MUSTANG – Anthony Leonard started fast and finished with 31 points to power Putnam City North to a 78-55 rout over Class 5A power Carl Albert Friday (Dec. 29) in the semifinals of the Bank 7 Mustang Holiday Classic.

“We had a lot of space so I could get to my shots,” Leonard said. “Everything was really easy because my teammates can hit shots when I kick it out to them.”

Leonard scored 43 points against Capitol Hill on Dec. 12.

Leonard scored 13 of North’s first 16 points and the Panthers (6-5) stretched the lead early. North shot a blistering 61.5 percent from the field in the first half and Leonard had 21 points at the break.

The Panthers led by 18 at halftime but things began to tighten in the third quarter.

The Titans (3-3) went on a 7-0 run over three minutes, powered by sophomore guard Jayden Hopkins and punctuated by a slam by senior guard Quincy Hopkins.

The Panthers pulled away in the fourth, as others got involved.

“Everybody’s starting to mix it up, understand, you know what I’m saying, who has a hot hand,” North coach Mike Jeffries said. “(They’re) playing as a team, which is really good.”

Carl Albert also ran into foul trouble in the fourth quarter, committing three fouls on one North inbound play at the 6:29 mark. The Titans quickly racked up two more fouls, giving North free throws on any foul for the first rest of the game.

The Panthers pulled away and led as many as 21. Leonard capped off the night with a dunk to make it 73-52 with 2:38 left. He exited the game 20 seconds later.

North shot 50 percent for the game and Leonard shot 50 percent from the field himself.

While Leonard had another big individual game, Jeffries is also excited about the other players that are emerging.

“There’s a lot of guys stepping up that we didn’t even really see,” Jeffries said. “We didn’t even think we’d have an opportunity to step up, so just the whole team as a whole, I’m just proud of all of them.”

“Anybody on our store can go one-on-one and score,” Leonard added. “So, it really just depends on the night and who’s hot. It really doesn’t matter.”

Junior guard Khai Brown added 12 points on 4-of-9 shooting and three blocks. Junior forward Marquez Taylor added 11 on 5-of-9 from the field.

UP NEXT: Putnam City North meets host Mustang (7-3) in the championship game Saturday at 8:30 p.m. Both teams are in Class 6A’s District 1. Mustang beat North on Dec. 1, 57-48. The Broncos have only won the classic once, in 2021.

TEAM	1	2	3	4	F
Putnam City North	18	25	15	20	78
Carl Albert	14	11	16	14	55