BOYS BASKETBALL: Claremore stifles Glenpool early, rolls to double-digit win
Jan. 28—Claremore boys basketball coach Tommy Nolan recently promoted Teegan Mann to the varsity squad, and that decision has paid off.
The freshman guard is averaging 10 points and 2.9 3-pointers per game, and on Tuesday night he scored 11 of his 13 points in the first half as the Zebras pulled away early for a 49-31 home victory over Glenpool.
The result was a stark difference from the earlier meeting between the teams on Dec. 3, which Claremore won 48-45. That might have something to do with Mann's presence within the lineup.
"We've kept our eye on him all the way up through seventh grade, eighth grade and his ninth-grade year this year he's done a really good job and has shot really well," Nolan said. "We needed that outside presence for us because we were getting to the rim pretty well, we just weren't really hitting at a high percentage from the outside."
Mann scored five points, including a 3-pointer, in the opening minutes as the Zebras built an 11-0 lead. That advantage grew to as many as 18 points in the second quarter as he hit two more 3-balls to send Claremore into halftime with a 27-10 lead.
Mann added only two free throws to his overall tally in the second half, giving the Zebras their biggest lead of 22 points at 41-19, but that was because his teammates were scoring as well. He didn't need all the glory.
Seniors Michael McHugh and Tanner Steidley contributed 11 and nine points, respectively, with the latter recording a double-double with 10 rebounds. Steidley, who finished with three 3-pointers like Mann, pulled down two boards.
"We are clicking right now offensively, and it has a lot to do with getting everybody healthy and everybody back," Nolan said. "We're finally able to get some practices together with everybody there full strength, so you can definitely see how it's helped us. It's just a chemistry thing. Guys right now, they're playing loose and having fun. We've got a really unselfish team; they're not worried about who scores the most or who gets the most rebounds. And I think that really shows out there on the floor.
"Like anything else, you see it go through the net, and other guys kind of piggyback off that and it becomes contagious for us, and we're feeding off one another's energy."
Claremore did a good job of neutralizing the Warriors' 6-foot-9 senior, though his height earned him 14 points and eight rebounds. Only one other Glenpool player — Ashton Gorbet — registered more than three points. He managed six points and five boards.
The Zebras forced 24 turnovers while committing only 10 themselves, and they also won the battle of the glass 32-29.
Claremore went through a free-throw shooting slump through three games from Jan. 14 — Jan. 20 in which they shot 40.7% (22-of-54) from the line, but its performance in that category appears to be back at a high level.
In the ensuing three games, the Zebras have shot 66.7% from the line, including a 70% (14-of-20) outing against Glenpool. The Warriors shot 60% (6-of-10) in comparison.
"Free throws are mostly mental," Nolan said. "So we had some guys who missed some shots, and all they'd heard about is we have a bad free-throw shooting percentage. They know that we've got their back at all times, so we worked on it, and we worked on it every day, even when we were going through a slump.
"I think the guys just knew we'd support them through it, and it's one of those things where they mentally climbed out of it, and now we're shooting a higher percentage."
