YUKON — Putnam City North surged past Broken Arrow in the third quarter for a 64-47 win Friday (March 14), sending the Lady Panthers to their first state championship game in school history.

Putnam City North coach Logan Martin was happy for her squad and the work they’ve put in this season.

“This group is really special so I’m happy that they’re making school history,” Martin said via phone.

North (28-1) led from nearly start to finish but the Lady Tigers (26-3) stayed relatively close in the first half. The Lady Panthers led 31-25 at halftime.

At halftime, Martin told her team,” ‘The tougher team’s gonna win.’ It’s not gonna get easier,” Martin recalled.

North widened the lead in the third quarter with its signature full-court defensive pressure and by starting fast-breaks off of turnovers and rebounds.

Broken Arrow was without senior guard Macy Marraccini due to injury and that played into the Lady Panthers’ strategy.

“We really knew that would kind of cut into their their depth and their ball handling, so we really wanted to make it a full-court game and pressure and wear them down,” Martin said.

North had 11 steals and Broken Arrow turned the ball over 21 times. North got 22 points off of Lady Tiger turnovers.

Junior Kiana Gray scored 18 points with two 3-pointers. Gray had three rebounds and four steals. She hit 6-of-8 from the free throw line.

Senior Nini Geretta added 15 points on 4-of-7 shooting (2-of-3 from the 3-point line. Geretta added three rebounds, three assists and three steals.

Martin praised Geretta’s defense, who had the task of guarding Broken Arrow senior McKenzie Mathurin, a Michigan signee. Martin also was happy with Geretta on the offensive end.

“(Geretta) just does a great job of handling pressure and makes it easier for everybody else in the court because she can handle the ball so well,” Martin said.

Fellow senior Nykaiya Dillard had 13 points and eight rebounds. Dillard was 5-of-6 from the free throw line.

Another senior, Brandie Harrod, followed with 12 points and nine rebounds. She also had two assists, a blocked shot and a steal.

“She really just helps us in our full court press and on the boards so it’s it’s hard to replace that,” Martin said of Harrod.

Sophomore Demy Howard had four points and three rebounds.

Senior Raya Shawareb had two points, five rebounds and two steals. Shawareb’s bucket in the fourth quarter help North widen the lead enough that Broken Arrow was forced to foul the Lady Panthers as time waned.

“I thought that last layup made me give me a little peace with where the game was. That was big,” Martin said.  

Martin also highlighted Jacklyn Tonkumoh. The senior had four rebounds and a blocked shot.

“It may not show up on a stat sheet but she played really physical,” Martin said. “We were struggling to box out and she came in and really played well for us.”

North struggled again from the free throw line, hitting 22-of-38, good for 57.9 percent.

Mathurin scored a game-high 31 points and had eight rebounds. She finished her high school career with over 2,000 points.

UP NEXT

Putnam City North meets Mustang (25-5) for the championship Saturday (March 15) at 12:30 p.m.

The Lady Broncos knocked off Norman Friday, 55-43.

North beat Mustang, 78-59, in the area championship game March 6.

“I just keep reiterating to our girls that (the earlier) game doesn’t matter,” Martin said. “This is the championship game. Everybody’s gonna be at their best and we know they’re really physical so we’ve gotta be prepared for that once again, be ready to box out and win the rebounding battle for sure.” 

The Lady Panthers have had just two games decided by five points or less, including their lone loss to Norman, 65-62, Dec. 14. North has had five games decided by 10 points or less.

	1	2	3	4	F
Broken Arrow (26-3)	12	13	8	14	47
Putnam City North (28-1)	19	12	14	19	64

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 vs. Mustang, 12:30 p.m. (Championship Game)