Five Stars: East Central vs. Edison

Friday night saw an upset in 5A girls basketball when the Edison Eagles (No. 18, 7-3) welcomed in the East Central Cardinals (No. 3, 10-3). Edison never trailed in their 48-45 victory, though the Cardinals made a valiant comeback effort from 14 down at the half. East Central came up short when they were unable to get a shot to fall with five seconds left in the game. &nbsp; <table style="width: 82.2444%;height: 63px" width="671"> <tbody> <tr style="height: 21px"> <td style="height: 21px"></td> <td style="height: 21px"><strong>1Q</strong></td> <td style="height: 21px"><strong>2Q</strong></td> <td style="height: 21px"><strong>3Q</strong></td> <td style="height: 21px"><strong>4Q</strong></td> <td style="height: 21px"><strong>F</strong></td> </tr> <tr style="height: 21px"> <td style="height: 21px"><strong>East Central</strong></td> <td style="height: 21px">10</td> <td style="height: 21px">6</td> <td style="height: 21px">16</td> <td style="height: 21px">13</td> <td style="height: 21px">45</td> </tr> <tr style="height: 21px"> <td style="height: 21px"><strong>Edison</strong></td> <td style="height: 21px">17</td> <td style="height: 21px">13</td> <td style="height: 21px">8</td> <td style="height: 21px">10</td> <td style="height: 21px">48</td> </tr> </tbody> </table> &nbsp; <strong>Individual Scoring</strong> <strong>East Central:</strong> T.T. Mitchell 16, <a href="https://prepgirlshoops.com/player/shay-stone/">Shay Stone</a> 12, Jurnee Elliott 6, Tiffany Robinson 6, A.A. Mack 3, Bre Bailey 2,   Ra'Shon Griffin 2 <strong>Edison:</strong> Mariah Smith 14, <a href="https://prepgirlshoops.com/player/taniya-tease/">Taniya Tease</a> 11, Makenzie Davis 8, Destiny Smith 6, Leona Williams 6,                   Samya Crosslen 3 &nbsp; <strong>Five Stars</strong> [caption id="attachment_137685" align="alignleft" width="300"] Photo Credit: Jason Green (Prep Girls Hoops)[/caption] <span style="color: #008000"><strong>Mariah Smith</strong></span> | 5-8 G | Edison Smith is a combo guard with very good handles who always has her eyes up court looking for the open player. Smith came out on fire with three three-pointers in the first half. As the defense began to key on her, Smith made timely passes to get her team involved. As time ran down, Edison Head Coach Wan U wanted the ball in Smith's hands as the pressure from East Central increased. Coach U said after the game that he was especially proud of Smith for handling the ball so well and managing the clock down the stretch. "In the second game of the season (a 55-53 loss to NOAH Tulsa) we were in a tight situation like this and she kind of blew it by going too early when we were trying to get the last shot," said U about his senior leader. "Tonight you can tell that she drew from that experience." <strong><span style="color: #ff0000">T.T. Mitchell</span></strong> | 5-4 G | East Central [caption id="attachment_137684" align="alignright" width="300"] Photo Credit: Jason Green (Prep Girls Hoops)[/caption] Mitchell is the clear leader of the East Central Cardinals and led the game in scoring on Friday night. Most of Smith's 16 points came in the first half with her quickness leading to several fouls as she drove to the basket. She has great instincts and came up with several steals by anticipating the home team's movements and stepping into the passing lane. Head Coach Gary Pitts called her "grimy and gritty" post-game and both adjectives definitely fit. The senior guard seems to welcome defenders to test her handles and often was able to find the open player when her shot was not there. Pitts would like her to get her team involved a little more - as a point guard - and when that happens, the sky is the limit for the East Central star. <span style="color: #008000"><strong>Makenzie Davis</strong></span> | 5-8 G | Edison The term "versatile defender" is often used for players who can guard both guards, but rarely is it used for a player who guards every single position. Davis did just that on Friday. Coach U considers her his defensive stopper and utilized her to defend any East Central player that needed stopping. In the fourth quarter, East Central star T.T. Mitchell was held to zero points in large part because of Davis's defense. The highly athletic guard can also make big shots. When the score was 40-36, it was Davis who drained a corner three to end the Cardinals run temporarily. [caption id="attachment_137687" align="alignleft" width="300"] Photo Credit: Jason Green (Prep Girls Hoops)[/caption] <span style="color: #008000"><strong>Leona Williams</strong></span> | 5-10 F | Edison Williams got her first start of the season after sitting out last year, having transferred over from Jenks. She made an immediate impact each time she was in the game and her size and physicality requires a lot from the opposing team to counteract what she is doing underneath. Williams did a good job defending Rogers State commit Shay Stone when called upon. She is a hard-worker who gets great position on the boards to secure many needed rebounds for her squad. When she found herself open under the basket several times, Williams did not miss. <span style="color: #ff0000"><strong>Tiffany Robinson</strong></span> | 6-0 F | East Central Coach Pitts said following the game that he did not get to utilize Robinson under the basket with the high/low game as much as he would have liked, but when she did receive the ball in the block she made it count. Another very good rebounder, Robinson does a good job of positioning under the rim and securing the ball for the Cardinals. With the 6-1 Stone also in the post, it is clear to see why East Central lost just their third game of the season on Friday. Robinson is strong and uses her size well as a post player, often showing very good moves to get defenders off balance. &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;