NORMAN- Putnam City West used a dominant second quarter to beat Owasso, 71-45, Friday (March 8) at Lloyd Noble Center and reach the Class 6A Girls State Championship game for the first time since 2018.

Owasso (22-6) started strong in the first quarter, hitting 5-of-7 from the field with two 3-pointers. West fell behind 8-2 but cut the deficit to 13-10 sophomore Jayla Constant’s 3-pointer. Owasso junior Jayelle Austin made it 15-10 with a bucket near the end of the quarter.

Owasso wouldn’t score again for nearly three minutes, getting a lone free throw at 5:21 and another free throw at 1:12. The Lady Patriots, however, poured in 24 points for the quarter. Sophomore Da’Nae Jefferson led the way with seven points in the quarter and the five-point deficit had turned into a 34-17 lead by halftime.

Putnam City West coach Ja’Ron Jefferson said some defensive changes sparked the run and were a big part of his team’s success.

“Transition buckets for us is very key because sometimes our shots are not following offensively,” Jefferson said. “So, when we get stops on the defensive end, it helps us really on the offensive end.”

In the second half, West extended the lead as the Rams struggled to cut into the lead. Outside of shooting 44 percent in the first quarter, the Lady Patriots shot 63 percent over the final three quarters.

West had three players in double figures with sophomore Da’Nae Jefferson scoring a game-high 19 points on 7-of-11 shooting. Jefferson was 2-of-3 from the beyond arc. Fellow sophomore Jayla Constant added 17 points on 6-of-8 shooting. Constant connected on 3-of-4 from the 3-point line.

Senior Caya Smith finished with 13 points, hitting 4-of-7. Smith also grabbed four rebounds and collected three steals.

Jefferson thinks he knows why Smith got back into the groove after missing the area final due to a concussion.

“She forgot about like, Hey, I had an injury and just played basketball,” Jefferson.

West outrebounded 22-16 but scored 21 points off Owasso turnovers and the battle in the paint, 32-22.

The Lady Patriots also hit all 12 of their free throws in the win.

UP NEXT: The Lady Patriots will have to dethrone Edmond North, who is seeking its third straight title. West ended Edmond North’s 47-game winning streak Jan. 20.

“We want to get to where they’re at,” Jefferson said of the Lady Huskies.

Edmond North star senior Allison Heathcock scored a game-high 15 points against sister school Edmond Memorial, 45-33, in the other semifinal Friday.

West is seeking its first girls basketball title since the Lady Patriots won the Class 5A title in 1981. West has three other state finals appearances (1984, 2004 and 2018).

TEAM	1	2	3	4	F
Owasso	15	2	14	14	45
Putnam City West	10	24	17	20	71