Tournament of Champions: Semi-Finals

<strong>Semi-Final One: Lincoln Christian (8-0) vs. Norman (6-2) </strong> In what would prove to be one of the most exciting games anyone can remember in the Tournament of Champions in some time, Lincoln Christian roared back from 12 down at the half to defeat the defending 6A state champions by a final of 55-53. Norman came out absolutely on fire, shooting 55% from the field. In the second half, the Tigers went cold and the Bulldogs went the other way... big time! LCS shot 66.7% from the field and outscored Norman 36-22 with [player_tooltip player_id="261737" first="Adyson" last="Roberts"] hitting the crucial final free throws to seal the victory. The win by the 3A Bulldogs was the first by a smaller school over the Norman Tigers since 5A Carl Albert did it back on January 21, 2017. <strong>Player of the Game</strong> <strong><img class="size-medium wp-image-369738 alignleft" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2021/12/DSC_0052-300x199.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="199" />[player_tooltip player_id="261737" first="Adyson" last="Roberts"] | 5-7 G | Lincoln Christian | 2023 | <a href="https://x.com/adyson2023">@adyson2023</a></strong> Even before she hit the two free throws that sealed the game for her squad, Roberts was already pretty much a lock for the player of the game. She deftly handles the point for the Bulldogs, but that is absolutely not the extent of her talents. She secured seven rebounds and had 14 points, shooting 2-for-4 from behind the arc and 4-for-4 from the charity stripe. Roberts is a vocal leader, tough and hard-nosed, she plays major minutes and is trusted to take care of the ball at the most important times in the game. As I’ve said in previous write-ups, she is a very good softball player and it looks like that may be the path she takes - however if she chooses basketball, you as a college coach would be crazy not to offer her a scholarship. <strong>Other Standouts</strong> <strong><a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2021/12/DSC_0100-scaled-crop-2049x1345-1640749962.jpg"><img class="size-medium wp-image-369741 alignright" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2021/12/DSC_0100-scaled-crop-2049x1345-1640749962-300x197.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="197" /></a>[player_tooltip player_id="197954" first="Jordyn" last="Rollins"] | 6-1 F | Norman | 2023 | <a href="https://x.com/RollinsJordyn">@RollinsJordyn</a></strong> Our No. 27-ranked player in the 2023 class was insanely hot in the first half and didn’t cool off too much in the second. Her nine points on 100% shooting led all scorers in the half. She ended the game with 13 and four rebounds. Rollins has an incredible shooting touch and scored from every single level. She showed a turnaround mid-range jumper and the ability to finish at the rim with either hand. Her defense is nothing to sneeze at either. She is tenacious on the defensive end and puts an incredible amount of pressure on the ball handler as well as fighting hard under the basket for every loose ball. The uncommitted junior star had three steals and a block to continue absolutely filling up the stat sheet. The younger of the Rollins sisters is a big-time player with big-time talent and it was great to see it first-hand tonight! <strong>Semi-Final Two: Holland Hall (7-1) vs. Bixby (5-2)</strong> Holland Hall had an incredibly bad first half shooting the ball and was never able to recover against a Bixby squad who couldn’t do much of anything wrong. The Dutch shot just 9.5% in the half going 2-for-21 from the field leading to a 28-7 scoreline at the break. In the second half, the previously undefeated Dutch fought hard to get back in it, but the Spartans always managed to stay just out of reach eventually walking away 48-32 victors. <strong>Player of the Game</strong> <strong><a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2021/12/DSC_0237-1-scaled-crop-1707x1121-1640750120.jpg"><img class="size-medium wp-image-369744 alignleft" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2021/12/DSC_0237-1-scaled-crop-1707x1121-1640750120-300x197.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="197" /></a>[player_tooltip player_id="197943" first="Alyssa" last="Nielsen"] | 5-11 PF | Bixby | 2023 | <a href="https://x.com/AlyssaN2023">@AlyssaN2023</a></strong> Nielsen is just an incredible player. Every time I see her play she shows me something new on the offensive end. She has clearly been working on a turnaround fadeaway jumper and it is unlike anything that an Oklahoma player has currently. However, as teams began to key in on taking away her left side and not letting her pivot into her favored position, she was being held to lower point totals. Flash forward to the last few games and [player_tooltip player_id="197943" first="Alyssa" last="Nielsen"] is back. Now pivoting whichever way is available, she is using the weakness of the defender to dictate where and how she will score and it is absolutely punishing teams. Oh yeah, add in the fact that she can step out and hit a three just cause she feels like it and it is clear that I have Nielsen ranked way too low at No. 24. She is an unbelievable scorer and should not only be ranked higher; she should be recruited by any Division-I that values a competitor with a ton of heart who works hard at her craft and loves and honors the game every night with her play. <strong>Other Standouts</strong> <strong><a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2021/12/DSC_0108-1-scaled-crop-1707x1121-1640750241.jpg"><img class="size-medium wp-image-369746 alignright" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2021/12/DSC_0108-1-scaled-crop-1707x1121-1640750241-300x197.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="197" /></a>[player_tooltip player_id="211877" first="Ava" last="Greer"] | 5-11 G | Holland Hall | 2022 | <a href="https://x.com/Ava_Greer_">@Ava_Greer_</a></strong> Speaking of fadeaway jumpers, Greer has one heck of a fadeaway and a bunch of other ways to score. She is a straight-up bucket who just downright gets the ball in the basket. She can score from every level. She defends extremely well in one-on-one situations and is a great communicator. Greer is long and quick and does a lot of great things on the court. She is incredibly fun to watch. Already committed to Central Oklahoma, Greer may be off the board, but she is still worth taking a look at. Her talent is a sight to behold and even though you may have missed your opportunity, you should probably reward yourself by just seeing some really good basketball next time you get the chance to see Holland Hall take the court. &nbsp;