By Michael Kinney
MJUSTANG– Coach Pete Papahronis knew what to expect. The veteran Edmond North skipper had led his team into too many big games and Friday’s matchup with No. 1 Bethany (4A) was just going to be the next challenge his two-time defending champions would have to face.
In a hard-fought battle between two of the top teams in the state, the Huskies prevailed 60-55 in the semifinals of Mustang’s Bank 7 Holiday Classic.
“We knew it was going to be a dog fight, a nailbiter,” Papahronis said. “I don’t know who was better on paper, but it doesn’t matter. We knew they were a good, hard team and we knew that. We knew that we could compete. Whether we win or lose, we don’t know. We’re just going to go out, fight and compete, and do what we do and at the end of the game. The scoreboard shows that we’re in favor.”
Bethany, the defending 4A state champion, were considered by many to have one the most talented rosters in the state with two future Oklahoma Sooners in the starting lineup. But Edmond North’s composure and experience was the deciding factor in an intense matchup.
“I think going into the game, we really focused on our rebounding,” said Huskies senior Kate Melton. “I mean, they outsized us in every position and we just knew it was going to be a game of spurts. So finishing our spurts and when they had their spurts calm down and just play our game.”
Edmond North (7-0) led for most of the night, but Bethany (5-2) had its chances late in the contest. With 30 seconds left on the clock, the Huskies’ Allison Heathcock went to the free throw line and made 1 of 2 from the stripe.
That left the door open for the Bronchos. Senior guard Zya Vann drove to the rim for a layup attempt. Her shot rimmed out and the Huskies got the rebound and forced BHS to foul.
This time Heathcock made both free throws to put the contest away.
“We were trying to get a two. We were trying to be aggressive and attack the glass because we wanted to continue to chip away and give us opportunities so we can let our defense work and it just didn’t fall for us,” Bethany coach Eric Sailor said. “And then we had to get into kind of a fouling game there at the very end, just trying to put pressure on them.”
Bethany outrebounded North 33-29 and had seven fewer turnovers on the night. Yet, when it was time to make a play on both ends of the court, the Huskies appeared better suited to play in the high-intense environment.
“I Just told the team to take deep breaths. I mean, we have some young girls who got in the game today, and so just take deep breaths and we will be good,” Melton said. “Play our game.”
Melton led Edmond North with 18 points on 4 of 6 shooting from the field and 10 of 11 from the free throw. The Rogers State commit added seven rebounds and four assists in 31 minutes of action.
Heathcock, who is heading to Creighton, added 17 points and four boards. Both players also had five turnovers.
Vann, who has signed with Oklahoma, led all scorers with 22 points on 9 of 20 shooting. Keziah Lofton added 13 points, 10 rebounds and three assists. She is committed to Ou as well.
While Sailor liked the way his team scrapped throughout the night, he says his team will have to learn how to play in difficult environments when the calls are not going their way. In a game that was intense and physical from the start, one of his players earned a technical foul late in the contest.
“We talk about pressure makes diamonds. We said that before the game started, and we also had a chat here at the very end that every action that we do as a team and as a program is being looked at underneath a microscope,” Sailor said. “Even though I believe, and I know my girl’s hearts and that technical that was called, I didn’t think it was worthy at the time, but at the same time, our girls need to know that we’re being watched with a fine-tooth comb and that’s something that we’ve got to learn. We got to learn that this can’t continue because they’ll continue to just bury ourselves under certain situations.”
Papahronis gave the Huskies just a short time to savor the win over the Bronchos. By the time they left the locker room, they already had turned their attention to the championship game Saturday night where they will face either host Mustang or class A defending champion Seiling. North and Seiling played in last year’s tourney championship.
“They’re already ready. They’re already ready. We got 10 minutes of celebration and the celebration stopped,” Papahronis said. “That’s it. We got 10 minutes. That’s the thing about tournaments, you sit there and celebrate for too long you forget about what’s ahead of you and the only thing that’d been worse than losing night is winning this hard-fought game and going on to lose tomorrow. So, we know that we got 10 minutes of celebration. We did it, we’re done, and now we’re focused, locked in on for tomorrow.”
IG: mkinneymedia
X (Twitter): MKinneyMedia
Youtube: Michael Kinney Media
Photos (SmugMug): Michael Kinney