Boys hoops: Rounduing up a wild day at McGuinness, Putnam City tournaments

When first-round games are this good, I can’t wait to see what the semifinals and finals have in store. I made my way around to McGuinness and Putnam City for opening-round games, and I’ll probably hit both sites again on Friday, while also trying to check in on the action at Bethany.

Here’s the roundup from Thursday night, along with some extra thoughts:

Putnam City pulls out OT win

Putnam City North made a late comeback in regulation, and nearly pulled off another in overtime, but Putnam City was able to hold on for a thrilling 64-62 overtime victory in the first round of the PC Invitational Thursday night.

Ronnie Boyce made a 3-pointer, then Putnam City got buckets from David Bush and Richmarr Smith to build an early lead in the overtime period. PC North’s rally fell short when Panther players missed their final three free throw attempts of the game.

PC North was led by T.J. Jones with 21 points, and Joe Summers added 17.

Juniors Boyce and Bush scored 14 points apiece to lead Putnam City, while sophomore Stephen Edwards had 10, eight of which came after halftime.

PC will face Midwest City in the semifinals at 8 p.m. Friday in a rematch of last year’s PCI championship game, which Midwest City won.

PC West downs Ike

With only one player on the roster taller than 6-foot-4, Putnam City West gained some confidence in Thursday’s 62-52 win over Lawton Eisenhower, which boasts 6-foot-9 Tulsa signee D’Andre Wright and 6-foot-7 freshman Douglass Moore.

Of course, it was still the Patriots’ talented collection of guards who did the most damage in their first-round game at the PC Invitational, with senior Kevin House scoring 17 points, while Omega Harris and Tavionne Pennon had 13 apiece.

At 6-foot-4, Pennon was asked to do most of the defensive work inside on Wright, who finished with 19 points.

“This win was important, going against one of the best big men in the state,” Pennon said. “It was about speed, getting back down the court and making sure we swarmed him when he touched the ball.”

Ultimately, it came down to free throws, with the Patriots hitting 10 of 12 tries in the fourth quarter to seal the win.

PC West will take on No. 1 Tulsa Union at 6:30 p.m. Friday. Every game of the PC Invitational is being streamed live online at www.zpreps.com.

Scott’s take: The PC trio can play some ball. All three of those teams are good, and the PCI field is incredible. Lawton Ike and PC North will both be playing in the loser’s bracket on Friday, and not because either of them were upset by inferior teams. The field is just that good.

PC West vs. Union in one semifinal, and PC-Midwest City in the other will make for a fun evening. PC West proved it can handle going against size with Lawton Ike on Thursday, but Union is a different animal. Lots of size everywhere, and good athletes who do things right. There’s a reason the ‘Skins are No. 1 in the coaches’ poll right now.

PC and MWC are two teams with a lot of young guards who play fast and with a lot of confidence. They’re both playing at a higher level than I expected of them this early in the season. You expect them to be good in the final month of the season, but I thought there would be some growing up to do for both of them, and they seem to have gotten that out of the way quickly.

Guthrie’s Parker sinks game-winner

A blown lead and a busted final play were all forgotten when Shron Parker’s last-second 3-point attempt swished through to give No. 9 Guthrie a 71-69 win over No. 8 Northwest Classen in the McGuinness Classic.

Guthrie led by as many as 18 points in the second half, before Northwest Classen rallied to take a 69-68 lead on Terry Arnold’s putback with seven seconds left.

As Guthrie point guard Jerrick Warren dribbled up the court, he found himself trapped by two Knight defenders about 28 feet from the basket. But he was able to find an open Parker, who launched the game-winner as the horn sounded.

“At first, all I was thinking was that the play wasn’t going to work,” Parker said. “I got open and just shot it, and it went in.”