Putnam City West squeaks by Muskogee 65-64 in OT victory in PCI

<p>In the opening round of the Putnam City Invitational, Putnam City West continued its early season success with an exhilarating win over [player_tooltip player_id="1169885" first="Javontae" last="Campbell"] and Muskogee. An action-packed game full of defense, Carlsheon Young stepped up for the Patriots hugely. Not once, but twice.</p> <p><strong>SLOW START</strong></p> <p>A sloppy start to begin the game put both teams at a disadvantage when seeking confidence. Turnovers from both teams plagued themselves offensively. Though, you can almost always bet on PCW’s [player_tooltip player_id="1295731" first="Jordan" last="Warrior"] to lay his body on the line with a gritty defensive play as he did just that, along with a tough finish to get the Patriots’ offense rolling. On the other side, Muskogee’s [player_tooltip player_id="1169885" first="Javontae" last="Campbell"] was just getting started with seven points in the first quarter.</p> <p><strong>CAMPBELL HEATS UP</strong></p> <p>Campbell’s ability to sway the direction of a game was prevalent in this matchup, finishing the contest with an astounding 33 points. Campbell controlled the whole game but most specifically in the second quarter. With pesky hands on defense and 10 points on the offensive end, Campbell helped his team out to a comfortable 8-point lead early in the second quarter, 24-16. With Campbell yet to come out of the contest, Muskogee locked up defensively and forced the Patriots’ offense to scramble.</p> <p><strong>WEST COMEBACK</strong></p> <p>Of course, what seems the inevitable, West stormed back into the game late in the second quarter and kept it pushing into the third. West’s [player_tooltip player_id="955396" first="Corey" last="Gordon"] controlled the majority of the third quarter, finishing some high difficulty layups around the rim after converting an and-one earlier in the contest. Gordon scored 7-of-12 points for the Patriots in the quarter and got the Roughers on their heels. West would eventually take the lead 44-41 going into the fourth.</p> <p><strong>NECK AND NECK FOURTH QUARTER</strong></p> <p>Multiple players for each team contributed in the fourth. Campbell, held to only four in the quarter relied on teammates Braylin Reed and Sam Hiner to help put points up on the board. Reed was Campbell’s supporting scorer throughout the contest, racking up 14 points on the day. Though, Reed only scoring two in the fourth aided the Patriots in preventing a comeback. For the Patriots, senior [player_tooltip player_id="964490" first="Elijah" last="James"] scored six with freshman Carlsheon Young hitting a massive three to tie the game 54-54 with 32 seconds left. West later held Muskogee to head into overtime. </p> <p><strong>STUNNING OVERTIME</strong></p> <p>Campbell was ready to go, beginning the overtime period with a contact layup and stare down on [player_tooltip player_id="1295731" first="Jordan" last="Warrior"]. Though, strong defense by [player_tooltip player_id="1295731" first="Jordan" last="Warrior"] thwarted Campbell’s attempts to bully him inside for the majority of the overtime. Offensively, PCW’s Gordon was not backing down as he came down the court to hit a pull-up jumper. A rebound by the Roughers and a layup attempt swatted by PCW’s Boomer Barnes got the gym on its feet. With the Patriots’ aggressive defense, Muskogee continued to get to the free throw stripe. Senior Keondre Johns knocked down both free throws to bring the score to 64-60. Gordon laid the ball in on the other end, leading West to force a travel on Muskogee to get the ball back. With the crowd full of anticipation, Carlsheon Young drove hard through the lane for a thrilling and-one opportunity. 64-64, Young had the chance to take the victory. Young did just that, sinking the free throw as Keondre Johns hurriedly heaved a prayer and missed, bringing cheering West fans to their feet. The victory meant the Patriots would play in the semifinal game against the Moore Lions on Friday, continuing their season with only one loss.</p>