Santa Fe Girls 54, North 52

Overcoming a 10-point, fourth-quarter deficit, the Santa Fe Lady Wolves used a physical full-court press to drop the hosting North Lady Huskies 54-52. In so doing, they avenged a loss earlier in the season and evened the season-series at one win each. Despite the late, fourth-quarter separation, Santa Fe never trailed after any eight-minute quarter. The Lady Wolves saw leads after the first and second, followed by a 36-all knot just before winning the fourth by a two-point cushion. Keira Neal scored an early 5 points off the bench in the first quarter, but Raychael Harjo’s foul trouble would be the story of the first half. Fellow big Graycen Holden had 6 points in the half, but a two-foul Raychael limited North’s offensive production. Anna Robertson was able to give a valuable three-minute stretch off the bench, but her 2 points, 2 rebounds and 1 assist wasn’t enough, and Santa Fe’s balanced scoring attack took a 5-point lead into intermission. That changed in the second-half. Without worrying about fouls, Rachael was able to play freely and, with some help from a flu-riddled Kamri Heath, tie it after three. The Lady Huskies weren’t done. Culminating on a play that saw Amaia Maxwell sprinting, then falling down the court, Maxwell found her “little” cousin Raychael for a breakaway layup. The basket gave North a 10-point edge with just half of a quarter left to play. Keira Neal then swiped a steal just before a layup. The basket made her the fifth athlete in double-digit points. It also set the tone for the next three minutes. Going into a full-court press, the Lady Wolves employed a physical defense, and the young North roster couldn’t find an answer. Minutes later, Neal had her second steal of the quarter to make it a 3-point lead. Then, she grabbed her third steal of the press before finding Makayla Foy for the splashdown 3-pointer, tying the game with less than a minute left. North had a chance. Sending Raychael long, Heath unleashed a rocket of a baseball pass, but the throw went just an inch too long. Rachael was able to get her hands on the ball, but not before the long strides threw her out of rhythm for the layup, and an offensive rebound attempt from Maxwell carried the guard out of bounds with 9 seconds left. Then, Neal dribbled the ball down the court before finding Kaylee Nero in the paint. Nero made the basket as time ran out, giving Santa Fe the two-point win. Kaylee’s bucket ensured she finished with 4 points and 5 rebounds while her sister, RaVon, placed a game-high 16 points on the scoreboard. Keira Neal added another 12 points, 2 assists and 4 steals, and Makayla Foy finished with 11 points. North did everything right on Friday. They out-rebounded Santa Fe by 10 and they had big, defensive minutes from their bench of Robertson and Jasmine Linton, but Santa Fe’s physical full-court press was the deciding factor in the Edlam matchup on Friday night. Graycen Holden led North in scoring with 16 points and 2 blocks. Raychael Harjo scored another 15 with 9 rebounds, and Kamri Heath finished with 12 points, 2 made 3-pointers and 2 steals. Santa Fe’s victory bumps the No. 3 ranked Lady Wolves to 15-3 on the year, while dropping North to 12-6.

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Edmond Santa Fe High School Athletics

SANTA FE GIRLS 54, NORTH 52

AARON ALBERTSON

Edmond Sun | 1/27/2018

PHOTO CREDIT: Santa Fe Athletics