How Chiante’ Tramble fed off 'a lot of energy' to lead Edmond North past rival Deer Creek

EDMOND — Chiante' Tramble knew of the anticipation brewing in Edmond North's hallways Friday ahead of the rivalry matchup with Deer Creek.

However, the star guard refused to feed into the noise.

Tramble, a 6-foot-2 Independence (Kansas) Community College commit, viewed the contest as yet another test for the two-time defending Class 6A champion Huskies.

"There was a lot of energy in the gym tonight, but I felt like I feed off of God's energy for the most part," said Tramble, who left Putnam City West for Edmond North prior to the season.

"Whenever there's an opportunity to come out and compete against good teams and loud crowds, I just use that as a boost because I know God is with me all the time."

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Tramble delivered in grand fashion.

He led all scorers with 24 points while grabbing six rebounds as Edmond North defeated district foe Deer Creek 59-52. With the win, the Huskies improved to 12-2 on the season and remain atop District 6A-1.

Tramble scored 21 of his 24 points in the second half, nailing five three-pointers after the halftime break to clinch the victory.

The three-star Huskies guard entered the contest fresh from Tuesday's 30-point showing against Edmond Memorial. In the Edlam showdown, Tramble drained a season-high eight three-pointers, guiding Edmond North to a 28-point win.

"Chiante' has been huge for us lately and it's been great to see how much his confidence has grown during this stretch," Huskies head coach Scott Norris said.

"Once he starts to get hot like he did tonight, you've just got to sit back and watch the show. And the great thing about him is that even when he's feeling it like he was in the second half, he still makes the necessary winning plays that don't always show up in the stat sheet. There isn't a selfish bone in his body."

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It was prevalent early that the highly anticipated matchup between the pair of Edmond-based rivals would live up to the hype. Deer Creek initially led Edmond North by three points at halftime as their size caused major problems for the Huskies on the glass.

However, Tramble began to heat up from beyond the arc out of the gate after Antlers guard Clyde Davis Jr., who defended Tramble for most of the first half, picked up his third foul and switched off of him. Edmond North finished the fourth quarter on an 11-2 run, snapping Deer Creek's seven-game win streak.

Class 6A top-ranked Edmond North's two wins during its rivalry week mark the team's first game action since appearing in the Bass Pro Tournament of Champions in the second week of January. The Huskies went 1-2 in the 39th annual tournament in Springfield, Missouri, facing off against a host of the country's best high school basketball teams.

They remain unbeaten against Oklahoma high school competition outside of the TOC. Due to their staple as widely considered best team in the state, the Huskies are aware of the target they have on their back heading into each game.

Yet, Edmond North uses energy from envious opposing teams to fuel its hunger for a third consecutive state championship. Tramble, Wyoming commit Dylan Warlick and company embrace the challenge to become the first team in Oklahoma high school basketball history to win three consecutive Class 6A state titles.

"In Missouri, we played two nationally ranked teams and those losses helped us in a way where they weren't much of a loss for us," Tramble said. "We competed against some great NBA-level guys. So coming back here and playing lesser competition, I feel like it showed us just how dominant we are."

"I just know a lot of people coming where I come along from don't really get the opportunity to get to the next level. So every day I just feed off of the idea of getting somewhere for family and making them proud."

Jordan Davis covers high school sports for The Oklahoman. Have a story idea for Jordan? He can be reached at jdavis@oklahoman.com or on X/Twitter at @jdavis34_. Sign up for The Varsity Club newsletter to access more high school coverage. Support Jordan’s work and that of other Oklahoman journalists by purchasing a digital subscription today at subscribe.oklahoman.com.

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Oklahoma high school basketball: Edmond North beats rival Deer Creek