OKLAHOMA CITY — Putnam City North gave up a fourth quarter lead and the Panthers’ comeback fell short Tuesday (March 11) in a 52-49 loss to Broken Arrow in the Class 6A Boys State quarterfinals at Jim Norick Arena.
The Panthers (19-10) sprinted out to an early lead as the Tigers (26-2) struggled, connecting on only one of their first ten shots.
North led, 25-18, at halftime but by the end of the third quarter, the lead was two points, 36-34.
The Tigers tied the game early in the fourth quarter, but North pulled back ahead. Broken Arrow took its first lead of the game with 3:35 on a bucket from senior DJ Howell off of a Panther turnover.
The Tigers extended the lead off another turnover with a 3-pointer from Anton Wallace to make it 48-44. North junior Nate Murliithi answered with two free throws. Howell hit 1-of-2 from the other end to make it 49-46.
Murliithi followed with a bucket in the paint as Corban Dow fell down, allowing an lay-in shot to make it 49-48 with 1:27 left.
“I’m proud of our guys,” Putnam City North coach D.J. Lemons said via phone. “Even when they took the four-point lead, our guy kept battling.”
Dow was fouled on the other end but missed both free throws. The Panthers gathered the rebound and senior Anthony Leonard dribbled the ball to the :20 mark.
Junior TJ McNeely had a open look in the paint but kicked it to senior Khai Brown beyond the arc. It was intercepted by Broken Arrow’s De’Von Wallace.
The Panthers were forced to foul and Howell made both shot to make it 51-48. Brown was fouled on the other end but hit 1-of-2 as his first shot rimmed out.
Howell split his two free throws with three seconds left leading to the final sequence.
The inbounds pass went to Brown who sped by defenders and had an open 3-pointer between midcourt and the top of the key. His shot was long, hitting the back of the iron as time expired.
Muriithi led the Panthers with 13 points on 4-of-6 shooting. He also hit all four of his free throws.
“I couldn’t have asked for a better performance from the last game that he played to get us to state and then today,” Lemons said of Murliithi. “He played great on-ball defense, blocked shots. He got key rebounds and he made his free throws. He had big 3s.”
Brown followed with 10 points and three rebounds.
Junior Malakye Schoats followed with nine points on 3-of-4 from the field. Senior Anthony Leonard also scored nine points and grabbed six rebounds.
Lemons reflected on his two seniors after the their last game as a Panther.
“I’m their third coach in four years and for them to just be coachable and buy in to the stuff that I’m trying to tell him and go through all the stuff that they had to deal with, man, just for him to trust me.
“The door for basketball is still open for those two, and they’re only just scratching the surface right now.”
North shot 53 percent for the game and actually shot better in the second half (58 percent) than in the first half (50 percent). However, Broken Arrow improved from 23 percent shooting in the first half to 73 percent shooting in the second half.
Lemons hopes the state run can help bring the North basketball program to greater prominence.
“Hopefully, we just put the state on notice,” Lemons said. “We’re back in. We’re coming with more vengeance more determination. We’re not going away easy and we plan on doing big things from here on out.”
Photographs courtesy of Richard T. Clifton
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | F | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Putnam City North (19-10) | 12 | 13 | 11 | 13 | 49 |
| Broken Arrow (26-2) | 8 | 10 | 16 | 18 | 52 |
BROKEN ARROW – David Howell 13, Anton Wallace 12, Jailun Talley 12, Nyjah Noyes 8, De’Von Wallace 7.
2025 OKLAHOMA CLASS 6A BOYS
STATE BASKETBALL TOURNAMENT
TUESDAY, March 11, 2025 (At Jim Norick Arena)
Broken Arrow 52, Putnam City North 49
Union 41, Norman 39
Moore 52, Westmoore 48
Deer Creek 53, Owasso 51
FRIDAY, March 14, 2025 (At Yukon High School)
Union vs. Broken Arrow, 4 p.m.
Moore vs. Deer Creek, 6 p.m.
SATURDAY, March 15, 2025 (At Jim Norick Arena)
Championship Game, 7:30 p.m.
West Metro Sports 