Norman Girls’ Basketball: “We’re Still Here”
Myka Perry said she never doubted that Norman would pull the win out. “We’ve been in that position multiple times, including this year and last year,” Perry said, “so that doesn’t really phase us.” Myka Perry But when the defending…
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Continue ReadingMyka Perry said she never doubted that Norman would pull the win out.
“We’ve been in that position multiple times, including this year and last year,” Perry said, “so that doesn’t really phase us.”
Myka PerryBut when the defending State Champions faced a 12-point deficit in the closing minutes of the Joe Lawson Memorial Invitational Championship, most may have thought the consequences facing the Lady Tigers bleak.
Especially when their adversary, a top-25 ranked Northside (Ar.) team, boasted a top-20 prospect in junior UConn target Jersey Wolfenbarger.
But in the closing seconds of the match, Perry shrugged off the intrigue; the daunting task the Tigers had accomplished in scoring 9 unanswered points in 90 seconds.
Instead, Perry elected against hesitation, but instead dribbled the ball past a Northside defender before arriving at her destination two feet beyond the 3-point-line.
Kelbie WashingtonDisregarding caution, the sophomore flicked off a shot eclipsing the range of most players in non-desperation moments, let alone the most pertinent point of the game. The arena fell to a hush, until. . .
Splash.
The Norman faithful erupted to a fever pitch that lasted the entirety of the overtime period. Time ran out for the Bears, securing a 66-61 win for the Tigers.
“[Our] girls had a lot of fight, man,” Neal said. “I can’t say enough about how hard they pushed when the odds were stacked against them.”
It’s no wonder that the top-ranked Tigers had a chip on their shoulder in those indispensable moments of the game.
Mikayla ParksEarlier that week, Norman had taken an upset to Deer Creek; a 71-77 loss to the twelfth-ranked Antlers.
And while Perry shined in the most pivotal moment of the game, it’s no question that the biggest chip rested upon the shoulders of Kelbie Washington, who finished with 21 points in the win and a slew of fourth-quarter steals that propelled the comeback.
“We’re a defensive team and that’s the thing we do best,” Washington said. “I mean just making sure that we don’t foul and everything good will happen for us.”
For her efforts, Washington was named the Most Valuable Player of the tournament; and for good reason. Washington was electrifying all weekend as she tore through her opponents.
Chantae EmbryBut it was her brilliance in that fourth quarter that reminded all just how good Norman really is.
As many teams predicate their play upon the talents of a lone superstar, the Tigers are loaded with talent who each get their share of the ball.
Washington leads the floor, and, in the full-court press, dominates opposing ball-handlers.
Perry, meanwhile, typically floats the perimeter or brings the ball up the floor before launching deep shots or taking the ball to the hole.
Chantae Embry, a top-five 2021 prospect in the state, is a matchup nightmare for the Tigers in the paint. She was near-unstoppable in the championship game.
The icing on the cake is Mikayla Parks; a heady, athletic guard who can handle the ball as well as anybody.
Despite falling to no. 2 in the coaches’ poll Monday, it’s no question that Norman can play with anybody, and if you need proof, go see the Tigers’ four-headed monster.
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