Norman North tops Norman behind Young’s 43
NORMAN — In a game that was intense and physical from the start amid one of the most raucous crowds you’ll see at a high school basketball game, Norman North finally settled in and did what it’s been doing the last five games.
Despite falling behind early, Norman North got back to grinding the way it has during a tiring string of five straight road games that ended with an 80-68 win Friday in the Crosstown Clash over Norman High.
“We needed this win to put us in a great spot to host regionals,” said Norman North point guard Trae Young, who finished with 43 points. “It’s been a tough grind. We’ve had to really tough it out and win them all.
“We showed some toughness tonight and played through it.”
Young got off to a slow start, scoring just four points in the first quarter, but he found his rhythm and got on track for 39 over the final three quarters.
Norman North has played four road games in the last eight days, but showed no physical signs of tiring down the stretch.
“This is big with what we’ve been through,” Norman North coach Bryan Merritt said. “I’m just really proud of the team for being tough mentally, not just from tonight. Winning five road games in a row is tough on high school kids.
“We didn’t play the best basketball, but we were mentally tough-minded.”
Juwan White added 12 points for Norman North, which improved to 13-3. Bryce
Mooreland led Norman with 23 points.
Mount St. Mary pulls out tight win
Coming off a tough overtime loss on Tuesday, Mount St. Mary bounced back with a hard-fought 42-38 win over Weatherford on Friday.
Nick Martincich hit a pair of free throws in the closing seconds to seal the win as the Rockets improved to 15-3.
Stephon Hall had 12 points for the Rockets and Tony Elix added 10. Austin Copeland had eight off the bench.
Tip-ins
Cameron Martin had 20 points and Vernon Turner had 17 in Yukon’s 62-61 upset of No. 4 Westmoore… El Reno’s Callon Haydon scored 26 points to lead the fourth-ranked Indians to a 68-37 rout of Piedmont. El Reno outscored Piedmont 35-16 in the second half.