By Blake Colston
Sports Editor
EL RENO – As the score tightened and time ticked away late in the fourth quarter Friday night at El Reno, Piedmont did what it does best.
The Lady Wildcats tightened up defensively and relied on their experienced starting lineup to navigate through full court pressure down the stretch to keep hold of a narrow lead.
The game was a half court slug-fest that was within four points for a majority of the night, but the end result was ‘beautiful,’ Eric Carr said after his team’s 39-35 win over the fourth-ranked Lady Indians inside Jenks Simmons Fieldhouse.
“To me it’s beautiful because I thought we were great defensively tonight.” said Carr, who spent 13 years at El Reno and seven as head coach of the Lady Indians. “In my mind, that’s how we’re going to win basketball games against good teams this year.”
No. 11 @LadyWildcats_ go on the road to beat No. 4 El Reno 39-35. Macy Lee and Jillian Crawford sunk some clutch free throws down the stretch. #okpreps pic.twitter.com/MTbPLvxYsf
— Blake Colston (@CBlakeColston) December 17, 2022
Senior Khloe Carr knocked down a pair of 3-pointers and led the way for Piedmont with 12 points while Macy Lee scored nine and Jillian Crawford added seven.
PHS held El Reno (5-2) to only four points in the third quarter then withstood a late charge from the Lady Indians with some key free throws from Crawford and Lee.
“We have a really experienced team,” Carr said. “Had a couple turnovers there late, but we executed and got it done.”
“We can trust them,” Khloe Carr said of Lee, Crawford and point guard Rylee Burnett. “We’ve been in those pressure situations.”
Piedmont’s plan was apparent from the start. The Lady Wildcats’ defense swarmed the paint to limit El Reno’s advantage down low. ERHS point guard Reagan Bugaj scored a team-high 14 points, but was the only Lady Indian in double figures.
“I feel like the post is their strength. They’ve got good guards, but they haven’t shot it really consistent from what I’ve seen,” Carr said. “So I felt like we were going to make their guards beat us, and in the first half they made some shots. In the second half, they struggled a little bit.”
Piedmont (5-2) entered the game ranked outside of the Class 5A Top 10 at No. 11, which gave the Lady ‘Cats some added motivation against their Canadian County rival.
“We knew we belonged up there with them. That was good to prove to everyone,” Khloe Carr said. “And definitely because it was El Reno and they’re our rivals.”
TIP-INS
*The victory snapped Piedmont’s four-game losing streak to the Indians which dated back to Dec. 2020.
*Friday’s game was the 26th time in the last 32 games that Piedmont has held its opponent to under 50 points.
*Piedmont will return to the floor Jan. 3 at home against Lawton Mac.
BOYS GAME
El Reno 54, Piedmont 47
No. 6 El Reno got a key 3-pointer late in the fourth quarter from Alex Elizondo, who finished with a game-high 16 points, as the Indians used a late run to stave off a young, but talented PHS squad.
ERHS outscored seventh-ranked Piedmont 14-7 in the final four minutes after Wildcats’ freshman Hudson Hite drained a 3-pointer to tie the game at 40 with 4:01 to play.
“There are some growing pains. We lost a lot of players from last year,” first-year head coach Brandon Jackson said of playing five new starters this season. “We lost this game because we’re still learning and growing and learning how to win.”
Hite finished with 14 points. Walker Kennedy, a sophomore, chipped in with 13. The duo combined to drain five 3-pointers in the second half with four from Hite and one from Kennedy.
“Hudson hit some big time shots in the fourth quarter and he’s prepared for that. He’s mature for his age,” Jackson said. “Same with Walker… we’re growing as a team and getting better.”
Piedmont (5-2) led 12-4 after the first quarter, but El Reno (6-1) sped up the pace on offense to open the second quarter and hit the ‘Cats with a 12-0 spurt as Piedmont went silent against the Indians’ zone defense.
“They’re a really good team. We showed we can play with them and they’re one of the best teams in the state,” Jackson said. “We had our moments and chances. Even though we made some mistakes, we know we can play with the best.”
PHS senior Jeremiah Weay was limited to six points after sitting out a large portion of the first half with two fouls. Piedmont was outscored 16-4 in the second quarter.
“He’s our engine and it hurt not having him out there. He’s a freaking good basketball player,” Jackson said.
