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By: The BlueBird Insider
Winning the Ardmore tournament was no small feat for the Guthrie Bluejays for a few reasons.
First, other teams have been in the gym since August and have already played several games this season. In contrast, the Bluejays only have had a couple practices and one game under their belt.
Second, they were without their two year starting senior point guard, Kye Staley (still rehabbing from chronic turf toe).
Third, for their first game they were set to play, the toughest team in the tournament, Southeast (4-0), who just three years ago won back-to-back state championships in 5A.
These reasons did not seem to slow the Bluejays down and in fact may have forced them to learn new things about themselves. For instance, junior point guard Matt Hamilton stepped up and did a masterful job handling the pressure of three very athletic teams.
Sophomore Devon Hall and freshman Kentrell Brothers proved themselves to be really aggressive rebounders and even better defensive stoppers by taking turns shutting down the opponents’ best offensive players.
Junior Keaton Callins was a little off the mark in the first game of the tournament, however, found his stride in the second and third games by scoring 23 and 21 points, respectively.
These facts should take some of the pressure off of Foster by forcing teams to defend two players instead of just focusing on him. Did I say two players? I meant four!
Seniors Jonathan Washington and Kent McDonald both had really good tournaments by stepping up and scoring when it was crucial. McDonald was consistent throughout the tournament and Washington carried the Bluejays through the first game against Southeast scoring 12 in the first half, allowing time for his teammates to wake up and help with the effort.
Finally, the Bluejays reaffirmed what they already knew… Donte’ Foster is definitely one of the top five players in the state!
He averaged a double-double and his mere presence on the floor drew the attention of the defense often allowing his other teammates to score at will. All in all, this was a great tournament and it was nice to see the Bluejays’ hard work pay off with a tournament championship.
For the coaching staff, beating three very quality opponents and watching future stars emerge before their eyes is what this BlueBird insider would call, learning the easy way.
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