Oklahoma high school basketball: Takeaways from second day of Putnam City Invitational
Norman North’s girls basketball team needed a boost from its bench to close out a tight game against Douglass.
Key contributors Olivia Watkins and Whitney Wollenberg fouled out in the fourth quarter, so head coach Al Beal had to rely on depth.
The Timberwolves’ reserve players delivered. Norman North claimed a 65-57 comeback win over Douglass on Friday afternoon in the Putnam City Invitational, redeeming itself after Thursday’s opening loss to Sand Springs. The PCI girls team placings will be determined by overall win percentage followed by a series of tiebreakers, so the Timberwolves (6-4) improved their tournament standing.
With several leaders in foul trouble, Norman North turned to a freshman. Camille Mason checked in off the bench, adding five points while grabbing rebounds and playing tenacious defense through significant minutes.
“To be put in a situation like that, I thought her composure was really key,” Beal said.
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Beal also mentioned junior guard Blake Miller as a bench player who provided a spark.
The Timberwolves had to lean on everyone they could to defeat a surging Douglass team that led, 30-28, at halftime.
Norman North jumped to a 17-6 lead in the first quarter, but Douglass (6-3) shifted the momentum in the second. The Trojans created turnovers, and their offense capitalized as junior guard Brianna Jones finished the first half with 11 points.
“When they were pressing, we couldn’t get that ball through the press,” said Norman North sophomore Lydia Plummer. “And then when we had halftime and we had a bit of a break so we could all come together and just talk about it, we started to figure out their press more, so we got shots up more easily.”
With numerous fouls called on both sides, the pacing became choppy, but the Timberwolves persevered through a lengthy third quarter to reclaim the lead. Norman North made 17 second-half free throws, including seven from junior point guard Seleh Harmon.
“We just stayed composed,” Harmon said. “We didn’t rush or dribble right away. We faced them, so we just decided we wanted to take care of the ball better the second half.”
The game opened up for Harmon, Norman North’s leading scorer, down the stretch. Although Douglass held her to seven points before halftime, she finished with a game-high 22, and Plummer followed with 16. Norman North used an 8-0 run to break away in the fourth quarter.
The Timberwolves close PCI play Saturday against Putnam West, while Douglass faces Sand Springs.
Here are more takeaways from the second day of tournament action:
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Girls basketball: Putnam North 58, Sand Springs 54
Nykaiya Dillard’s point total matched her jersey number.
The junior guard stockpiled 22 points as Putnam North squeezed past Sand Springs, 58-54, bouncing back from a Thursday loss to Putnam West.
Putnam North coach Logan Martin said her team’s high-pressure defense powers its offense. Dillard proved that point in the first quarter, emphatically swatting the ball and converting the thunderous block into a layup that extended the Panthers’ lead to 23-16.
“She was really hard to guard tonight,” Martin said. “She can be explosive at times, and she really, really helped us tonight. Offensively, she was our fuel.”
Nini Geretta, who scored 17 points, also played a major role in Putnam North’s energetic beginning with steals and a trio of first-quarter 3-pointers.
The Sandites narrowed the gap with a team-high 17 points from Sakauri Wilson, but the Panthers salvaged their lead. After Dillard fouled out with 57.4 seconds left, Nevaeh Sanchez took a charge that returned possession to the Panthers as they clung to a 56-54 advantage.
Then Alaysia Burrough drew a foul and hit a pair of free throws to ice the victory.
“We talked about handling runs and adversity,” Martin said. “So it was nice to see them stick together and keep their composure.”
Putnam North wraps up PCI play against Putnam City on Saturday.
Girls basketball: Putnam West 58, Putnam City 41
The path to a PCI girls basketball championship depends on a number of factors for several contenders, but Putnam West’s road is clear-cut.
With one more win, Putnam West is the champion.
The Patriots defeated Putnam City, 58-41, so they’re the only girls team that hasn’t lost a game in the PCI. Because tournament win percentage is the top factor in determining the girls champion, Putnam West is in an ideal spot heading into the final round.
Norman North, Putnam North and Sand Springs also have chances of winning, but they don’t entirely control their fates like the Patriots do.
Putnam West led, 29-21, heading into halftime against Putnam City, and the Patriots created more separation in the second half. Jazzlin Brown provided a team-high 12 points, while Jayla Constant and Oklahoma signee Caya Smith each added 10.
After opening the PCI with a 77-26 loss to Douglass, the Pirates showed significant improvement on the second day, keeping up with an undefeated opponent through much of the game. Kayla Hill led the Pirates with 12 points.
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Boys basketball: Midwest City 75, Tulsa Union 74
Oklahoma State commit Carlsheon Young led Midwest City with 26 points to slip past Tulsa Union, 75-74, in the PCI semifinals.
Midwest City will face either Norman North or Putnam City in the Saturday championship.
For the second straight game, the Bombers used their skill to compensate for being undersized. The Redhawks often fed the ball to senior center Erik Madrid, who dominated the paint with his 7-foot-2 frame.
Most of the time, the tallest guy on the floor for Midwest City was 6-foot-5 Young. Although Madrid poured in a game-high 28 points, the Bombers shared the ball to gain an advantage. Roy Henderson contributed 25 points, and DeShawn Denson II added 12.
Tulsa Union nearly erased the Bombers’ once-sizable lead as Korbin Gunn sank a 3-pointer to make it a one-point game, but the Redhawks didn’t have enough time to tie it up before the final buzzer.
Boys basketball: Norman North 54, Putnam City 30
Norman North took control of the game quickly.
The Timberwolves blazed past Putnam City, 54-30, to reach the finals against Midwest City. Norman North jumped to a 12-5 lead in the first quarter and continued to keep the host Pirates at a comfortable distance.
Ben Thompson, who racked up 26 points in Putnam City’s first-round victory, was again the Pirates’ leading scorer, but Norman North held him to 12 this time. Thompson accounted for all of Putnam City’s first-quarter points.
Drew Morris led the Timberwolves with 12 points. Monte Hines followed with 10, adding eight in the third quarter.
Boys basketball: consolation bracket
Putnam North defeated Northwest Classen, 57-48, with 17 points from Khai Brown. Earlier in the day, Lawton rolled past Putnam West, 56-47.
This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Oklahoma high school basketball: Putnam City Invitational Day 2 scores
