By Trey Hunter
Sports Editor
NORMAN – Hunter Oden drilled a deep three-pointer as all but half of a second ticked off the clock Friday night.
Unfortunately for the senior and the No. 15 Wildcats, it wasn’t enough as Piedmont needed four to tie in a 48-47 loss to No. 14 Santa Fe South in the first round of 2019 Class 5A Area Tournament consolation bracket.
After jumping out to a 8-2 run to start the game, Piedmont didn’t relinquish its lead for over 27 minutes until senior guard Fernando Lopez drilled a three-pointer with 3:26 remaining to give Santa Fe South a 42-40 lead. The Saints never looked back, going on an 8-0 run before the Cats attempted to mount a comeback.
Piedmont controlled the game in the first half, jumping out to a 15-8 lead after the first quarter and a 26-19 lead at halftime. However, the team’s shots stopped falling at the wrong time. The Cats shot just 29-percent (6-for-21) from the field in the second half while Santa Fe South caught fire, going 8-for-15 down the stretch, including a 4-for-4 run in the fourth quarter.
Oden and senior Dylan Hahn tried spurring the Wildcats late, combining for all 11 of the team’s points in the final eight minutes. Oden finished with a game-high 24 points while Hahn finished with 13. Senior Kameron Birmingham chipped in nine points and junior Doran Hillman scored one.
The Saints also caught fire beyond the arc while Piedmont fell ice cold.
Santa Fe South shot 9-for-21 from three-point range while the Wildcats shot just 8-for-26, including just three makes in the second half. Oden went 6-for-14 from deep, but the rest of the team combined to go just 2-for-9.
Each team turned the ball over less than 15 times and played to a 21-21 stalemate on the boards. Santa Fe South senior Elijah Hollins finished with a game-high 10 rebounds. Oden led the Wildcats with six boards while Hahn, Birmingham and junior Jarod Heath each grabbed four.
Piedmont finishes its season going 13-11 after starting with a 1-6 run through the first semester. The Wildcats won the 2019 Bethany Tournament and finished the regular season winning six of their last seven games before knocking off Woodward in the first round of the regional tournament.
