By Scott Hansen
MaxPreps.com
OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla. - For the second time in four days, Putnam City got neighborhood bragging rights. Just like last time, junior Xavier Henry had his way with Class 6A rival Putnam City North, on Tuesday for a 70-53 victory over the Panthers.
Top-ranked Putnam City sprinted out to a 38-20 lead at halftime behind 16 first-half points from Henry, and never looked back. In the championship game of the Putnam City Invitational over the past weekend, the Pirates blasted PC North, 73-61.
Just 16 seconds into the game, Henry made his presence known. As Putnam City North guard Dennon Mitchell drove to the basket, the 6-foot-6 guard pinned his lay-up attempt against the backboard. Not bad for a shooting guard.
With 7:21 remaining in the first quarter, Henry scored the first of his game-high 28 points. Henry, regarded as one of the top players nationally, added another block on a Brentrell Friday dunk attempt later in the opening period of play.
Putnam City, which moved to 15-1 on the season, set the tone early with its full-court pressure. The Pirates forced 11 first half turnovers en route to their 18-point halftime lead.
"We have been practicing hard lately. We really wanted to come out and make another statement. Putnam City North is a good team, so it was important for us to play well," Henry said.
Henry is not the only cog in the Putnam City wagon. 6-5 forward Brandon Jackson is the only senior in the starting line-up. Along with Henry, Tyler Earls, Garen Wright, and Joy Williamson are all juniors. All are over 6-2, and they can all play.
"We have a hard working group of players. Xavier trusts his teammates. We are a family, and that's important for our team," Putnam City head coach A.D. Burtschi said.
The combination of guards Friday and Mitchell struggled from the field thanks to relentless defense pressure. Mitchell, who averaged over 18 points per game as a junior last season, scored his first field goal with 5:07 left in the third quarter. Friday also struggled before picking up steam in the fourth quarter with the game already decided to finish with 16 points.
Henry, as his head coach indicated, trusts his teammates.
"A lot of people assume we are a one-man team. That is not the case at all. Everybody on the team knows their roles. We really have been doing a good job in shutting people down and getting victories," Henry said.
Henry also added a team-high nine rebounds, four of them of the offensive variety, three blocks, three steals and three assists. Wright chipped in with 10 points for the Pirates, while Jackson had the dunk of the night with a high-flying two-handed jam in the second quarter.
Putnam City North fell the 8-3 on the season with the loss. Aside from the two losses to Putnam City, the Panthers dropped a decision early in December to Edmond Santa Fe.
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | - | F |
| Putnam City North (8-3) | 13 | 7 | 13 | 20 | - | 53 |
| Putnam City (15-1) | 22 | 16 | 17 | 15 | - | 70 |
Scoring
PCN: Friday 16, Mitchell 7, Veazey 5, Jordan 2, Johnson 12, McGee 6, Schooley 4, Smith 1
PC: Henry 28, Wright 10, Jackson 9, Earls 4, Williamson 5, Gibson 5, Germany 2, Lester 4, Conway 2, Armstrong 1
