By Blake Colston
Sports Editor
EDMOND – There are painful ways to lose and then there’s how Piedmont’s season came to an end Saturday night at Edmond North High School.
El Reno’s Diante Palmer banked in the game-winning 3-pointer as time expired to lift the Indians to a 47-46 victory over Piedmont, which sent El Reno to the state tournament and ended the Wildcats’ season.
Palmer finished with a game-high 17 points for El Reno (18-7). Freshman Hudson Hite and senior Colton Sydnes each scored 13 for Piedmont.
“At the end of the game, the ball didn’t bounce our way,” Piedmont head coach Brandon Jackson said. “We put ourselves in a position to win and El Reno made a great shot.”
Seconds before Palmer’s heroics, PHS junior point guard Ethan Holliday gave the Wildcats a 45-42 lead with a 3-pointer of his own as the lead switched sides eight times in the fourth quarter.
ONIONS! Ethan Holliday w/ a 3-pointer to put Piedmont in front. Wildcats lead 45-44 w/ 18.2 remaining. #OKpreps pic.twitter.com/ViAx5sF5ts
— Blake Colston (@CBlakeColston) March 5, 2023
Hite drained four shots from beyond the arc and connected on back-to-back 3-pointers in the fourth quarter that seesawed the advantage back to Piedmont each time.
“We’ve got some big-time players that can make big-time plays,” Jackson said. “That’s what we did at the end of the game. We made a lot of great plays, El Reno just had the ball last and we didn’t have any time to counter what they did.”
El Reno wins it 47-46. #OKpreps pic.twitter.com/2iFLLtpUjF
— Blake Colston (@CBlakeColston) March 5, 2023
The Wildcats had a chance to extend their lead to three before El Reno’s final possession but went 1 for 2 at the foul line. Palmer’s final shot was contested by Holliday and appeared long out of his hand. A friendly carom made the difference, though.
“We would love to be in that position 100 times out of 100. Unfortunately, this was the one time it didn’t work out,” Jackson said.
Piedmont, which two seasons ago did not win a game, finished 16-11 in Jackson’s first year at the helm and won the fifth most games in Class 5A this season. The Wildcats were aiming for their first state tournament appearance since 2014, and although they fell agonizingly short of that goal, the future looks promising.
“Most people didn’t even expect us to be playing in this game,” Jackson said. “That’s all the credit to these young men for playing hard. I’m really proud of them.”
The ‘Cats will lose Syndes and fellow seniors Jeremiah Weay, Blaine Taylor and Carson Hamon to graduation, but Walker Kennedy, Hite, Holliday and Connor Beard are all set to return in 2024, when Piedmont makes its jump to Class 6A.
“I told the seniors in the locker room, they are the foundation of the turnaround we’ve had and are going to continue to have here,” Jackson said. “I wish we could get one more game with them, but I’m very proud of them and I appreciate them for letting me come in their senior year and coach them up.”
