Oklahoma high school basketball: Putnam West, Midwest City win Putnam City Invitational

WARR ACRES — Caya Smith ranked one victory above the rest.

The senior Oklahoma signee has played a major role in keeping her Putnam West girls basketball team undefeated through 10 matchups, but the Patriots haven’t always been content with their gameplay.

Saturday elevated their confidence.

Putnam West sailed past Norman North, 63-49, to secure the Putnam City Invitational championship, and Smith happily labeled the win as her team’s best.

It started with the tone that filled their pregame shootaround.

“If you just walked in, you could see it in our eyes,” Smith said. “Everybody was locked in.”

That collective focus immediately translated to the court, where the Patriots (10-0) blazed through an 18-0 run in the first quarter.

Smith, who finished with a team-high 17 points, ignited the run with a pair of free throws. Da’Nae Jefferson amplified the momentum with back-to-back baskets, driving into the paint. Then fellow sophomore guard Brennen Bert intercepted a pass and converted on offense, tossing the ball through the hoop while falling and drawing a foul.

Only two days earlier, Putnam West coach Ja’Ron Jefferson had expressed some concern about his team’s lack of on-court communication during a tough win over Putnam North. The Patriots showed significant progress against Norman North (6-5) as their various fortés created a snowball effect, spreading energy from one teammate to the next.

Jefferson said the defense improved, too.

“I just switched the defenses up a little bit just to get a different look for the other team, to kind of confuse them,” Jefferson said. “And we were able to get steals from them.”

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The Patriots couldn’t nullify the impact of tournament MVP Seleh Harmon and Olivia Watkins, who each provided 18 points. But Putnam West could — and did — challenge them while limiting open looks for the rest of the Timberwolves. No other Norman North player had more than five points.

Although Norman North went on a 6-0 run in the second quarter, Putnam West didn’t crumble, carrying a 28-19 lead into halftime.

In the second half, the Patriots were clicking. Kiana Gray hit five 3-pointers. Brennan Bert made hustle plays through significant minutes. And Jazzlin Brown, who was the Patriots’ leading scorer Friday, embraced a different role against Norman North, not scoring but consistently grabbing key rebounds.

“It felt great to see our other teammates build on each other,” said Da’Nae Jefferson, “so we could come together as a team and win the whole thing.”

Jefferson, who scored 12 points, was named to the all-tournament team alongside Smith.

Douglass placed second in the PCI, and Putnam North was third.

The girls bracket had a semi-round-robin format as each team faced three others in predetermined matchups. Placings were determined primarily by tournament win percentage followed by a series of tiebreakers, including head-to-head play.

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Boys basketball: Midwest City 51, Norman North 37

Torey Noel reached a major checkpoint in his young coaching career Saturday evening.

Midwest City’s first-year coach was leading his alma mater into the PCI finals. His high school friends filed into the bleachers to watch. And he was facing Norman North coach Kellen McCoy, one of his mentors.

Noel handled the pressure, guiding the Bombers to a PCI championship over Norman North. With an 8-2 record, Midwest City has already exceeded its win total from the past season.

“I’m still shocked that I’m here now in this position to lead this group,” Noel said. “It’s a great feeling. That’s all I can say. I can’t describe it.”

Senior guard Roy Henderson led the Bombers with 17 points, and junior Oklahoma State commit Carlsheon Young followed with 12. Henderson weathered the Bombers’ losing season last year, while Young is a four-star newcomer who arrived from Newcastle. The group has needed some time to gel, but the PCI outcome showed progress.

“It’s been really tough,” Noel said. “But I kept telling (Young), ‘It takes time, man. Don’t expect us to come in and be really good because we got a lot of great players on the team.’ We got to find a way to put things together. It’s all about chemistry.”

Throughout the PCI, the Bombers worked collectively, overpowering Putnam West and Tulsa Union despite those opponents’ height advantages.

Midwest City relied on balance, and Norman North (6-5) had a similar approach.

During each game in the PCI, the Timberwolves had a different leading scorer. Luke Bauman contributed a team-high 12 points in the finals, but the Bombers kept everyone else from reaching double figures.

Although the game was tied at 21 heading into halftime, Midwest City broke away in the third quarter, outscoring Norman North 30-16.

Noel received hearty applause from the Midwest City faithful as he accepted his Most Outstanding Coach award after the win.

“(Friends) are coming back, and they’re showing love,” Noel said. “I don’t want to fail in front of them, so that even makes it better.”

Girls basketball: Douglass 42, Sand Springs 34

Latesha Woods sat on the front row as a spectator while Sand Springs faced Putnam North on Friday.

Woods, Douglass’ girls basketball coach, knew her team would face the Sandites the next day, so she had a chance to do some quick scouting.

Sand Springs’ defensive strength stood out to her. The next day, Douglass arrived ready to match that intensity, claiming a victory over the Sandites.

Tournament runner-up Douglass, the lone Class 4A team among 6A contenders, bounced back from its Friday loss to Norman North and finished PCI play 2-1.

“I think we were more locked in today, defensively,” Woods said. “We didn’t come out playing our defensive principles (Friday), so they were a little bit more focused (Saturday).”

In the second quarter, the Trojans gave up only six points, carrying a 19-13 lead into halftime.

Offensively, Douglass had to distribute the ball. Brianna Jones, who scored 23 points in Douglass’ PCI opener, found herself in early foul trouble against Sand Springs, but several teammates sparked the offense. All-tournament honoree N’Kiyah Burge led Douglass with 14 points, while Jordyn Anderson and Kiara Smith followed with 13 each.

“I believe that everyone on the team was ready to step up for the win,” Woods said, “and balance it out so it’s not a runaway for the other team.”

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Girls basketball: Putnam North 61, Putnam City 38

Putnam North only increased its momentum after halftime.

The third-place Panthers defeated host Putnam City to go 2-1 in PCI play.

Putnam North and Putnam City were tied at 13 to end the first quarter, but the Panthers outscored the Pirates 15-6 in the second to carry a lead into halftime.

In the second half, Putnam North refused to allow Putnam City to surge back.

The Panthers opened the third quarter on an 8-0 run that featured back-to-back baskets from Nevaeh Sanchez. The senior guard finished with 16 points, setting the tone with 12 in the first half.

In the second half, Nykaiya Dillard had a spark, scoring 12 of her 16 points. The Panthers continued to lean on their high-pressure defense, forcing turnovers and capitalizing with uncontested layups.

Promise Wright finished with a team-high 14 points for Putnam City, but the Pirates went 0-3 in tournament play.

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Boys basketball: Third-place and consolation games

● Tulsa Union routed Putnam City, 70-38, to finish in third place. Dalen Fuller led the Redhawks with 24 points, Miles Flemons had 13 and Erik Madrid added 10.

● Putnam North won the consolation championship against Lawton, placing fifth overall. The Panthers defeated the Wolverines, 59-53, with 32 points from Anthony Leonard.

● In the seventh-place game, Putnam West claimed an 87-64 victory against Northwest Classen. Kaidon Rayfield stockpiled 23 points.

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Oklahoma high school basketball: Putnam West, Midwest City win PCI