By Trey Hunter
Sports Editor
TULSA – Delanie and Regan Crawford hugged, but didn’t say much after checking out Saturday night.
With tears falling, Regan had just three words for little sister after playing the final minutes of her high school career.
“You did it.”
Delanie smiled as Piedmont’s bench, student section and fans began to boil over in excitement.
“We all did it,” she responded.
Moments later, the final second ticked off the clock and the Wildcats stormed the the Mabee Center court, sprinting to the middle of the floor where they dogpiled to celebrate a 56-41 win over tenth-ranked El Reno for the Class 5A state championship.
“It’s been a dream,” Regan Crawford said after receiving her medal and helping her teammates hoist the gold ball. “We’re a family. Not just me and Delanie, but the whole team. We’ve had each other’s backs all season and even here this weekend.
“The first day of team camp I knew it was going to be the best and most fun season. I can’t think of a better way to end it, especially with all these girls. I wouldn’t trade them for anything in the world.”
The Wildcats trailed only after the first basket as the team’s defense set the tone early in the game. They entered the second quarter with a 10-6 lead and extended the advantage to 20-10 at halftime. El Reno made just four baskets in the first half on 25-percent shooting.
“We’ve been good defensively the whole tournament,” Piedmont coach Eric Carr said after the win. “That’s what we hang our hats on. From the get-go this year, I told them we’re going to win because we play defense. We talked about it before the game and at halftime. You’re gong to win with your defense and that’s what they did.”
The two teams stormed out of the gates in the third quarter, combining for more points, 31, than were scored total in the first 16 minutes. Regan Crawford and senior Maci Attalla provided the spark. Attalla scored six of her 10 points in the frame while Crawford chipped in five of her eight.
“We were just out there grinding,” Attalla said. “After getting to where we were, we knew what we needed to do and that was just working hard and playing defense.”
Attalla led the team with seven rebounds and three assists and following the trophy presentations she guided her teammates directly to the student section to share in the victory.
“Our fans have been ridiculous,” she said. “All of our students and pretty much the whole town of Piedmont coming out here meant so much to us. They’re a big reason why we got this far.”
El Reno continued to fight back down the stretch, but the Cats proved too much even late. Delanie Crawford scored 12 of her game-high 22 points as Piedmont closed out the program’s first and only state championship since 1967 with a 19-15 run.
“Yesterday, I have to say I had a pretty bad game,” Crawford said. She scored just one point in the team’s semifinals win over Pryor. “But my teammates, and Regan had my back. Today, I felt like I had to pick it up for them.”
Carr praised his team’s efforts following the game, but also pointed to the group’s ability to set aside individual needs for team success.
“The coolest thing about this team is the culture around it. They’re talented, yes, but there are absolutely zero egos on this team. They love each other. Just to be rewarded for doing it the right way is the coolest thing.”
The Wildcats finished the season 24-4, going undefeated against Class 5A opponents. They won the Bethany Invitational and the Carl Albert Tournament and went 6-0 in postseason play. The team graduates five seniors, including Regan Crawford, Attalla, Maggie Young, Jaymy Foister and Hailey Andrzejewski.
“It’s just amazing,” Attalla said of the senior players capping their high school careers with a state title. “I wouldn’t want to be here with any other girls, especially our last year. I don’t have any words for it.”
