MIDWEST CITY — Putnam City North is headed to the Class 6A Boys State Basketball Tournament after beating Choctaw for the third time in four games between the two teams.

The Panthers sprinted out to a big lead and hung on for a 59-52 win Saturday (March 8) in the West Area 2 Consolation Championship at Carl Albert.

“I’m just so ecstatic, proud, happy for the boys, happy for the whole coaching staff,” Putnam City North DJ Lemons said.

North (19-9) built a double-digit lead in the first quarter, capped off by a 4-point play from senior Khai Brown who hit a 3-pointer with two seconds left and turned triumphantly to his home crowd after the shot and a Choctaw foul. Brown hit the free throw and the Panthers had a 20-5 lead.

Late in the second quarter, Choctaw (18-11) climbed back in the game, going on a 7-0 run, taking advantage of North turnovers. At halftime, North led, 28-18.

In the third quarter, each team traded buckets for most of the quarter. Choctaw would whittle the lead down to 6-8 points before a North answer to extend the lead.

In the fourth quarter, Yellow Jacket junior Jayden Hopkins made it 42-36 with 6:52 with a slam off a Panther turnover. At 5:29, he cut the lead to five points (44-39) with a 3-pointer.

Brown answered with a bucket and by drawing a foul. He hit the foul shot to make it 47-39 with 5:07 left.

In a physical game, Choctaw fouls started to pile up. North hit 7-of-10 from the line down the stretch for the win.

Brown finished with 14 points, 11 rebounds and three steals.

Junior TJ McNeely added 11 points, with four free throws in the fourth quarter. Sophomore Mekhi Thomas scored eight of his 10 points in the first half with two treys.

Senior Anthony Leonard dealt with foul trouble, but scored nine points and grabbed five boards. Leonard was 6-of-6 from the free throw line (with four coming in the second half).

The win fulfilled a promise Lemons made to the team and the senior class (who had never been to state) when he took the job last spring.

“I told them when I got here, my goal is to get you guys to state,” Lemons said. “I didn’t say we gonna win a state championship. I didn’t say we was gonna be district champs. My goal was just get them to state.

“I’m happy that I kept that promise with them guys, and they trust me. They had been bought in since day one.”

Choctaw was physical with the Panthers and for the most part, the officials let the teams play. Lemons said he reminded his team that that was the case when the teams last played, a 77-56 Choctaw win Feb. 7.

“They really manhandled us. They were more physical. They were tougher, They was pushing us around,” Lemons siad. “I told our guys,’listen, the refs are gonna come out here let us play. They gonna let us be physical. And I said, we can’t we can’t fold under no pressure ot no physicality, We have to continue to set the tone.

In the fourth quarter, Lemons said he saw something different in his players’ eyes.

“Months or a few games back, we might have have run away from that pressure,” Lemons said. “But, our guys embraced it.”

UP NEXT

Putnam City North will play Broken Arrow (25-2) in the first round of the state tournament Tuesday (March 11) at Jim Norick Arena at the Oklahoma State Fairgrounds. The game time will be announced Sunday.

The Tigers beat Edmond North, 49-38, Friday.

Lemons, who played at Millwod in high school, has shared his experience with his team of the 2006 state championship at the big house.

I said, I remember I started off the game, we played Verdigris. I remember I started off the game and got a steal. I was at halfcourt and it felt like it took me 50 dribbles to get to the goal,” Lemons laughed at the memory.

Lemons had some advice for his team.

“One, I tell them to embrace it, enjoy it. Two, don’t be nervous. Like we have nothing to lose at this point. Third, be relaxed, be the team that I know we can be and let’s just go have fun with it. And then, whatever happens happens, man.”

	1	2	3	4	F
Putnam City North (19-9)	20	8	14	17	59
Choctaw (18-11)	5	13	14	20	52