By Trey Hunter
Sports Editor
EL RENO – Piedmont may not have walked out of Jenks Simmons Fieldhouse with first-place hardware, but the Wildcats did leave with a boost of confidence.
The Cats entered the 2019 Class 5A Regional Tournament championship game Saturday as underdogs, having already lost to No. 4 El Reno twice this season. But they weren’t focused on the past.
Even after a 19-7 run by El Reno in the second quarter that slammed the door shut on a five-point lead Piedmont had built through the first, the Wildcats fired back, opening the second half with an 8-1 run to pull within one. A 25-14 run by the Indians led to a loss for Wil Scofield’s team, but the group takes away the positives.
“We’re doing things that are allowing us to play with good teams,” Piedmont’s first-year coach said. “It’s giving us a chance, the things we’ve talked about like controlling things we can control. It’s offensive rebounds, turnovers, finding each other on the offensive end. Those are the things that will keep you in games.”
The Wildcats played clean on the offensive end, turning the ball over just eight times. They also held El Reno to just seven offensive rebounds and seven second-chance points. In the two games earlier this season against the Indians, Piedmont turned it over 23 times and gave up 33 offensive boards.
“Mainly it’s those two things,” Scofield said, pointing to defense and keeping opponents off the offensive glass. “It allowed us to have a chance in the second half Saturday. It’s a big positive to take away from the game.”
Senior Dylan Hahn led the team offensively and defensively, scoring 18 points with three steals. Senior Hunter Oden and junior Doran Hillman each chipped in 11 points and combined for 11 rebounds.
The Wildcats knocked off Woodward, 74-65 in the opening round of the tournament. They again controlled the boards, allowing just six offensive rebounds to the Boomers and forced 16 turnovers. Hahn again led the team with a game-high 30 points in the win. Oden scored 18 and Hillman dropped 12 points. The trio combined for 13 rebounds and six takeaways.
Scofield is pleased with how his team has performed in the second half of the season and down the stretch. Piedmont started the year 1-6 and key players dropped from the squad, but the Cats bounced back to go 12-5 in the second semester.
“It shows a lot about this team’s character to fight through that,” Scofield said of the rough start to the year. “It wasn’t easy. It was a constant battle to keep fighting. That’s a testament to the group of guys we have.
“Honestly, it’s a different group and it says a lot about them for staying on board. I’m proud of how far they’ve come and now we have a chance to make this a great story.”
The Wildcats now turn their focus to Santa Fe South. The two teams square off Friday in a must-win scenario. The winner moves on to face either No. 2 Del City or No. 7 Lawton MacArthur Saturday for a spot in the 2019 Class 5A State Tournament.
“I think anybody responds to that with a little more motivation,” Scofield said of how his team takes on the challenge of competing with its back against the wall. “They’ve (Santa Fe South) got a good team and couple of athletic guards. We’re going to have to play well to win for sure. We’re preparing for a dog fight the rest of the way.”
Piedmont and Santa Fe South tip off at 8 p.m. Friday at Norman. The following game is scheduled for 6:30 p.m., also at Norman.
