Oklahoma high school girls basketball: Norman North, Del City earn triple-OT playoff wins

As fans filed out of Putnam North’s gym, Seleh Harmon sat alone on the bench to catch her breath and rest her newly healed leg.

“I’m just really tired,” Harmon said. “And I’m really glad we ended up getting the win after three overtimes.”

She succinctly described the Norman North girls basketball team’s playoff opener: exhausting but rewarding.

The Timberwolves claimed a 72-70 triple-overtime victory against crosstown rival Norman on Tuesday night, advancing to a 3:30 p.m. Friday matchup with host Putnam North. The winner will automatically advance to the Class 6A West area tournament, while Norman (14-9) will meet Lawton in a Friday elimination game at 2 p.m.

Through seven periods of basketball, junior guard Harmon summoned the energy to lead the Timberwolves with 31 points. She also took on a daunting defensive assignment, spending portions of the game guarding fellow junior star Keeley Parks, who finished with 32 points but had to attempt some tough shots.

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Harmon’s contributions would have stood out at any point in the season, and the timing magnified her feats.

It was only her second game back from an injury.

“That’s just heart,” said Norman North coach Al Beal. “That’s one thing you cannot question about Seleh is her heart and her commitment to the game and her team.

“She’s an all-around player, and that’s what I tell every (college) coach that calls me.”

For 10 games, the Timberwolves (10-12) had to play without Harmon. She said she pulled her right hamstring about a month and a half ago, and her routine has involved constant physical therapy since. In her Feb. 13 return, the Timberwolves endured a crushing 71-49 defeat at the hands of Mustang.

But with Norman’s Crosstown Clash environment traveling to northwest Oklahoma City on Tuesday night, Harmon reacclimated to the game.

“Our student section was great; their student section was great,” Harmon said. “And it really just hyped us up to keep on going in those three overtimes.”

The Timberwolves opened the game on a 9-0 run as Norman couldn’t contain them from 3-point range. Although Norman North led most of the way, the Tigers went up 60-56 in the fourth quarter with back-to-back baskets from Mckinzi Maddocks.

Neither side relented.

With Harmon in her face, Parks drained a 3-pointer to take a lead in the second overtime. Then Norman North junior guard Olivia Watkins, who finished with 22 points, hit a free-throw to force the third overtime. Watkins made three more foul shots, and Lydia Plummer added the final point at the stripe.

“It was really entertaining,” Beal said. “And I’m happy for the fans because the Norman High-Norman North game in the playoffs is special.”

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Putnam North dominates Lawton

Putnam North embraced the chance to host regionals and cruised past Lawton, 89-15, in the opening game.

Alaysia Burrough led the Panthers with 22 points. Nykaiya Dillard and Nevaeh Sanchez followed with 19 each.

The Panthers improved to 19-5, while Lawton fell to 3-20.

Del City 61, Guthrie 57 (3OT)

MIDWEST CITY — Sacha Hunt could feel the pressure kicking in as she stepped to the free throw line.

With Del City leading by two points with 11 seconds remaining, the Eagles star guard chose not to let the moment's intensity phase her. She'd been in similar situations several times before the end of regulation on Tuesday.

Instead, she began to let off a soft chuckle as she awaited the ball from the referee.

"You see," Hunt said with a grin before pausing, "The other team was down for the count. I was smiling because I started thinking to myself, 'Oh, yeah, I was born for this moment.'"

Hunt knocked down free throws in the clutch, leading the Eagles to defeat Guthrie 61-57 in a triple overtime thriller to advance to the second round of the Class 5A girls regional tournament.

The sophomore was stellar all night, scoring a team-high 17 points with seven rebounds and six assists. Hunt's free throws in the final seconds helped lead Del City (13-11, 10 District 5A-2) to its sixth win in its last eight games.

"It's nothing to me every time I get in those moments," Hunt said confidently.

"I know when to flip the switch on and when to flip it off. I know when to be a leader and when to let my other teammates work. So, I just kept reminding them that it was crunch time and it was time to go get after it."

Tuesday's regional action at Carl Albert saw a back-and-forth contest between teams who refused to quit down the stretch. Guthrie guard Mariah Dightman totaled a game-high 27 points while scoring twice in the final seconds to send the game to two extended periods.

The senior first nailed a heavily contested three-pointer to beat the buzzer and send the Bluejays to double overtime. Then, after a timeout from Del City, Dightman put in a layup as time expired to send the game into triple overtime.

Yet, Hunt and the Eagles were able to outlast Guthrie's heroics thanks to the help of junior forward Shelby Thornton, who managed to keep several possessions alive on the glass in the extra periods.

"I knew we were going to come out with the win, but I was mad the game wasn't over yet," said Thornton, who recorded 16 points and 15 rebounds. "We should have beaten them three overtimes ago, but at the end of the day, we fought hard, and I wouldn't want to do it with any other group."

Del City will now take on its crosstown, Mid-Del district rival Carl Albert, who will be playing with home-court advantage on Friday at 3:30 p.m. It'll be the first time all season long that the foes will square off as the winner will automatically advance to the Class 5A West area tournament.

"We've got to stay locked in and focused for the rest of this week," Thornton said. We know that any matchup with Carl Albert will be hard-fought, so we must be ready. And we will be — may the best man win."

Carl Albert routs Southeast to advance

The Titans were anxious to get their playoff run going, and it showed in their 83-33 win over Southeast on Tuesday.

Carl Albert had a well-rounded effort in the scoring department as freshman Piper Mitchell totaled a game-high 11 points off the bench. Audrey Plunkett also added ten points, along with Ausha Moore’s nine.

Southeast will now face off against Guthrie in a 2 p.m. elimination game on Friday.

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Norman North, Del City pick up 3OT wins in girls basketball playoffs