Game Preview: Oakton battles Osbourn Park

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Two of the premier programs in NOVA find themselves battling for a spot in the Class 6 state final. Here are 4 things to watch coming into this showdown.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Can Osbourn Park overcome injuries?</strong><br>Coming into this season, Osbourn Park was the clear-cut favorite to win Class 6. They retained a majority of their roster, which dominated en route to a state title last year, and have an assortment of young talent. If they were healthy, I would have picked OP to win this game pretty confidently. But now with the injuries they have, it makes things a lot more murky. Losing [player_tooltip player_id='749391' first='Payton' last='Walters'] in the offseason was rough. You lost a bona fide number two option and someone who has gonna take care of a lot of the ball handling duties. With the depth at guard this team possesses, this still seemed overcomable. Now, with [player_tooltip player_id='448324' first='Samia' last='Snead']'s injury last week, you lost another reliable ball handler and shot maker. This puts even more of an emphasis on reigning class 6 player of the year Keyarah Rainey to do more creating her own, which is something she obviously is capable of. [player_tooltip player_id='936000' first='Kai' last='Jones'] will be forced into a bigger role, and Senior Guard [player_tooltip player_id='376331' first='Jayel' last='West'] and talented wing [player_tooltip player_id='786440' first='Janey' last='Salinas'] will be asked to knock down open threes consistently. OP's depth was a strength coming into this year, and it is being tested in their quest for a repeat.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Oakton has to control Pace</strong>. <br>Oakton runs a lot of zone, so against a team that does a great job getting to the rim and probably has the size advantage, I see Oakton staying in that zone. Osbourn Park is going to have to make shots, and it is one of the keys for these guards. It will be tougher for OP to use their superior athleticism driving to the rim because of Oakton's defensive alignment. On the flip side, Oakton will need to take care of the ball because if OP is able to force turnovers and get out and run and use that athletic advantage, it swings the pendulum back to OP. Oakton often plays on the slower side, so that is the way they are going to have to play to win this game. [player_tooltip player_id='786440' first='Janey' last='Salinas'] and [player_tooltip player_id='376331' first='Jayel' last='West'] are going to be called upon to hit threes, and with Oakton most likely sitting in a zone, they are going to be huge pieces to breaking that zone.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>The X-Factor </strong><br>[player_tooltip player_id='1220032' first='Jocelynn' last='Kinlaw'] is the X-factor in this game. Osbourn Park is for sure the bigger team in this game, but that still may not be enough to keep Jocelynn off the boards. Her energy and athletic ability always enable her to find the ball, and you have to keep a body on her at all times. If OP is not able to keep Jocelynn off the boards, especially off Oakton misses, that gives Oakton the best chance at pulling off the upset. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Osbourn Park's future has come early.</strong><br>Osbourn Park's injury situation makes me believe that some of the younger players who are going to have to step up will be a preview of what this team is next year. Sophomore Guard [player_tooltip player_id='936000' first='Kai' last='Jones'] is one of the best players in the state for 2028, and she is going to have a huge responsibility handling the ball and creating offense with OP down two guards. [player_tooltip player_id='1226845' first='Kristina' last='Dallas'] hasn't gotten huge minutes this season, but it wouldn't shock me if she were called upon in this game as well, especially adding another big body to deal with [player_tooltip player_id='1220032' first='Jocelynn' last='Kinlaw']. Kristina is one of the premier talents in the 2029 class, and assuming she comes back, she will be one of the focal points of this team in the coming years. Although you may not count Juniors like Tierney Meyers and Laila Twyman as “younger players,” they are players who are going to be playing more minutes and will again be big pieces of this squad going forward.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->