TOC Championship Game: Edmond Memorial vs. Lincoln Christian
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At times it looked as if Edmond Memorial was going to run away with Friday night’s championship game, but Lincoln Christian had been there too many times to give up the fight. In their third consecutive championship game appearance, the…
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Continue ReadingAt times it looked as if Edmond Memorial was going to run away with Friday night’s championship game, but Lincoln Christian had been there too many times to give up the fight. In their third consecutive championship game appearance, the defending champion Lincoln Christian Bulldogs (8-2) had two good looks at three-pointers that would have won the game over the Edmond Memorial Bulldogs (8-1). In the end, the new champions took home the 47-45 victory, their eighth in a row since an opening night loss at Sand Springs. Edmond Memorial was led by tournament co-MVPs Avery Hjelmstad Avery Hjelmstad 6'1" | SG Edmond Memorial | 2025 State OK and Janiyah Williams Janiyah Williams 5'9" | PG Edmond Memorial | 2025 State OK , both top ranked players in the class of 2025. Here is a look at some of the standout players from this weekend’s awesome championship match-up!
1Q | 2Q | HT | 3Q | 4Q | F | |
Edmond Memorial | 13 | 6 | 19 | 13 | 15 | 47 |
Lincoln Christian | 3 | 9 | 12 | 7 | 26 | 45 |
Edmond Memorial:
Avery showed off all of her tools in Friday nights game. She came out scoring and did it in myriad ways. Inside, outside, at the line, midrange, it really doesn’t matter. Defend her with one person, three people, it doesn’t matter. She’s gonna get her buckets and her boards. In the championship, Avery had a double-double with 13 points and 10 rebounds. For the tourney, the co-MVP had 36 points and 24 rebounds over the three game span. Our No. 7-ranked player in the class of 2025 has seen her stock rise drastically over the last year or so and pretty soon, one of eight schools is going to be very excited to get a big announcement from this tremendous all-around player!
Highlights
From the beginning of the championship game, it looked like Janiyah was on a mission and absolutely was not going to be denied the TOC Championship for her Bulldog squad. The bounciest player you are likely to see on a high school court in Oklahoma this year, Janiyah does an outstanding job of using her superior athleticism to win a ton of rebounds and get a lot of second and third chance points for Edmond Memorial. Though her shot wasn’t falling like she may have wished, she did hit some big shots when her team needed them, especially down the stretch. For the tournament, the co-MVP averaged almost a double-double with 14.3 PPG and 9.3 RPG. Janiyah has official visits upcoming with Tennessee, Oregon, and Ohio State.
Perhaps the most poised player on the court at any time for Edmond Memorial, the future UTSA Roadrunner soccer player totaled nine points in her teams’ championship game victory. Her speed in the open court is deadly as she consistently beat every defender down the floor. She also made man defense near impossible for Lincoln with her ability to utilize her speed in close quarters and break free of her defender. Her timely shooting came in clutch, as did her toughness. She is unafraid to drive the lane and take the beating that comes with facing the big bodies inside. She had several “and-1’s” during the championship game and is a good free throw shooter.
Lincoln Christian:
The best player on the court on Friday night unfortunately was not able to stay on the court for much of the night. By the fourth quarter, Head Coach Melody Stewart was subbing out Maddi and her four fouls on every defensive possession. Eventually, Stewart would foul out with 3:28 left in the game leaving many to wonder what would have happened down the stretch had Maddi been on the court. The No. 3-Ranked sophomore totaled 49 points for the tourney, with 15 coming in the championship game to lead all scorers. Last year’s tournament MVP as a freshman, it is clear that Maddi is one of the best players in the state of Oklahoma. Her poise and confidence are beyond her years and, though she got in foul trouble, it is clear to see that she was made to play on the big stage. She is a no doubt Division-I star!
Payton Rea
Payton Rea
She’s hard to track down on social media. There’s no Hudl videos. There are barely any MaxPreps videos. But, coaches, I’m telling you, this point guard is worth the effort to find. She is a confident, poised player who runs the Lincoln Christian offense like clockwork. She is also a stellar defender who came up with some big turnovers against some very high caliber players. Payton racks up the assists with her crisp, confident passes. She can shoot the three and consistently converts from the charity stripe, to the tune of 11 in the championship match-up. As the season progresses and the Bulldogs make their run toward the state championship, I expect Rea to became a name on a lot of coaches lips. I’m telling you, you’re not going to want to miss out on this prospect.
Jayla played one of the best games that I think I’ve ever seen her play in Friday night’s championship game. She was an absolute force inside. She had 11 points and four rebounds, while battling the tremendous rebounders of Edmond Memorial and managing to stay out of foul trouble. Several times during the course of the game she showed off her really good hands inside by catching some really tough passes and finishing through contact in the post. Her footwork continues to get better and better inside and she is becoming a very exciting prospect. Her combination of size, strength, and mobility could mean that she is on her way to being a high level prospect with more practice and development. This experience against some very, very good competition was definitely a great thing for her and she did not shy away from the spotlight at all!