Putnam West’s Walker stars in clutch
Down six points to Edmond North with less than five minutes to play, Putnam West coach Lenny Bert pulled junior guard
Rondel Walker aside.
Bert reminded him what great players do in tough situations.
"We've been asking him to do more and more lately," Bert said. "I just told him then that great players make plays. Then I sat back and watched them work."
Walker responded, scoring 13 of his 18 points in the fourth quarter and leading Putnam West on a 10-0 run late to beat Edmond North 57-53 in the Patriots' opening-round game at the Putnam City Invitational.
Walker did a little bit of everything for the Patriots, grabbing eight rebounds, recording six steals, dishing out four assists and blocking three shots. Junior guard
Trentez Scales was 3-of-5 from 3 for No. 9-ranked PC West, scoring 15 points.
Bert said it’s been a tough start to the season for the Patriots. Two starters, Shelby
Sampleton and MJ Warrior, have been sidelined with injuries. The Patriots lost five out of their last seven games before Thursday’s win.
"We've had a lot of things happen early, and we have a lot of new pieces we are trying to fit in," Bert said. "It's a long season, and thankfully it's how you finish that counts."
Piedmont rallies past Casady
Piedmont needed to see a reward from its tough early schedule. It got that to open the Bethany Basketball Classic.
The 20th-ranked Wildcats edged Casady 61-59, rallying from a double-digit deficit in the second half for just their second win this season.
“They showed a lot of heart,” Piedmont coach Wil Scofield said. “I couldn’t be prouder of the way they came out and fought through some adversity.”
Piedmont senior Hunter Oden hit two free throws with 42.2 seconds remaining to break a 57-all tie. It was a lead the Wildcats would not relent.
Piedmont came up with a turnover on Casady’s final possession as time expired.
“They fought like we knew they could all year long,” Scofield said.
Oden scored 29 points, and Dylan Hahn added 20. Casady’s DJ Freeman scored 14.
Heritage Hall dodges Storm
The Heritage Hall boys closed the OKC Storm out on a 12-4 run to win its opening round game of the Putnam City Invitational.
Sophomore guard Trey Alexander scored 13 points while grabbing eight rebounds for the Chargers. Senior guard Phillip Smitherman added 13 points while playing disruptive defense, recording four steals.
The Storm were led by Zeph Smith, who scored 13 points.
Tip ins
JD Ray score 28 points and recorded six steals as Midwest City took care of business against Norman 77-60 . ... Edmond Memorial was led by a pair of underclassmen as sophomore Sean Pedulla and freshman JV Seat each scored 15 points in a 64-51 victory against McGuinness . ... Taylor Williams scored 16 points as No. 1 Edmond Santa Fe stayed undefeated, beating Choctaw 65-55.