Opponents are discovering they must pick their poison this season when they play Norman North. The Timberwolves don’t have a superstar on their roster, but they do have several players that can step up when called upon.
“We’ve got a lot of guys doing their part and I think that’s what makes us dangerous is that we kind of do it by committee,” said Timberwolves head coach Kellen McCoy. “That’s kind of been our goal from the beginning – everybody do their part. I think when you have five threats on the court to score and defend and rebound, it makes it hard to really key on one guy.”
The fourth-ranked Timberwolves have been getting it done with a solid core of starters and reserves.
“Caelin Hearne and Jaylon White have been good for us on the perimeter, scoring the ball and making plays,” remarked McCoy. “Aiden Walker and Kayden Carter have been good inside, defending and rebounding and scoring. Our two point guards, Jacob Yohn and Nate Lancaster, have done a great job handling the ball against pressure, defending and speeding people up on the perimeter. Our bench guys, Daniel Worthing and Gavin Frakes, have done really, really well too, giving us positives.”
Watch the Oklahoma 6A Boys East Area Basketball Playoffs featuring Owasso vs. Norman North & Sand Springs vs. Union – Fri, Mar. 5 @ 6:00 pm on YurView OK (Cox channel 3) and live stream.
Norman North (17-4) turned up the defensive pressure last week at regionals and claimed convincing wins over Stillwater and Midwest City. The Timberwolves allowed only 75 points in the two games.
“It’s what we’ve been harping on all season long,” admitted McCoy. “We’ve made an emphasis the past two weeks to make sure we turn it up even more on these guys when it comes to defending and rebounding.”
“I think winning that game gave our guys confidence that they’re capable of being one of the top teams in the state,” said McCoy. “I also think it earned us a little bit of respect in the state, as well as put a target on our chest. I think our guys have learned a lot from that win, but it has also made them hungry to do more.”
The players are also hungry to avenge last season’s abrupt ending when they were knocked out early in the postseason.
“We had a chance last year to play in the playoffs and we were upset in the first round, so these guys definitely haven’t forgotten that,” remarked McCoy. “They don’t want to feel the way they did last year so they’ve been very, very motivated the past couple of weeks.”
The Timberwolves try to punch their ticket to the state tournament Friday, March 5th, when they travel to the east side of the state to take on Owasso at 6 pm CT on Cox’s YurView Channel 3. YurView will also televise the other Owasso area tournament matchup between Tulsa Union and Sand Springs at 8 pm CT. Both games can also be viewed online at yurview.com.
“They’re one of the best teams in the state,” claimed McCoy about Owasso. “They’re very physical. They’ve got great size. We’ve got our work cut out for us. They’re a really, really good team and we’re excited for the challenge.”
