Memorial falls to a scorching Micah Thomas and Putnam City North

Edmond Memorial’s bulldog basketball season came to a close Friday evening in Tulsa’s Mabee Center after a run in with the defending Class 6A State Champions Putnam City North and their shooting guard Micah Thomas. Thomas finished the game Friday with 44 points overall, garnishing 60 percent of his team’s points in the 74-70 win against the top-ranked Edmond Memorial. His 44 points tied a career high. Despite Thomas’s outburst, Edmond Memorial ran it back and may have had a chance late in the fourth quarter. Edmond Memorial’s Jacob Thionnet hit a late 3-point try that brought the Panthers lead to within eight just before Drew Tennial saw an offensive rebound to slash the advantage to five. Next, after each side split free-throws, Sean Pedulla was fouled on a 3-point try from the top of the key. Pedulla hit all three of the free-throw attempts to make it a single-possession game. It was chaotic, and it was all off the back of a determined Memorial defense. Thionnet’s 3, Tennial’s offensive board, Pedulla’s icy free-throws all came from huge turnovers forced by a full-court Bulldog press. The first came from a PC North 10-second violation; the second on a steal at mid-court; the third on a five-second inbound violation. The turnovers preceded Thionnet and the Panthers trading free-throw makes, moving the lead to just three with five seconds remaining. PC North successfully inbounded the ball, though, and Thomas split free-throws to hold on to a 74-70 win. Memorial held Thomas to just seven fourth quarter points. Prior to that, the guard had marked 35 tallies. His biggest frame was a 15-point first quarter. Memorial entered the fourth quarter down 16 points, and their largest deficit of the night was 18. Memorial’s Drew Tennial finished with 19 points, five rebounds and two assists, and he was responsible in some form for 12 of Edmond Memorial’s first 17 points Friday night. Sean Pedulla — who had a string of back-to-back 3-point plays midway through the second quarter to pair alongside his important three free-throws late — finished with 11 points, and Jacob Thionnet was a team-best 60 percent from the field, finishing with 17 points and six rebounds on 6-10 shooting overall. Edmond Memorial outscored Putnam City North 31-17 in the fourth quarter, and the Bulldogs forced 18 Putnam City North turnovers in the semifinal loss. Memorial scored 32 points off those 18 PCN turnovers. Memorial had just nine turnovers of their own. It took a historic shooting night for the top-lauded Bulldogs to fall, though. PC North shot 64.9 percent (24-37) overall Friday, while making 10 of their 16 (62.5 percent) 3-point tries. At halftime, those numbers were 80 (16-20) and 81.8 percent (9-11), respectively. It was the second time this postseason an eye-popping 3-point percentage has beaten the Bulldogs. Though void of an individual standout performance, Midwest City handed Memorial an Area Championship loss last Thursday after making 10 of their 19 3-point attempts in Yukon. Edmond Memorial finishes the year with a 26-3 record.

THE OFFICIAL SITE OF
Edmond Memorial High School Athletics

MEMORIAL FALLS TO A SCORCHING MICAH THOMAS AND PUTNAM CITY NORTH

AARON ALBERTSON

Edmond Sun | 3/8/2019

PHOTO CREDIT: Drew Harmon