The True North: Lady Huskies Dominate Timberwolves

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  • KK Peeler (5) hits a 3-point shot
    KK Peeler (5) hits a 3-point shot
  • Laci Steele (24) prepares to shoot a free throw
    Laci Steele (24) prepares to shoot a free throw
  • Toni Papahronis (22) takes on Norman North's Hannah Fields (2)
    Toni Papahronis (22) takes on Norman North's Hannah Fields (2)
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The only battle Norman North won Tuesday night was the opening tip.

The Edmond North girls’ basketball team never trailed in a dominating 73-36 opening night win against the Timberwolves in Edmond.

No. 6 Edmond North (1-0) raced out to a 16-3 lead early in the first quarter.

No. 12 Norman North (0-1) responded with a 3-point shot, but the Huskies didn’t flinch and continued to put the game quickly out of reach.

Huskies coach Pete Papahronis said he is pleased with his team’s performance.

“We didn’t know what to expect coming in,” Papahronis said. “With no summer, our preseason was really not much, our scrimmage season was pretty much canceled after one scrimmage, so we didn’t really know where we were. But I think a lot of teams around the state are in the same position. Nobody’s going to be playing their best basketball right now. I think we (will) be playing much better in January, but how can you complain holding a team like that to 36 points?”

Several players contributed for the Huskies, including junior Toni Papahronis and sophomores Elle Papahronis and Laci Steele.

Papahronis said their performances did not surprise him.

“I see it everyday in practice,” he said. “I see what those girls can do every day, and I almost expect that. They played great. I thought Laci was fantastic on the offense. Toni runs the show for us. I thought Elle was fantastic on the boards. I think she was our top rebounder today without even looking at the stats, but I expect that from those girls.”

The Huskies played excellent defense. They constantly took the ball away from the Timberwolves and forced tough shots. The Huskies used their strong defense to build a 51-18 halftime lead.

Steele said it can be difficult to remain focused with such a massive lead.

“It is very hard, especially from going into the locker room and coming out,” Steele said. “But we hit two shots right in a row, and I think that boosted us.”

The Huskies entered the season ranked sixth in 6A, but Papahronis is not worried much about it.

“Rankings don’t really matter much to me, especially in the preseason,” Papahronis said. “Usually, it’s the teams that were in the state tournament last year that get ranked up top. Because I really don’t know what everybody has. My rankings were not very accurate, probably. It takes a couple weeks for me to really see teams and how they are… The only rankings that matter is the one at the very end of the season.”

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