ConocoPhillips/Arvest Invitational Day One Report

The opening day of the tournament in Bartlesville’s beautiful Bruins Fieldhouse was action-packed and featured some very high-level basketball. Game one saw No. 7 (5A) Bishop Kelley (5-3) defeat No. 18 (6A) Stillwater (3-4) by a score of 53-44 in a game that saw the Comets never really trail a cold shooting Pioneers squad. The day’s second game featured a buzzer-beater as senior guard [player_tooltip player_id="160442" first="Taleyah" last="Jones"] walked it off for No. 12 (6A) Broken Arrow (4-3) against No. 11 (6A) Southmoore (6-3) with a difficult baseline floater to take the win, 44-43. In the second set of games, No. 6 (5A) Tulsa Memorial (5-1) lost their first game of the season to No. 9 (5A) Del City (6-2) by a final score of 56-51. Memorial fought valiantly coming back from double-digits down while missing several star players, but in the end, they came up just short to a very, very good Eagles team. In the nightcap, No. 1 (5A) Carl Albert (9-0) trailed after one, but quickly took the lead and never looked back against No. 20 (6A) Bartlesville (2-5). The Titans won quite handily by a score of 59-43 against the tournament’s host team. Top Performers Madeline Barton | 5-9 G/F | Bishop Kelley | 2022 Barton is a long, lanky two or three who scores from all three levels. She works hard down low and finishes consistently through contact. She can shoot from long range and plays great defense on the perimeter and inside. Barton was a standout on the day for her 18 points and her leadership on the floor as she helped guide her team verbally through their defensive sets. [player_tooltip player_id="211891" first="Chrissen" last="Harland"] | 5-10 G | Stillwater | 2022 | <a href="https://x.com/ChrissenH">@ChrissenH</a> Speaking of senior guards who are leaders of their teams, Chrissen is just that. The emotional leader, the vocal leader, the scoring leader - today with 14, Harland does it all. She scores from all levels and is a tremendous defender. She facilitates the offense with great passes and skillful ball handling. Harland is committed to NWOSU and they are going to be lucky to have her. Her skill set will work very well for a D-II where she should be able to contribute immediately as a freshman next season. Bella Harrison | 5-7 G | Bishop Kelley | 2024 Harrison is a great combo guard who I have liked for a while now due to her ability to handle the ball and defend one-on-one. She can also shoot it a little bit and when her team needs it, she can fill it up from just about anywhere. A guard with good size, scoring is not a problem as she showed with her 11 points. She is a blue-collar type of player who doesn’t mind doing all of the little things it takes to win a game and looks to be a coach’s dream. [player_tooltip player_id="309983" first="Janiyah" last="Williams"] | 5-9 G | Stillwater | 2025 | <a href="https://x.com/janiyahwill_9">@janiyahwill_9</a> Though she was a little off shooting-wise this morning (reportedly due to feeling a little under the weather), Janiyah showed plenty of talent and it is clear to see why she is considered one of the top freshmen in the state and one of the best players overall in Oklahoma. Williams is naturally athletic, very bouncy, and blessed with the confidence that only gifted athletes like her possess. She has a tough dribble drive and is unafraid of the contact under the rim. Janiyah is absolutely explosive when she attacks and it looks at times as if the lane is slanted toward the basket as she accelerates downhill to the bucket. Her 13 points were good for the second-most on her team. [player_tooltip player_id="160442" first="Taleyah" last="Jones"] | 5-10 G | Broken Arrow | 2022 | <a href="https://x.com/Taleyah_swish">@Taleyah_swish</a> Apart from the winning shot, Taleyah filled up the stat sheet in every possible way - as she usually does, honestly. She finishes tough inside and as we’ve seen in the past she can absolutely fill it up from the outside. On the defensive end, she uses her long arms to put a lot of pressure on the ball handler and is really a nuisance - in the best possible way, if you’re a Broken Arrow fan. Taleyah is a UT-Arlington commit and they better be reinforcing the lights at the College Park Center because she is gonna walk in next year ready to shoot them out! [player_tooltip player_id="238724" first="Zya" last="Vann"] | 5-9 G | Southmoore | 2024 | <a href="https://x.com/ZyaLiv">@ZyaLiv</a> I’m not sure I saw a better on-ball defender all day than [player_tooltip player_id="238724" first="Zya" last="Vann"]. She is incredibly tough and you can tell through every single movement that she makes out there on the floor that she wants it... badly. She is involved in every single play and if there is a loose ball to be had, you can bet it is going to be hers. She can get hot shooting the ball and when she does, be prepared for her to cross mid-court and let it go. Her 16 points led the Sabercats and were the main reason that it took a buzzer-beater to beat them. [player_tooltip player_id="321739" first="Nakya" last="Blakley"] | 5-8 G | Tulsa Memorial | 2023 | <a href="https://x.com/nakyablakley03">@nakyablakley03</a> Blakley is a very athletic guard who can play the point or as the shooting guard. She can really score it, but is a great ballhandler and facilitator, also. Blakley was ranked for the first time in our most recent rankings of the class of 2023 and will most likely be moving up as it looks like she has improved even more since I last saw her. She is a leader on this team and an impressive player all around. JayInn McCalister | 5-9 F | Del City | 2022 I’m not sure what offers JayInn does or doesn’t have just yet, but whatever the number is, it isn’t enough. McCalister has very good size for a three and can defend almost any position. She has great hands defensively and does a great job of racking up the steals without getting in foul trouble. Her lefty shot is very pretty and she totalled 17 points on the evening. Aeriyanna Jones | 5-8 G | Tulsa Memorial | 2023 | <a href="https://x.com/Aeriyanna_Jones">@Aeriyanna_Jones</a> Aeriyanna is another junior for Memorial who is an outstanding all-around player. She is very athletic and runs the floor extremely well. Defensively she uses great lateral movement to stay in front of her opponent and you are very unlikely to see her get blown past by a ball handler. Jones had 10 in the game against Del City. Adrienne Richmond | 5-6 G | Del City | 2022 | <a href="https://x.com/_adrienne18">@_adrienne18</a> Richmond was a big reason that Del City was able to weather the storm that was the Tulsa Memorial comeback attempt. She hit timely shots from long range and once Memorial began to rush out at her on the perimeter she used a quick first step to get to the rim and finish strong. Richmond is a senior guard who should definitely be receiving offers from NAIA schools in need of a scorer. Azya Poole | 5-2 G | Carl Albert | 2022 | <a href="https://x.com/AzyaPoole">@AzyaPoole</a> Last year there was an amazing player in the OKC area named Blesseth Dillingham who was "undersized" but had the heart of a lion and could do absolutely anything asked of her on the court. This year’s version of Blesseth is Azya Poole. She is an incredible one-on-one defender that makes it absolutely hellacious to have to bring the ball up the court against her. She can also score in a variety of ways as her game-high 19 points can attest. Add in the fact that she is a vocal leader, a coach on the floor, and a fiery, emotional spark plug and you have one amazing basketball player! Poole is committed to Seminole State College. [player_tooltip player_id="261736" first="Kaelynn" last="Duncan"] | 5-8 G | Bartlesville | 2023 | <a href="https://x.com/DuncanKaelynn">@DuncanKaelynn</a> KK is one of those players that - if a team doesn’t know already going in - after a few touches the opponent quickly learns to yell "SHOOTER" every time she gets the ball on the perimeter. Her touch is soft and sweet and almost always goes in. Do not leave Duncan open. She scored 12 against Carl Albert and was a big reason for Bartlesville’s hot start that had the undefeated Titans on the ropes to start off.