OKLAHOMA CITY — Putnam City North won its first state championship in girls basketball with a 65-48 win over Mustang Saturday (March 15) at Jim Norick Arena.
North (29-1) got out to an early lead but the Lady Broncos (25-6) stayed close. In the second quarter, Mustang went on a 10-2 run, capped off by a bucket by senior Cherish Haywood to give the Lady Broncos a 25-24 lead with 1:28 left in the second quarter.
The game would be tied two more times, but North never trailed from that point.
Mustang tied the game at 31-31 early in the third quarter. Over the next five minutes, North took the lead but the Lady Broncos stayed close as the teams traded scores. North led, 38-37, with 4:08 left in the third quarter.
Seniors Nykaiya Dillard and Brandie Harrod helped North with a big push to the title. The duo scored 10 straight points and the Lady Panthers lead was 48-37 with 1:19 left.
After Harrod’s second free throw missed following the 10-0 run, North grabbed the rebound. Senior Auhnesty Hawkins was fouled on a putback bucket. Hawkins, who came off the bench for North, drilled the free throw with 1:14 left and Mustang’s energy on the floor and in the stands disappeared with North leading 51-37.
Mustang senior Mya Alston answered with a 3-point play on the other end but the Lady Broncos wouldn’t get closer than 10 points for the rest of the contest.
After a tight first half, Putnam City North coach Logan Martin wanted her team to get back to what they do best in the second half.
“Really work hard defensively and offensively they’re trying to slow us down, so really push the ball in transition and play our game,” Martin said of her message to her team at halftime.
Harrod and Dillard each scored 18 points. Harrod added 10 rebounds, a blocked shot and a steal. Dillard had nine rebounds, four assists and three steals. Dillard scored 13 of her total in the second half.
Senior Nini Geretta added 11 points on 4-of-7 shooting from the field. Geretta dished out five assists and had three steals.
Martin said that Geretta doesn’t always lead in scoring but makes a difference.
“She is our leader on the court and settles everybody down and I’m just really proud of her,” Martin said of the Geretta.
Junior Kiana Gray finished with nine points and three rebounds.
Senior Raya Shawareb had six points off the bench. Shawareb had three rebounds, three assists and two steals.
The Lady Panthers shot 46 percent from the field (52 percent in the second half alone). North outrebounded Mustang, 41-27.
The Lady Broncos shot 35 percent for the game and struggled in the second half, hitting just 6-of-22 from the field.
Martin was pleased that this team was the first squad to win a girls basketball state title for the school.
“They’ve accomplished so much, and I’ve had some of these girls here four years have been through the ups and the downs, and so just to see them come up on top is amazing,” Martin said.
For Dillard, watching the seconds count down was bittersweet because of how she feels about her teammates.
“On the sweet side, I’m a state champion, but on the bitter side, this is my senior near year and I’ll never get to like play with this team ever again. I love that team so much.”
Dillard will play in college at Southwestern Illinois College, a junior college.
For Harrod, who came to North from Millwood for senior year, the title capped off her only season as a Lady Panther.
“Just being able to come to a team that can win and have that potential to win and being able to win as well, it’s just an amazing opportunity.”
DOMINANT SEASON BY THE NUMBERS
In 30 games, the Lady Panthers had just two games decided by five points or less, including their lone loss to Norman, 65-62, Dec. 14. The other close game was North’s 44-42 win over Norman Feb. 4. North had just five games decided by 10 points or less.
North averaged 69.1 points a game for the season with opponents averaged 41.5 points for an average margin of victory of 27.6 points.
In the playoffs, North turned it up to 77.3 points a contest while holding opponents to 46.8 points a game.
Before the Norman loss, the Lady Panthers opened the season with an eight-game winning streak. North finished the season on a 21-game winning streak.
The state title was North’s seventh girls state title. The school has three girls state titles in tennis (2001-2003) and three titles in cheerleading (2006, 2008-09). It marks the school’s 11th team title overall since the school opened in 1978.
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | F | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mustang (25-6) | 7 | 21 | 15 | 5 | 48 |
| Putnam City North (29-1) | 15 | 16 | 22 | 12 | 65 |
PUTNAM CITY NORTH – Brandie Harrod 18, Nykaiya Dillard 18, Nini Geretta 11, Kiana Gray 9, Raya Shawareb 6, Auhnesty Hawkins 3.
2025 OKLAHOMA CLASS 6A GIRLS
STATE BASKETBALL TOURNAMENT
TUESDAY, March 11, 2025 (At Jim Norick Arena)
Norman 46, Union 45
Mustang 63, Bixby 47
Putnam City North 74, Sapulpa 49
Broken Arrow 72, Edmond Memorial 54
FRIDAY, March 14, 2025 (At Yukon High School)
Mustang 55, Norman 43
Putnam City North 64, Broken Arrow 47
SATURDAY, March 15, 2025 (At Jim Norick Arena)
Putnam City North 65, Mustang 48 (Championship Game)
2024-2025 PUTNAM CITY NORTH LADY PANTHERS
| # | NAME | GR |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nini Geretta | SR |
| 3 | Brandie Harrod | SR |
| 4 | Richiya Miller | SO |
| 5 | Raya Shawareb | SR |
| 11 | Madaline McDonald | SR |
| 14 | ONaiya Scales | SR |
| 15 | Kate Ferguson | FR |
| 20 | Demy Howard | SO |
| 21 | Tehlia Kutsoati | JR |
| 22 | Nykaiya Dillard | SR |
| 24 | Kiana Gray | JR |
| 35 | Jacklyn Tonkumoh | SR |
West Metro Sports 