Putnam City West versus Enid: three key questions

<p><span style="font-family: georgia, palatino, serif;">Putnam City West hosted Enid on Friday night for its homecoming game in what turned to be an astonishingly unprecedented outing from the Plainsmen. After trailing for much of the game, Enid stormed back to put itself in the lead in the third quarter and, literally, hung with the Patriots until the final three minutes of the contest. Below are some inquisitions I had while watching the game.</span></p> <hr /> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline; font-family: georgia, palatino, serif;"><strong>Is Putnam City West struggling?</strong></span></p> <p><span style="font-family: georgia, palatino, serif;">Almost certainly, an 8-9 record to start the season was not what Putnam City West prepared for, but, alas, its early season struggles could equate to a breakout in the post-season; with a schedule that includes <em>six </em>out-of-state teams, the Patriots have played one of the most difficult first-half schedule of anybody in 6A. The <em>iron sharpens iron</em> adage may apply to Putnam City West more than anybody. Before the season started, the Patriots appeared to be a sure-fire bet to appear in the State Tournament. In my opinion, nothing has changed. Despite an unattractive record, the Patriots are still one of the best teams in 6A, and their struggles Friday night had less to do with their ability to play and more to do with their adversary.</span></p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline; font-family: georgia, palatino, serif;"><strong>Or are the Plainsmen more than the Patriots bargained for?</strong></span></p> <p><span style="font-family: georgia, palatino, serif;">Perhaps Enid's offensive fire-power, matched with its defensive tenacity, were more indicative of the final score than Putnam City Wests' struggles. A 18-point performance from sophomore Cam Mathis and an additional 15 from Carter Owens caused a difficult task for the Patriots. Contributions from senior point guard Telin Philips on both ends of the floor lent the Plainsmen a more subservient floor general, giving the Patriots grief as they tried to stop all three from playing their part. Philips walked off the floor with hard-earned 14 points, most of which came from steals, pressuring the Patriots to play conservatively on their possession down-the-stretch.</span></p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong><span style="font-family: georgia, palatino, serif;">What is Enid's ceiling?</span></strong></span></p> <p>Salient Friday night was Enid's collective effort on both ends of the floor compliments its skill-set. Even without Cyson Mathis, the Plainsmen hung with one of the most versatile, talented teams in the state. Once Mathis returns from a nagging ankle, it's clear that Enid may be a team to be aware of for the rest of 6A as the post-season approaches.</p> <hr /> <p><span style="font-family: georgia, palatino, serif;">Did we miss something? DM @McKinnisBryce via Twitter.</span></p>