Opening Night: Tahlequah at Skiatook

Opening night action saw the No. 2 (5A) Tahlequah Tigers travel to Skiatook (4A) to face the Bulldogs. The Tigers came out on fire, took the lead and never looked back. Numerous players displayed the skills that college coaches are looking for and here we will take a look at some of them. <table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 54.4458%; height: 70px;"> <tbody> <tr style="height: 28px;"> <td style="width: 16.6667%; height: 28px; text-align: center;">Team</td> <td style="width: 6.80068%; height: 28px; text-align: center;">1Q</td> <td style="width: 6.06985%; height: 28px; text-align: center;">2Q</td> <td style="width: 6.06992%; height: 28px; text-align: center;">3Q</td> <td style="width: 5.58268%; height: 28px; text-align: center;">4Q</td> <td style="width: 13.2562%; height: 28px; text-align: center;">Final</td> </tr> <tr style="height: 21px;"> <td style="width: 16.6667%; height: 21px; text-align: center;">Tahlequah</td> <td style="width: 6.80068%; height: 21px; text-align: center;">26</td> <td style="width: 6.06985%; height: 21px; text-align: center;">27</td> <td style="width: 6.06992%; height: 21px; text-align: center;">21</td> <td style="width: 5.58268%; height: 21px; text-align: center;">12</td> <td style="width: 13.2562%; height: 21px; text-align: center;">86</td> </tr> <tr style="height: 21px;"> <td style="width: 16.6667%; height: 21px; text-align: center;">Skiatook</td> <td style="width: 6.80068%; height: 21px; text-align: center;">10</td> <td style="width: 6.06985%; height: 21px; text-align: center;">4</td> <td style="width: 6.06992%; height: 21px; text-align: center;">18</td> <td style="width: 5.58268%; height: 21px; text-align: center;">10</td> <td style="width: 13.2562%; height: 21px; text-align: center;">42</td> </tr> </tbody> </table>   Player of the Game <img class="size-medium wp-image-232145 alignright" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2020/12/DSC_0172-scaled-300x197.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="197" />[player_tooltip player_id="151338" first="Kacey" last="Fishinghawk"] | 5-5 G | 2021 | Tahlequah | <a href="https://x.com/KaceyLynn02">@KaceyLynn02</a> Kacey can flat out ball. She proved it again on Tuesday night with her performance which included a career-high 24 points. The recent Friends University commit - and lone senior on the team - has the handles, heart and hustle that will make head coach Dean Jaderston very excited that she is his point guard of the future. Fishinghawk can hit from deep, as evidenced by her four three-pointers. She can also score inside with a quick first step that will punish defenders who decide to run out at her on the perimeter. On defense, Kacey is no slouch either. She had several steals and blocks on the night with her quick hands and great athleticism. Don’t let her height fool you, Fishinghawk is a beast of a basketball player. Standouts <img class="size-medium wp-image-232146 alignleft" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2020/12/DSC_0033-scaled-300x197.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="197" />[player_tooltip player_id="211888" first="Tatum" last="Havens"] | 5-9 G | 2022 | Tahlequah | <a href="https://x.com/tatumhavens">@tatumhavens</a> Havens had a very good game in her first start for the Tigers. After transferring from Ada due to her father’s new job at Northeastern State, Havens jumped right in with her team and was an absolute difference-maker. On a night where buckets were definitely not in short supply, this basketball coach’s daughter scored 15, good for second-most in the game. Havens has all of the skills of a [player_tooltip player_id="151338" first="Kacey" last="Fishinghawk"] with an extra four inches of height. She goes hard all game at both ends. She is a tremendous defender with quick hands. Add in the fact that she is extraordinarily smart when it comes to seeing the play develop and you have all of the makings of an excellent college guard. Havens already has offers from East Central and Oklahoma Baptist. <img class="size-medium wp-image-232147 alignright" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2020/12/DSC_0221-scaled-300x197.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="197" />Rylee Anglen | 5-4 PG | 2022 | Skiatook | <a href="https://x.com/pnut1304">@pnut1304</a> The main bright spot for the Bulldogs on Tuesday night was the guard play. While Tahlequah’s full-court press could be absolutely suffocating at times, it took a talented guard like Anglen to fight her way through it. She is a smart player with pretty good handles. One of the main things that stands out about her point guard play is her ability to fit passes into tight windows. She puts a lot of zip on her passes and really does a great job of getting the ball to her teammates in a position to finish. Rylee can hit from deep with six of her 11 points coming from behind the arc. She is a hard-nosed player who can be a handful for defenders. All of that being said, it looks as though the 4A District 8 softball player of the year may be going to college to play a different sport. <img class="size-medium wp-image-232148 alignleft" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2020/12/DSC_0030-scaled-300x197.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="197" />[player_tooltip player_id="160446" first="Faith" last="Springwater"] | 5-10 F | 2022 | Tahlequah | <a href="https://x.com/FSpringwater">@FSpringwater</a> Springwater did what she always does on Tuesday night. She filled it up. She got to the line with her physical play. She even hit from deep. She is one of the best players in Oklahoma and has everything that a college coach could want. She is a great defender. She has very good size and knows how to use her body. She is a vocal leader on the court. She does it all. Come this time next year the offers should be rolling in and some school is going to be very lucky to add a forward as well-rounded as she is. Faith had 13 points on Tuesday, the third-most in the game. <img class="size-medium wp-image-232149 alignright" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2020/12/DSC_0364-scaled-300x197.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="197" />Bailey Henderson | 5-8 G | 2021 | Skiatook Henderson was another big part of breaking the Tahlequah press in the first half of Tuesday night’s game. Though players were sometimes trapped and there were several turnovers, Henderson did a good job of keeping calm and using her very good handles to breakthrough. Bailey is very quick and does a good job of moving up the court with her head up and her eyes reading the play. She opened the night with a three-pointer and added two more buckets for a total of seven points. She is a smart player who could be a very good JuCo or D-III player if she chooses not to go the softball route as it appears she will. <img class="size-medium wp-image-232150 alignleft" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2020/12/DSC_0274-scaled-300x197.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="197" />[player_tooltip player_id="211908" first="Lily" last="Couch"] | 5-6 F/G | 2023 | Tahlequah | <a href="https://x.com/lilycouch_">@lilycouch_</a> Couch was an absolute killer off the bench for the Tigers. She plays a lot bigger than her 5-6 height would suggest. She is bouncy, athletic and fast. Coming off the bench for the Tigers, Lily scored 11 points with two big threes in the fourth quarter. She is still young and the next several years could see her rise up the rankings. With experience, it would not be surprising to see her ranked in the area of an [player_tooltip player_id="197946" first="Elle" last="Papahronis"] whose game is very similar to hers. Couch is definitely one to keep an eye on and could be an absolute beast when the team is totally in her hands in the next few years. Other Scorers Tahlequah - Lydia McAlvain (6), Jadyn Buttery (6), Gracie Kimble (4), Kori Rainwater (3), Emily Morrison (2), Mariah Sheppard (2) Skiatook - Molly Burch (8), Rylee Hipp (5), Madi Drummond (4), Ginger Anderson (4), Maliyah Sletto (2), Avery King (1)