By Blake Colston
Sports Editor
WEATHERFORD – Piedmont had two ways to respond after losing to Yukon 69-67 in its opener at the Weatherford Classic.
The Wildcats could have let one loss turn into two or three in a row. PHS also had the option to win two games and the consolation championship.
As the final seconds ticked away in the third-place game on Saturday, the Wildcats’ choice was clear. Piedmont shook off a slow start with a 16-0 run to close the first quarter and pulled away from Elgin for a 72-49 win, its second victory in as many games.
“You can’t be mad with 2-1 in a tournament,” head coach Brandon Jackson said. “Winning three of four this week, you can’t be mad at that.”
Walker Kennedy scored 15 points to lead five Wildcats in double figures.
“We were all really angry and felt like we should’ve won the (Yukon game),” Kennedy said. “But we had to come back these last two days and play well and we did.”
Colton Sydnes, Hudson Hite, Cam Hainrihar and Jeremiah Weay all scored at least 10 points as PHS made 10 3-point shots.
“We got the ball moving and got open shots and didn’t play selfish,” Kennedy said.
The ‘Cats (8-3) actually trailed Elgin (5-4) 7-2 midway through the first quarter, but after a timeout, Hite drilled a 3-pointer and Kennedy followed with another to give the Wildcats a lead they never relinquished.
Jackson blamed himself for the slow start.
“We’ve had slow starts in multiple games this year. We haven’t figured out why, but I’ll take the blame” he said. “But credit to the boys for taking on the challenge. Just because we start slow doesn’t mean we can’t finish strong.”
Piedmont on Friday beat Clinton 55-41 behind 22 points from Kennedy.
PHS returns to the floor Tuesday as the Wildcats host Woodward.
GIRLS
Midwest City 48, Piedmont 47
Piedmont nearly completed an unlikely rally to beat Class 6A No. 8 Midwest City, but Jillian Crawford‘s shot rattled in and out at the buzzer to keep the Bombers from blowing a 10-point lead with three minutes to play.
Macy Lee led the Lady Wildcats with 15 points and helped spark Piedmont’s rally with back-to-back 3-pointers late in the fourth quarter.
“Macy called her number out of a timeout and said, ‘hey let’s do this,'” head coach Eric Carr said. “We had worked on it a couple of times and she buried a three and then another. Our kids made a lot of game-winning plays down the stretch.”
Sophomore Rylie Burnett, who scored 12 points, followed Lee’s long-range barrage with a conventional 3-point play to cut Midwest City’s lead to 48-47 with 40 seconds to play.
After the Bombers bricked a free throw, Crawford had a chance to win it for the sixth-ranked Lady Wildcats, but her turn around shot from near the free throw line was unlucky.
“Jill made a game-winning play, it just rattled in and out. It was unfortunate,” Carr said.
Midwest City’s Dayanna Douglas was a 6-foot-1 force in the post that Piedmont couldn’t slow down until the final minutes. She scored a game-high 29 points.
Piedmont finished the Weatherford Classic 1-2 after a loss on Friday to Class 4A No. 4 Weatherford, 38-36.
“I’m proud of our kids. They’re going in the right direction and doing the right things to be really good when we need to be,” Carr said. “We will be the best 1-2 team in a tournament this weekend, I can promise you that.”
Piedmont hosts Woodward on Tuesday.
