2022 Bixby Invitational: All-Tournament Team
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It was good to be back in Bixby, OK for the Bixby Tournament. Some of the top teams in Oklahoma came together to compete in the first tournament of the school ball season. Defending 6A State Champions Edmond North, Edmond…
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Continue ReadingIt was good to be back in Bixby, OK for the Bixby Tournament. Some of the top teams in Oklahoma came together to compete in the first tournament of the school ball season. Defending 6A State Champions Edmond North, Edmond Memorial, Piedmont, Harding Prep Charter, Broken Arrow, Life Prep Academy, Douglass, and of course 6A runner up Bixby. The players below were the most outstanding and was rewarded All-tournament team.
McKenzie Mathurin McKenzie Mathurin 5’10” | CG Broken Arrow | 2025 State OK is a competitor that was in attack mode from start to finish. Distributing the ball when needed but playing with pace and aggression. Coach Coffey ran a few sets for McKenzie and she connected on a couple 3’s earlier on in the 2nd half in the game vs Piedmont and muscled her way in the paint on an inbounds play and off a pass from a teammate. Normally at the point guard position, it will be interesting to see how she develops more ways to score and and play off the ball. However, it didn’t matter who she played, she had a steady performance overall and led her team.
Laci Steele is a controlled player that has a good active pace on the court, will push the ball in transition with her head up and will make a right basketball play. Defensively she is locked-in and will do what is expected from a high-valued player: active hands, hustle, communication, and will get low and guard all positions. Laci is also a high-level shooter that can shoot it from deep and showed that she will make big shots when her team needs it. She stepped up big in the Championship game vs Bixby and had 27 points – she was built for games like this one. Laci dominated all tournament and won the MVP Award.
Elle Paparhonis is an aggressive type of player that is relentless towards the basket off the dribble. She has good footwork in the paint and knows how to draw contact for the foul when attacking. She is sneaky and knows how to find holes in traffic and eventually to the basket. She is a physical player that thrives when applying pressure on the defensive end. She is extremely active that will hustle and give 120% effort on both ends. Rebounds, loose balls, deflections- you name it, Elle will bring the heat. In the first round vs Life Prep Academy she score her 1000th point of her basketball career, a great accomplishment for a very talented player.
Avery Hjelmstad Avery Hjelmstad 6’1″ | SG Edmond Memorial | 2025 State OK is a player that continues to impress me with her production on the court. Standing at 6-feet-1 inches with a wing-span of about the same, added with her special ability to shoot the ball and her capacity to use her length and quickness on the defensive end – makes her a tough player to guard. She showed that she is one of the best shooters in the state of Oklahoma and I would agree. She is a ready shooter that will shoot it as soon as she catches it so you better have your hands up. If not, she will make you pay for that. She is only going to get better, and coaches need to show their interest now, because I am projecting that she will soon become a part of the highly talked about players out of Oklahoma in the class of 2025.
Highlights
Gracy Wernli is a ready shooter that will light you up on any given night. The way she is able to get her feet set and get her shot off so quick, there is no coincidence she was recognized as one of the top players in the state of Oklahoma last year. During the Bixby Tournament she reached a milestone in her high school career scoring 1000 points. She is respected state wide as an assassin behind the 3-point line and will muscle her way to the basket if played too close. Definitely a fun player to watch and I know she will be in the gym all season perfecting her game so I will definitely keep my eye out for her.
Kate Wernli Kate Wernli 5'9" | SG Bixby | 2026 State OK
Kate Wernli Kate Wernli 5'9" | SG Bixby | 2026 State OK
Kate Wernli Kate Wernli 5’9″ | SG Bixby | 2026 State OK is a strong player off the dribble with good size that can play through contact. She can be physical and will stay solid in the post defensively. She stepped up in the semi-finals game vs Edmond Memorial and led Bixby in scoring in the Championship game vs Edmond North. She has ice in her veins and I look for her to make a big contribution for Bixby in her freshman season. Oh yeah, she has a “strap” – meaning you better know who she is because if you don’t, you soon will.