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Dalante Shannon (2) guarded by Daylon Andrews (23) -
Joell Wilson (1) guards Daylon Andrews (23) -
Cameron Lee -
Josh Price (15) defends Daylon Andrews (23)
Oklahoma City – As the desperation heave fell wide of the basket, the celebrations began.
The missed shot meant a championship for the Edmond North boys’ basketball team Saturday night as it defeated Putnam City West 85-82 in overtime at Putnam City North.
No. 3 Edmond North (7-1) claimed the Putnam City Invitational title after winning a second-straight overtime affair.
No. 5 PC West (8-3) trailed by as many as 20 but used an incredible fourth-quarter comeback to force overtime.
North coach Scott Norris credited his players’ experience for the win.
“They’ve been in a lot of situations, they’ve been playing since they were sophomores,” Norris said. “They’ve been in those situations. I think when they decide, ‘We’re going to be together, and we’re going to get this done,’ we’re pretty good.”
The Patriots trailed 66-50 in the fourth quarter, and North had led most of the way. PC West finished the quarter with a 19-3 run led by seniors Tobias Roland and Daylon Andrews.
With all the momentum with PC West, the Huskies scored first in overtime. The Patriots took a 1-point lead briefly, but senior Joell Wilson responded with a 3-pointer. Senior Josh Price hit two late free throws to give the Huskies a 3-point lead. Great defense made the tying shot attempt difficult, and the Huskies came away victorious.
Wilson led all scorers with 28 points. He said the Huskies focused on making shots after not making any for the last few minutes of regulation.
“We just keep telling each other to stay calm, we was gonna win it,” Wilson said. “Let’s get the ball across and score.”
The game began under unusual circumstances. During pregame warmups, the officials issued a technical to PC West after a player dunked. North senior Dalante Shannon began the game by making two free throws. There was no opening tipoff with possession going to the Huskies.
Two additional technical fouls were called during the game, one on each team. Norris attributed it to the emotions of a top-5 game.
“It’s a big game,” Norris said. “They’re a great team with great tradition. (PC West coach) Lenny (Bert) has done a tremendous job there. We’re trying to build our own tradition. When there’s two teams competing like that, and there’s so many great athletes and great basketball players on the floor, sometimes tensions lose control. So, we’ve got to try and get better at that.”
Shannon was named tournament MVP, and Wilson was named to the all-tournament team. The Huskies previously defeated Northwest Classen and Heritage Hall before beating PC West to claim the title.