Oklahoma 6A boys quarterfinals: Owasso takes care of business against Norman High, 60-48
NORMAN, OKLAHOMA - Jalen Montonati started slowly against Norman High on Wednesday inside Lloyd Noble Center.
Montonati, who came in averaging 24 points per game for the Rams, had six points at halftime. But Owasso had a 27-17 advantage because teammates Jax Kerr (9) and Boden Williams (7) picked up the slack with 16 points between them.
Montonari saved his best for the second half and finished with 20 points and 11 rebounds in a 60-48 win.
The Rams will play Broken Arrow on Friday morning for a spot in Saturday’s Class 6A title game.
Kerr added 16 points and seven rebounds for Owasso (24-4), which outrebounded the Tigers, 31-20, and outscored Norman, 22-14, in the paint. Williams contributed nine points and three steals.
Owasso coach Brian Montonati said Kerr, Williams and Gabe Patterson (five points, eight rebounds) are key pieces for the Rams.
“We understand that Jax has got to be dominant,” Montonati said. “Boden does so many things for our team that the average basketball person doesn’t understand. He typically guards the best guard, he runs our offense, he’s got to take care of the ball. He’s got to be a coach on the court.
"When Jax gets going, I feel like we are a team that’s going to be tough to deal with.”
Norman (21-6) was led by Beau Billingsley, who scored 16 points. Trashaun Combs-Pierce, the Tigers’ 6-foot-8 forward, was limited to eight points in 19 minutes of play and fouled out with 2:37 left in the game.
The Tigers, who trailed by as many as 16 points in the third quarter, cut the deficit to 55-48 with 1:57 left in the game on three free throws by Billingsley.
That was as close as the Tigers got, however.
Broken Arrow 64, Tulsa Union 38
Diego Ochoa scored 17 points and Aciyon Clemons added 12 as Broken Arrow rolled to a 64-38 win over Union on Wednesday.
David Howell contributed 11 points and six rebounds for Broken Arrow, which held Union to 19 points in the first half and outscored the Redhawks, 23-8, in the third quarter to put the game away.
Broken Arrow (21-8) will face Owasso on Friday morning for the right to play for a 6A championship Saturday.
The Tigers, who led by as many as 27 points, shot 60% from the field (24-of-40) and 46.7% from 3-point range (7-of-15).
Miles Flemons had 13 points and seven rebounds to lead Union, which shot 39.5% from the field (15-of-38) and made just one of nine shots from beyond the arc (11.1%).
Edmond Memorial 54, Edmond Deer Creek 49
Ciaran Pedulla scored 15 points and Hudson Franz added nine of his 11 points in the second half as Edmond Memorial rallied to beat Deer Creek on Wednesday at Lloyd Noble Center.
The Bulldogs trailed, 45-39, with two minutes left in the third quarter but outscored the Antlers 15-4 the rest of the way to earn a spot in the Class 6A semifinals against two-time defending state champion Edmond North on Friday.
Edmond Memorial improved to 16-7.
“That was a really good basketball team that we just beat,” Edmond Memorial coach Shane Cowherd said. “Some very dynamic scorers over there, some of them just played their last high school basketball game.
“As the game went on, it became more about us, more about us. We were dictating the terms of how the game was going to be played, and that’s important to be able to do that in March.”
Kyle Kougl and Hudson Linsenmeyer each scored 15 points for Deer Creek (21-6), but Kougl was held without a point in the second half.
The teams were tied, 30-all, at halftime. Edmond Memorial pulled even just before the buzzer on a layup by Brady Hancuff.
Kougl scored 15 first-half points for the Antlers, making 6-of-7 shots and all three of his 3-point attempts. Deer Creek made five of six shots from beyond the arc.
Edmond Memorial had more success inside, scoring 20 of its 30 points inside the paint. Pedulla led the Bulldogs with eight points in the first half.
Deer Creek used a 10-0 run to erase a 34-33 deficit in the third quarter and led 43-37 with 2:17 left. Hudson Linsenmeyer provided the spark with seven points during the run, including two 3s.
Edmond Memorial trailed, 45-39, with 1:58 to go in the third but rallied to tie the game 45-all. A 3-pointer by Hudson Franz capped the 6-0 run. The Bulldogs extended the run in the fourth quarter while holding Deer Creek to four points on offense.
Edmond North 55, Westmoore 50
Dylan Warlick had a game-high 23 points and nine rebounds to help two-time defending 6A state champion Edmond North defeat Westmoore.
Chiante Tramble scored 10 points and Bryce Potts added nine for the Huskies (23-3), who face Edmond Memorial in semifinal action Friday morning.
Brothers Gavin (13), Garrett (10) and Grant (9) Loper combined for 32 points to lead Westmoore, which ended its season with a record of 17-11.
Edmond North led 29-26 at halftime and 37-36 after three quarters. The Jaguars tied the game on a 3-pointer by Garrett Loper, who was fouled. He made the free throw to put Westmoore up by one, 40-39, with 5:40 left in the game.
The Bulldogs answered with a layup by Warlick, who got fouled and made the free throw, and a 3 by Potts to lead, 45-42, with 3:51 left. Edmond Memorial extended the lead to 50-42 on a four-point play by Potts, who was fouled on a layup.
Photo of Owasso's Jalen Montonati (1) by Michael Kinney
-- Tim Willert | @SBLiveOK
