MOORE — Putnam City North’s fourth-quarter comeback from a double-digit deficit fell short Tuesday (Jan. 7) in a 60-57 loss to Moore in a 6A-2 contest.

After North trailed 25-22 at halftime, the Lions opened the third quarter with a 19-3 run.

The Panthers (10-5, 2-2) clawed back in the fourth quarter.

The deficit was eight points with 1:31 left when junior Gabe Wilson sank a 3-pointer and was fouled. He hit the free throw to make it 58-54.

Moore drained about a minute off the clock before Moore senior Roman Miller was fouled while going to the basket. He hit both free throws and the score was 60-54 with :35 left.

North went for the quick bucket but junior Nate Muriithi’s layup was short. Lion senior Tristan Hankins rebounded the ball and was immediately fouled.

Hankins missed both free throws, giving the Panthers a chance to tie with :24 left.

North drove down the court but another missed layup led to the Lions pushing the ball the other way. Moore couldn’t convert and the rebound went out of bounds off the home team with seven seconds left.

Wilson heaved it to senior Anthony Leonard near midcourt. Leonard dribbled quickly to the arc and drained a trey to make it 60-57 with three seconds left.

The North defense collapsed on Hankins, who was inbounding the ball, He found senior Tez Singer in the backcourt, who dribbled it out for the win.

“We couldn’t get stops or make shots when we needed them, but our bench provided us with a great spark to cut the lead down and get us back in striking distance but just wasn’t enough,” Putnam City North coach DJ Lemons said via text.

Lemons said he was proud of his team’s effort despite falling behind and mounting a comeback. He said there were plenty of areas to work on “particularly on defense and in capitalizing on our scoring opportunities,” Lemons said. “Credit to Moore for their discipline and athleticism; they made key plays that shifted the momentum in their favor at critical moments.

“While we didn’t get the result we were aiming for, games like this are valuable learning experiences for our team,” Lemons said.

Miller and Wilson combined for 26 of Moore’s 35 points in the second half.

The loss broke the Panthers’ four-game winning streak.

UP NEXT

North travels to 4A third-ranked Douglass Friday (Jan. 10). Tipoff is at 7:30 p.m.

The Trojans beat the Texas Storm, 41-38, at the Elite Prep Holiday Showcase last Saturday (Dec. 4). That followed a 67-56 win over rival and 3A top-ranked Millwood last Friday (Dec. 3).

	1	2	3	4	F
Putnam City North (10-5, 2-2)	12	10	11	24	57
Moore (7-3, 4-1)	12	13	22	13	60