Midwest City sophomore 'sleeper' DeShawn Denson leads Bombers past Del City basketball
DEL CITY — His coach calls him "a sleeper."
But if DeShawn Denson strings together any more performances like Friday night, everyone will soon know the Midwest City sophomore.
“He’s been amazing,” first-year Midwest City boys basketball coach Torey Noel said after the Bombers edged Del City, 57-56, in a Class 5A District 2 game at John Smith Fieldhouse. “I give him until next year and he will be shutting the city down. He’s a gym rat. He can shoot the rock. He didn’t display that tonight. He was getting to the rim tonight.”
Denson led Midwest City (16-3, 10-0 5A-2) with 20 points, including eight during a pivotal 13-0 burst in the third quarter that flipped a 29-26 deficit into a 39-29 lead for the Bombers.
“Just getting to the rim,” Denson said. “Everybody knows I can shoot. They tried to run me off the line. Just show everybody I’ve got more than just shooting ability. I can get to the rim. I can get to the free-throw line.”
After Del City (12-8, 9-2) used a big fourth quarter to trim the Midwest City advantage to a single point on four occasions, Denson did indeed reach the free throw line in the final seconds with a chance to put his team up by three points, but converted just one of two. With the Bombers clinging to a 57-55 lead, the door was open for the Eagles to tie the game with two free throw attempts and less than a second to go.
Del City also missed one of two, and the Midwest City celebration was on.
“I missed that free throw and it was the only free throw I missed all night,” Denson said. “But he missed his and we ended up winning the game.”
Denson has become an indispensable piece for a highly-versatile Midwest City offensive attack. Four different Bombers have scored at least 25 points in a game this season, and six have tallied at least 15. That number of accomplished scorers in its four-guard lineup makes Midwest City a tough team to defend and game plan against.
More: A look at Oklahoma City's boys high school basketball Fab 10 rankings for Feb. 1
“We preach just encouraging each other and go with who’s hot,” Noel said. “Be happy for the next person. … I tell them, ‘It’s somebody else’s night every night. We’ll go with whatever it is and be satisfied with the ending.”
Junior Mark Jackson posted 11 points, while senior Roy Henderson added nine. Oklahoma State commit Carlsheon Young – who is in his first season with Midwest City after stints with Newcastle and Putnam City West – recorded eight points.
“I think it has been tough for him early on just getting adjusted to the offense and to the guys and to what we do every day in practice,” Noel said. “But he has come a long way. He’s doing so much better with things that we need around practice. Whether it is on the court or off the court.”
Del City (12-8, 9-2) was boosted by transfer MJ Graham, who started the school year at Westmoore. In just his third game with the Eagles. Graham poured in 21 points.
“I fit in pretty well,” Graham said. “I went to middle school with most of them, so there was not much lost. Just had to get back into it.”
Graham was previously committed to play football at the University of Houston. But with the change in the Cougars’ coaching staff, he has yet to be re-offered.
“I’m looking at some JUCOs right now so I can get back to Big 12 or Power 5, wherever I want to go,” Graham said. “But I have got some basketball (opportunities) coming in, so if it is a better opportunity in basketball, I’ll probably take it.”
The win was the 14th in 15 games for Midwest City, which visits Guymon on Tuesday. With its last eight victories all by double digits, Noel was thankful that his team responded to a tight contest with the type of fight and grit it takes to emerge victorious.
“This is a good test tonight,” Noel said. “They got a look at what it might look like come playoffs. There might be some close games.”
More: A look at Oklahoma City's girls high school basketball Fab 10 rankings for Feb. 1
Douglas powers Midwest City girls
For De’Yanna Douglas, the accolades seem to never stop.
As a member of the Midwest City track and field team, the senior owns the state record in the shot put with a throw of 46 feet, nine inches to win last year’s Class 6A state championship. But Douglas’ athletic future is on the hardwood, where she has already surpassed 1,000 career points and possesses the school record for most rebounds in a career.
Given that level of excellence, it seemed only a matter of time before the standout post player exerted her will and impacted the outcome of Friday night’s Class 5A District 2 girls’ basketball game at rival Del City.
Her influence arrived in the pivotal fourth quarter.
“We’ve been there before,” Douglas said after she scored nine of her 15 points in the final frame as the Bombers outlasted the Eagles, 47-44. “We know the atmosphere, what it’s going to be like and how to keep our heads.”
Midwest City (16-3, 10-0 5A-2) led by as many as 14 points at 30-16 early in the third quarter, but Del City shot its way back into the game with three 3-pointers during a 19-5 explosion that tied the tilt at 35-35.
“We talked about it at the beginning with our scouting report,” fourth-year Midwest City Coach Megan Maloy-Knight said. “That they go on runs. They are really good at going on 7-0 runs and so we just kind of talked so that they knew that was coming and just being like, ‘It’s fine. They are going to go on that run and we have just got to go on one, too.”
It was Douglas that provided the response with strong rebounds and clutch putbacks during a flurry that saw her score nine points in a row for the Bombers. She finished with a game-high 16 rebounds, and her final basket of the night gave her team the lead for good at 44-42 with 3:10 left.
“I let my team know that it’s OK,” said Douglas, who is committed to Division II-Northeastern State University. “As long as we keep together, it will be fine. It worked.”
Sierra Martin matched Douglas with 15 points, while Mar’kia Pratt posted 11 off the bench.
Sacha Hunt paced Del City (10-10, 8-3) with 14 points.
Since dropping two games at the John Nobles Invitational last month, Midwest City has won five games in a row. The Bombers will visit Guymon on Tuesday.
“Just mentally pushing,” Douglas said. “As we get to the postseason, it is a lot harder to keep up the same intensity as you once started with. We are just going to have to work on keeping it up and making sure we stay hungry.”
This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Oklahoma high school basketball: Midwest City boys, girls top Del City
