MUSTANG – Putnam City North used a second half surge to pull away from Southmoore, 57-47, in the first round of the boys bracket of the Bank 7 Mustang Holiday Classic Thursday (Dec. 28).

With the win, the Panthers (5-5) meet 5A’s Carl Albert (3-2) Friday (Dec. 29) at 5:30 p.m.

Southmoore (2-3) led after one quarter on the strength of 3-pointers from sophomore Kolton Brammer. The outside shot barrage wasn’t a surprise to North head coach Mike Jeffries.

“They’re a three-point shooting team,” Jeffries said. “We just tried to cover them up the best we could.”

After the three early treys in the opening period, Southmoore scored only five more the rest of the game, shooting just under 30 percent from beyond the arc.

Freshman point guard Mehki Thomas scored 14 points (on 6-of-8 shooting) as did junior guard Khai Brown, who went a perfect 4-for-4 from the field with two treys.

On the freshman Thomas, Jeffries said familiarity and trust will improve his game.

“He just has so much of a package, he can just score in so many different ways. So, once he starts understanding that trust, he’s gonna see,” Jeffries said. “I mean, he starts growing and learning, you’ll see just, he’s gonna be amazing.”

Besides the 14 points, Jeffries highlighted Brown’s defensive work on Southmoore senior guard Jesse Ledbetter, who was held to seven points on 2-of-10 shooting.

In the second half, North shot a blistering 52 percent from the field and led by as many as 20 points in the fourth quarter before the Sabercats cut the lead late.

The Panthers struggled in Class 6A District 1 play (1-4), but Jeffries sees the team turning the corner.

“We’re starting to find that gel, like I said, trust, everything, and that’s a big deal for this team,” Jeffries said. “I mean, there’s just been so much stuff going on, so that trust is huge for us.”

Panther junior forward Marquez Taylor added nine points, hitting 4-of-9 from the field.

UP NEXT: The Panthers meet a formidable foe in Carl Albert, the runner up in Class 5A a season ago. The Titans crushed Class A defending champ Caddo, 78-28, Thursday and had three players score in double figures. Quincy Hopkins led Carl Albert with 21 points.

TEAM	1	2	3	4	TOTAL
Southmoore	15	7	10	15	47
Putnam City North	13	12	17	15	57