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Keyshon Spotwood (3) guarded by Josh Price (15) -
Dalante Shannon brings the ball up the court -
Sean Pedulla (1) guarded by Dalante Shannon (2) -
JV Seat (32) looks for a pass
SKIATOOK - The students erupted in celebration as their team walked off the court one game away from gold after a big rivalry win.
The Edmond Memorial boys’ basketball team defeated Edmond North 55-42 Friday night at Skiatook High School to reach the state championship game.
No. 1 Memorial (17-1) never trailed as the Bulldogs claimed their fourth Edlam win of the year and second against the Huskies.
No. 3 North (19-6) had spurts of good play to keep it interesting but could not keep up with its crosstown rival.
Memorial coach Shane Cowherd said the win came from a team effort.
“We had some young bucks coming off the bench and some very short minutes but playing some really big roles in those 1:20 played or 1:40 played,” Cowherd said. “That’s what our program has always been about. It’s the sum of the parts. We do have some really good players, don’t get me wrong, and they work hard at their craft. But we also have a bunch of role guys that are always just trying to be ready for their job. ‘What’s my job? I want to do it the best of my ability.’”
After a tight first quarter, Memorial took control in the second. The Bulldogs outscored the Huskies 17-6 to take a 30-16 lead into halftime.
North responded well. The Huskies opened the second half with an 11-4 run, but the halftime deficit was too much to overcome as the Bulldogs held steady the rest of the way.
North coach Scott Norris said the Huskies did not play their best basketball, but part of that is due to Memorial being a good team.
“We had a little bit more movement and aggression there in the third quarter,” Norris said. “We got pretty still and stationary in the second quarter and just weren’t getting anything. It always helps when you hit a couple of shots and start feeling good about yourself. They did a good job of responding.”
Memorial senior Sean Pedulla led all scorers with 17 points. Junior JV Seat followed with 13, and junior Gabe Seat had 12.
For North, senior Dalante Shannon led with 11, followed by senior Josh Price with 9.
Pedulla said the Seats are big for Memorial.
“These last like, five games, Gabe has been absolutely cash,” Pedulla said. “It’s so big because teams have to scout for it. I come up the floor and I know where to find him, and I know he’ll hit it. As far as JV is concerned, it’s playoff J. Every year, he’s just in and out, business in the playoffs. That’s exactly what we need.”
With the pandemic limiting attendance, a lot of games haven’t seen very loud atmospheres. This Edlam showdown saw both student sections make the trip and provide a lot of noise and energy.
JV Seat said it was fun to play in that kind of atmosphere again.
“It was great,” he said. “It felt like last year again. The student section helped us a lot. Just the momentum, it was real emotional. They helped us a lot.”