El Reno girls basketball keeps 'pretty amazing' streak intact, wins Shawnee Invitational
SHAWNEE — Pauline Black-Harmon knows how to sustain team momentum as the postseason approaches.
The senior forward has reached three state semifinals and one championship game over the past three years with El Reno’s girls basketball program.
But this season, the energy is snowballing in a new way.
El Reno is 15-0 for the first time in Black-Harmon’s varsity career.
“It feels good knowing that this is my last year, and we’re doing something big,” Black-Harmon said. “And I'm glad to be a part of it with them because they're a very special group of teammates."
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El Reno maintained its win streak with a 66-47 triumph over Yukon on Saturday night in the Shawnee Invitational finals, claiming its third tournament title of this regular season. Black-Harmon made the all-tournament team, while junior center Lilly Thomas received the MVP award.
Through three games in Shawnee, El Reno put on a display of dominance with an average margin of victory of 43.7 points per game.
That stunning gap encapsulates the story of the season.
The Indians have won every game this year by double digits, and the key lies in their balance.
Four El Reno players scored in double figures against Yukon. Emmary Elizondo led the team with 16 points, and fellow junior guard Reagan Bugaj followed with 15, giving El Reno an early spark with 13 points before halftime. Thomas finished with 13 points, while Black-Harmon recorded 12.
“It’s special in the fact that it’s not just one or two people anymore,” said eighth-year head coach Jennifer Douglas. “Everybody’s contributing.”
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In the Shawnee Invitational finals, El Reno collided with another surging squad: a Yukon program on a nine-game win streak. Thomas said her team had to keep the Millers (12-4) from crashing the boards, and it helped that El Reno had a record-setting rebounder on its side.
In Friday's semifinals, Black-Harmon surpassed 656 career rebounds to rewrite El Reno’s all-time mark that LeAnn Bezner set in 1996. With 5-foot-10 Black-Harmon and 6-foot-1 Thomas in the paint, El Reno controlled the glass against Yukon.
On the perimeter, the Millers capitalized on some open looks. Caid Jefferson led Yukon with 16 points while fellow senior guard Gabby Tilley added 11, but El Reno’s lead continued to balloon.
Game by game, El Reno is working toward a larger goal: its first state title in program history. The heartbreak of a semifinal loss to Sapulpa lingered after the end of last season, but Black-Harmon and her teammates have simply used it as fuel while compiling their 15-0 record.
“It’s pretty amazing,” Douglas said. “We haven’t ever felt this in the eight years that I’ve been here, so it’s definitely something that we’re excited (about), and we’re just gonna continue to work. We had a goal at the beginning of the year, and they keep working hard to get to their goal, so it’s just exciting that they get to experience it.”
Results from other Oklahoma girls basketball tournaments
Bruce Gray Invitational
Saturday championship at Deer Creek
Trojans guard Brianna Jones led Douglass with 29 points to defeat Tulsa Holland Hall, 74-46, to win the Bruce Gray Invitational. Senior Jordyn Anderson added 18 points in the effort, helping the 20th-ranked Trojans improve to 13-3 on the season.
Jones received tournament Most Valuable Player honors, while Anderson was named to the all-tournament team.
—Jordan Davis, Staff writer
Jenks-Union Invitational
Saturday championship at Tulsa Union
Putnam West snapped two-time defending state champion Edmond North’s 47-game win streak.
The Patriots slipped past the Huskies, 47-45, to win the Jenks-Union Invitational. OU signee Caya Smith was named MVP, and senior Shamar Bert made the all-tournament team.
Putnam West (17-0) and John Nobles Invitational winner Choctaw are the only undefeated programs in Class 6A.
—Hallie Hart, Staff writer
Cashion County Line Tournament
Saturday championship at Cashion
Dale stormed past host Cashion, 69-22, to stay undefeated and win the Cashion County Line Tournament. Teague Muncy led the Pirates with 18 points, and Ava Bell followed with 13. The Pirates broke away in the second quarter, when they outscored Cashion, 18-3.
—Hallie Hart, Staff writer
This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Oklahoma HS basketball: El Reno beats Yukon in Shawnee Invitational
