OKLAHOMA CITY — Both Putnam City and Putnam City West entered their rivalry matchup in desperate need of a win after a tough season.

The Patriots led for most of the first 2 1/2 quarters but the Pirates rallied for a 44-39 win Friday (Jan. 16) in a 6A-1 contest.

Putnam City coach Porsche’ Young said winning a rivalry game against their sister school “make it that much more sweeter.”

“For them to come out and just get a taste of what winning feels like, and to have a grind out game, I think that’s something that we needed.”

Putnam City (2-11, 1-6) took its first lead since the first quarter on a 3-pointer from sophomore Ann-Favor Johnson with 2:13 left in the third quarter.

For the next six minutes of game action, the Patriots were playing catchup but the deficit stayed in double digits.

SCHOOL	PC DISTRICT RECORD
Putnam City	1-0
Putnam City North	0-0
Putnam City West	0-1

West senior Kimya Bullard scored a bucket that re-took the lead, 38-37, with 3:39 left in the game. Bullard later split a pair of free throws to extend the lead to two points. She scored four of her six points in a 5-0 Patriot run.

With 1:13 left, Bullard and Pirate freshman D’Najah Jarrell scrambled for a loose ball and Bullard was tagged with a foul. Jarrell hit both free throws to tie the game at 39-39.

Original’s Isabella Martinez sank a catch-and-shoot trey from the near corner with 41 seconds left and the Pirates regained the lead, 42-39. The junior had two 3-pointers and scored 10 of her 12 points in the second half.

Bullard had a chance to cut the lead back to a point, but missed a layup. West didn’t foul PC right away as the clock ran. Bullard finally fouled Jarrell with three seconds left. Jarrell hit both free throws to seal the win.

“It was a fight,” Young said of the second-half rally. “I told them that if we want it, we gotta go take it. 
I feel like they took that to the heart. They came out, they were disciplined, for the most part.”

Jarrell scored a game-high 15 points. She hit a 3-pointer and was a perfect 8-of-8 from the free throw line.

The Pirates were 12-of-20 from the stripe. Young said that was their best performance all season.

“We talk about the three games within the game. For us, it’s the free throws, turnovers, and rebounds, and you win those three, you’re about to win the game. So tonight, we did just that,” Young said.

Sophomore center Jordan Kirk scored seven points, with two buckets in the fourth quarter.

“I thought she was a lot more aggressive than I’ve seen her all year, and that’s what we’ve been wanting from Jordan,” Young said.

Johnson scored four points.

Junior Destini Stewart also had four points, all in the first half but Young said her work on the boards was crucial, especially for a team that struggles with rebounding.

“She saved us a lot on the offense by going in and crashing, and just being that cleanup person for us.”

WEST COULD TASTE THE VICTORY

Putnam City West coach Kennedi Simien said she was proud of her team and that they “fought from beginning to the end.”

“I think this was their first taste of, “We can win,” Simien said. “After the game there was emotion. It was good to see that they still have that, okay, we care (attitude).”

Simien said having a late lead and being in a close game were steps in the right direction, but late turnovers kept them from sealing the win.

“Honestly, a lot of teams want to speed us up,” Simien said. “We don’t have the guards that handle the ball really well . . . So we’ve been trying to just emphasize to lower the game down.”

West sophomore Victoria Martinez scored 13 points with three treys. Martinez was held scoreless in the fourth quarter. Bullard and freshman Caitlyn Alexander each scored six points. Alexander had half of her points in the fourth quarter before fouling out midway through the quarter.

Simien praised sophomore Tiarnee Johnson, who’s dealt with inconsistency.

I think she showed a lot of promise. She’s been progressing,” Simien said of Johnson. “Honestly, I jokingly say that she’s she’s getting better on accident, ’cause she’s showing up.

“That’s just the first piece I tell them all the time, just show up. Just show up, be here. We’ll take care of the rest.”

UP NEXT

West (2-15, 0-7) hosts Lawton Eisenhower in another 6A-1 contest Tuesday (Jan. 20) at 6 p.m.

The Pirates (2-11, 1-6) host Norman North Tuesday at 6 p.m. for another 6A-1 game.

Norman North beat Eisenhower, 47-44, Friday.

	1	2	3	4	F
Putnam City (2-11, 1-6)	7	8	17	12	44
Putnam City West (2-15, 0-7)	6	13	10	10	39