MUSKOGEE — Putnam City North senior Kiana Gray sank a 3-pointer with one second left in double overtime as the Panthers survived a late push from Muskogee, 55-52, Saturday (Jan. 3).

In a key 6A-3 matchup, North and Muskogee were tied at 52 with 20 seconds left in the second extra period. Coming out of a timeout and an inbounds play, the ball got to Gray, who handed the ball off to fellow senior Jayla Constant and and ran to the near corner in front of the Panther bench.

Constant, a UNLV signee, drew a double-team from the Roughers which left Gray all alone. Constant started to pull up for a long trey but passed the ball to Gray for a catch-and-shoot 3-pointer. Gray’s signature high-arcing shot went in just before the buzzer.

Officials later gave Muskogee 1.18 seconds after Rougher coach Eric Holmes called timeout after Gray’s shot.

Muskogee tried a long pass down the court but it got caught up in traffic and the buzzer sounded for the North win.

The Panthers (13-1, 4-0 in 6A-3) had a 30-18 lead at halftime as Constant and fellow senior Da’Nae Jefferson combined for five 3-pointers.

North went cold in the second half and Muskogee senior E’Niyah Holmes got hot. The Lamar signee scored eight of her 14 points in the second half and six more points over the two overtime periods. She hit three 3-pointers. Younger sister, sophomore Elexis Holmes, scored 18 points.

Muskogee (5-3, 3-1) cut North’s lead to 38-33 after three quarters.

The Panthers’ cold streak continued in the fourth quarter. Constant scored with 6:34 left to make it 40-33. North wouldn’t score again until junior Demy Howard’s bucket with 1:10 left. By then, the Panthers had fallen behind. Howard’s points tied the game at 42.

Gray and E’Niyah Holmes exchanged 3-pointers in the first overtime period. E’Niyah Holmes’ trey came with two seconds left to push the game to another period. North senior Paige Williams also had a key bucket with 23 seconds left.

In the second overtime, the Roughers took a 49-47 lead on an E’Niyah Holmes score. Constant scored the next five points with a trey and a layup. E’Niyah Holmes scored a bucket and then hit 1 of 2 free throw shots with 35 seconds left to set up the final sequence.

Constant finished with a game-high 21 points, nine rebounds, four assists, five steals and a block.

Jefferson added 14 points, eight rebounds, two assists and two steals.

Gray was held scoreless in the first half but finished with nine points, two rebounds, two assists and two steals. Gray scored six of her points in the overtime periods.

Williams had eight points, seven rebounds, and assist and two steals.

Besides the key fourth-quarter score, Howard added two rebounds, a steal and a block.

Senior Makiya Moore hit a first-quarter free throw and had three rebounds in the win.

UP NEXT

North (13-1, 4-0) returns home for the first time since Dec.9 when they meet Bartlesville in another 6A-3 contest.

Tipoff is at 6 p.m.

The Bruins (5-3, 1-3) fell to Edmond Santa Fe, 72-57 on Dec. 19.

	1	2	3	4	OT 1	OT 2	F
Putnam City North (13-1, 4-0)	10	20	8	4	5	8	55
Muskogee (5-3, 3-1)	9	9	15	9	5	5	52