Heath’s heroics lead No. 7 Edmond North to victory
EDMOND — Edmond North coach Pete Papahronis began to mentally prepare for overtime, but his star senior had other plans.
Kamri Heath wanted to end the game and avoid the extra period. Heroics had never been her thing, but there was no better time than with 6 seconds remaining in regulation. Norman North star senior
Jacie Evans was setting up for a final shot to either win the game with a make or force overtime with a loss. But she took her eyes off Heath, who swiped the ball, raced down the court and made a layup before the buzzer.
No. 7-ranked Edmond North upset undefeated No. 3 Norman North 50-48 on an unexpected play Friday night to open 2019.
“I’ve been waiting for one of those wins,” Heath said. “You always hear about big plays that people make. It’s really nice to be one of the people.”
Edmond North (8-4) has won four straight after losing three straight by three or less points.
Heath, an Air Force signee, scored 18 points, including 11 in the opening quarter capped by a buzzer-beating 3-pointer.
Norman North (10-1) adjusted and slowed her down as Evans took over the game, scoring a gamehigh 23 points.
But Heath could only be held in check for so long.
“That’s a play that you see on ESPN highlight films, top 10s,” Papahronis said.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY!
Norman coach Michael
Neal just wanted a win for his birthday. Sophomore point guard
Kelbie Washington had something a little better in mind.
No. 17 Norman upset No. 1 Edmond Memorial 52-45 behind 25 points, nine steals and five rebounds from Washington.
“It’s a nice birthday present,” Neal said.
It had been just over three weeks since Norman had last played. Neal was worried about rust early as the Tigers fell behind early.
But behind the tenacious defense of Washington, Norman climbed its way back.
“Kelbie is always that person that competes on every possession,” Neal said. “We really feed on her energy, and she really got us going tonight.”
ROUND AND ROUND
Harrah is back on the winning side following
Katie King’s 21 points in a 47-41 win over Bethel. Now, Harrah is looking for a second winning streak this season.
But that hasn’t been easy for the 17th-ranked Panthers, last year’s Class 4A state runner-up.
They’ve traded wins and losses their past eight games since a two-game win streak early in the season over Tecumseh and Little Axe, both Harrah’s next two opponents.