By Trey Hunter
Sports Editor
The Wildcats rallied late in their season-opener, but a slow start ultimately led to a 73-67 loss to Canadian County rival El Reno at Collett Field House Tuesday night.
No. 10 Piedmont outscored the sixth-ranked Indians, 31-17 in the final eight minutes, however the Cats only scored five points in the first quarter, allowing a deficit too wide to overcome.
Coach Will Scolfield’s team won the turnover battle and scrapped defensively, but rebounds and easy buckets led to the loss.
El Reno shot nearly 50-percent from the field, including 45-percent from three-point range on 24 attempts. The Indians also dominated in the post and on the glass, out-rebounding Piedmont 46-24 with 16 offensive rebounds while scoring 28 points in the paint (13-for-23). Dyson Plumley led the way for El Reno with 30 points and 10 boards.
Piedmont relied mostly on defense, scoring 26 points off 27 turnovers, and getting to the charity stripe, scoring 18 points on 24 free-throw attempts. The Cats shot just 35-percent from the field, including just 14 points in the paint. They did shoot over 30-percent from long range, but drilled just seven triples.
Senior Dylan Hahn led the team with 27 points and a team-high six steals. He hit 10 shots from the field, including two from three-point range, and drilled nine free throws. Senior Hunter Oden scored 15 points and pulled down five boards while senior Rylan McDaniel scored nine points with three assists.
El Reno extended its lead in the second quarter, outscoring the Cats 21-16 to enter halftime with a 19-point advantage. They held a 20-point margin going into the final eight minutes after a tight third quarter.
The Cats look to bounce back next Tuesday against third-ranked Carl Albert. It will be the lone meeting scheduled between the two teams with a possible second matchup in the 2019 Carl Albert Tournament in January. The Titans won each of two matchups last season.
Tip-off is scheduled for 8 p.m. following the girls game at Collett Field House.
