentially put on a show. <strong>Prediction:</strong> This one will be a lot of fun, so what is the most fun thing that could happen? A buzzer-beater. Adair with a last-minute heave, 45-44. &nbsp;