Memorial rolls against Choctaw in regional opener

Edmond Memorial used an all-around team effort Friday night to beat Choctaw 82-63 in their postseason-opening, regional semifinal matchup. Four Bulldogs finished in double digits in the win, with Drew Tennial leading the way with 19. Despite his teams terrific offensive night, head coach Shane Cowherd expected more from the Bulldogs on the defensive end, and he will be looking to make adjustments as they continue their playoff run. “(I) was not pleased with how we played defensively” he said. “I was really pleased with what we did offensively. We were efficient with the basketball, so some good things to build off, but we know what we have to be doing night in and night off defensively, and we’re gonna have to have a whole lot better effort tomorrow.” Offensively, the Bulldogs got it going early. Jump started by a Sean Pedulla 3-pointer, Memorial got up 7-0 before Choctaw’s Tyler Howard made one from beyond the arc himself. Pedulla finished the game with 12 points, and Howard finished with 9. Tennial boosted Memorials huge first quarter with 6 straight points, starting with a dunk and ending with a monster alley-pop assisted by Pedulla that gave them an 11-3 lead. The Bulldogs continued to dominate offensively into the second quarter, outscoring the Jackets 20-13 in the quarter. Tennial and Jake Royal both scored 6 points in the quarter, and Royal finished with 9 points on the night. Memorial headed into half with a comfortable 45-27 lead. Pedulla started the second half just like the first, by nailing a 3-pointer to set the tone offensively. Choctaw attempted to chip at the lead in the second half, but couldn’t gain any momentum. After scoring just four points in the first half, senior Jake Thionnet had a huge second half offensively, finishing the game with 14. Choctaws Cooper Kinsey got hot in the fourth quarter, hitting three 3-pointers in a row and four in the quarter, but it wasn’t enough to bring the Jackets back. Kinsey trailed only Tennial with 17 points in the game. Parker Clarida scored eight points off the bench for the Bulldogs, and freshman JV Seat finished the night with 12 points of his own. Memorial now looks to the regional finals, where they’ll take on Norman. “They’re a tough team, they’re physical. Its gonna be a good challenge for us to bounce back from what we were disappointed with tonight.” Coach Cowherd said. Memorial faces Norman Saturday night at 7 p.m. at home.

THE OFFICIAL SITE OF
Edmond Memorial High School Athletics

MEMORIAL ROLLS AGAINST CHOCTAW IN REGIONAL OPENER

DEREK PARKER

Edmond Sun | 2/23/2019

PHOTO CREDIT: Memorial Athletics