State Champions

Kelbie Washington sensed Bixby looking for a backdoor cut on the first possession of the second half. The Sooner signee sat in front, intercepted the pass and raced the other way, coast to coast, for a layup, splitting through three Bixby defenders like a bolt of lightning.

That play set the tone for how the remainder of the 6A girls state championship game would go. Moments later, Washington picked a Spartans’ pocket at the top of the key at the Oral Roberts’ Mabee Center and zipped away for another layup. She added an and-one finish, driving to the baseline through contact.

Washington and the Norman Tigers scored the first seven points after halftime.

Florida commit Myka Perry then grabbed a steal and Euro-stepped her way to another transition basket, as Norman’s 21-17 halftime lead ballooned to 30-17.

“Defend. That’s all Coach Neal said,” Washington recalled about the Tigers’ halftime message. “I think our offense was going really well. We got unlucky sometimes, but defending is what really changed us in the second half and why we blew away from Bixby.”

NHS head girls basketball coach Michael Neal explained what he saw as a key turning point in the second half of the championship game.

“Experience, fire, passion, the heartbeat of our team… when things get tough, Kelbie knows, I’ve got to go and I’ve got to go right now,” he said. “We just follow her lead. I thought that was the turning point in the third quarter.”

Norman forced Bixby into 14 turnovers and a 1-of-10 shooting percentage from the three-point line.

“That’s been our whole motto this year. Coach has instilled playing defense. That’s where we start, not really caring who gets the ball on offense and just working from defense first. That’s what we did out there,” said Texas Tech signee Chantae Embry. “We switch on everything. We knew that Bixby, coming in, they shoot a lot of threes. We did a good job getting out there and not letting them get any threes off.”

Washington finished with 15 points in the championship game, sophomore Aaliyah Henderson joined her in double-digit scoring with 10 and Embry chipped in with eight points and eight rebounds.

When it was all said and done, Norman topped Bixby, 48-37, to capture the Tigers’ sixth state title. Their other rings came in 1993, 1996, 1997, 2005 and 2019.

The Tigers finished this season a perfect 19-0, winning 41-straight games starting back at the beginning of last season. Of course, this might have been a three-peat had COVID not resulted in the cancellation of last year’s state tournament. Finally given the opportunity to defend their 2019 title, Norman was motivated to at long last successfully complete its championship defense.

“Our bus ride (there), we said this is what we need to do. We’re going to come out and finish. Every team is going to give us their best shot and we just have to compete,” said Kansas State commit Mikayla Parks.

In addition to the COVID stoppage, the Norman Tigers also found themselves unfairly in the center of a national controversy after an announcer on the NFHS Network broadcast spewed racist comments about the team on a hot mic ahead of the Tigers’ state quarterfinal game against Midwest City.

Coach Neal said the adversity this team faced is what he will remember most about this group.

“Everything that we’ve went through this entire year, it’s well worth it and relief now for those girls, we accomplished the mission from the very beginning of the season,” Neal said. “Everything that took place last year whenever we weren’t able to participate. The looks on their faces not even having a chance to fight for a championship. Their personal highs and lows all the way. COVID hitting us. From last year to this moment right now, it was just an amazing run.”

At one point in the state semifinal game against Union, it looked like their opponent and the emotional distraction might get the best of them. The Tigers trailed by as many as nine, with a score of 30-23 at the halftime break.

In true champions’ fashion, Norman rallied back. They used a 22-9 second-half scoring spurt that spanned from the third quarter into the start of the fourth to win 53-50.

“Our program is not just about basketball,” Washington said. “It’s us maturing as young women. I think that our coaches really helped us with that. It was brave of us to kneel. The biggest thing we talked about was sticking together. We have to do this as a team. No individuals… having a good support system for each other. If someone’s down, you pick them up. Stay together through anything that happens.”

That resiliency had Neal beaming inside the Mabee Center after the trophy presentation.

“That’s what it’s about in the playoffs, man. We play against the best teams in Oklahoma and if we’re not able to have some

mental fortitude and get past some of those things, then we don’t deserve to win,” he said. “I thought they found a way however it looked and we were challenged. I’m just proud, so proud.” Washington was selected as The Oklahoman’s 6A Girls State Tournament MVP after averaging 13.3 points per game in the Tigers’ wins over Midwest City, Union and Bixby. Embry joined her with first-team honors, averaging 10.7 points in the three games. “Last year, we weren’t able to play because of COVID. This year we were blessed and grateful to play. I think we came in with the mindset of being determined, working hard and that’s just what we did out there,” Embry said. “These are my best friends. Kelbie Washington, she’s been my best friend since fourth grade. This is like family to me, so sharing this with them is amazing.” Washington sang the same tune. “These are friends for life… winning with these girls is what’s the most important part about it,” Washington said. Though Embry transferred in her junior season, she and Washington played large roles in helping this senior class author an 82-18 record over the past four seasons. They are off to different destinations in Big 12 women’s basketball, but the returning Tigers aren’t ready to leave their championship perch. “Next season is going to be the same thing as this year,” Parks said. “We won’t really have a dominant big as we had with Chantae, but we’re going to be power guards. We’re going to be perfectly fine next year and we’re going to get another one.”– BSM