Norman North Wins Bishop McGuinness Classic Behind Defense

<p>After the first night of the Bishop McGuinness Tournament, most expected Edmond Memorial and Del City to face off for the championship game on Saturday. Instead, that matchup was the third-place game, while Choctaw and Norman North surprised most by fighting their way to that tournament championship game.</p> <p>In a game that wasn’t predicated on offense like most games today, this game came down to defense and shot selection. Choctaw had the better players, but Norman North out-played Choctaw in the second half, defeating them 59-52.</p> <p>In the first and half of the second quarter, Choctaw showed that they were the most talented team playing tonight. In the minutes before halftime through the rest of the game, Norman North proved that they were the better team, erasing a once 11-point Choctaw lead and flipping that into a seven-point victory.</p> <p>Norman North’s [player_tooltip player_id="745363" first="Jaylon" last="White"] led the charge defensively for the Timberwolves, ripping the ball away from Choctaw three times in the third quarter en route to taking North’s first lead by the end of the third. The rest of the team followed suit.</p> <p>Even then, Choctaw was within striking distance, and honestly, everyone was waiting on the inevitable comeback fueled by Choctaw’s senior leaders [player_tooltip player_id="745371" first="Sean" last="Franklin"] and Raul Nuñez. Instead, Nuñez’s leadership couldn’t will the Yellowjackets to victory once Franklin got in foul trouble and taken out of the contest with 5:20 left to play, down four points.</p> <p>This game was in arms reach for Choctaw until Franklin exited the game. North went on a 7-0 run to go up 11 on the Yellowjackets and had control of the game from that point on.</p> <p>In a game full of defensive stops, Norman North’s [player_tooltip player_id="938870" first="Kayden" last="Carter"] scored a game-high 16 points, followed by 13 points by [player_tooltip player_id="745372" first="Caelin" last="Hearne"]. Choctaw’s [player_tooltip player_id="745371" first="Sean" last="Franklin"] matched Carter’s game-high with 16 points, while [player_tooltip player_id="1015862" first="LJ" last="Gurley"] scored 15, and Ja’Mon Valentine netted three 3s, finishing with 11 points.</p> <p>Both teams that played tonight proved why they should be ranked in the upper-tier of Class 6A, and the Bishop McGuinness tournament may have been their coming out party.</p>