NORMAN — Norman North’s Payton Prince is expected to play in tonight’s Clash after missing the Timberwolves’ last game with bronchitis.
Though he’s still feeling ill, Prince practiced Wednesday and Thursday, coach Butch Roberts said.
“I don’t know how close he’ll be to full strength, but he should be able to play,” Roberts said. “He’s probably been close to about 70 percent in practice.”
Streak not a factor: While her team is aware of its decade-long winning streak in the Crosstown Clash, it’s a subject Norman High girls’ coach Nichole Copeland hasn’t addressed with her squad.
“We haven’t even talked about it, to be honest,” she said. “This game’s not about North, it’s about us getting better. We know what’s coming Friday night.”
While the winning streak is nice, it means more to the school community and the other students than it does to the her team, Copeland said.
“It means a lot to the kids in the school, but what’s more important to us is that we need a win, and every time we step on the floor we’re jockeying for playoff position.”
Looking for help: NHS sophomore Taylor Ely’s contributions have a big part of the Tigers’ season, but Copeland is looking for the rest of her lineup to step up over the last few weeks of the season, starting with the Clash tonight.
“We feel like we’ve been getting everything we can get out of Taylor,” Copeland said. “People will key on Taylor and Bethany Cox, and we need the other girls to give us more offensively.”
That group includes Toni Greene, Albany Anderson and Mackenna Perkins, players who have shown flashes of their offensive skills this season but haven’t been as aggressive on the offensive end of the floor.
“It’s not that they aren’t capable, it’s that they aren’t looking for it,” Copeland said. “Hopefully, in the next few weeks we’ll see those guys step up and be more aggressive.”
Washington rolling: Class 3A’s top-ranked Washington squad is in the midst of a six-game winning streak after taking their last loss to Vinita in the Tournament of Champions last month.
The streak includes winning the title at the Newcastle Tournament after defeating 6A school Westmoore 41-38 in the finals.
The Warriors will try to extend that streak to seven when they host Lindsay at 7:45 p.m. today.
Corbin Hosler 366-3528 chosler@normantranscript.com
