By Jeff Johncox
Transcript Sports Writer
"Oh, no, that's not what you want to do," one rival area coach said while watching El Reno send Norman North's Patrick Schaefer to the line during the Western Heights Invitational championship game. "He's one of the best shooters around."
Schaefer, a junior guard whose sweet touch has drawn similar remarks from coaches all over the state, is just part of the North machine, though.
He's the squad's leading scorer, and he's a big part of why the Timberwolves entered Winter Break with a 55-28 victory over rival Norman High.
But North is 7-0 for a lot of reasons.
"We're playing a lot better together," point guard Dalton Mitchell said following last week's Crosstown Clash victory. "We're doing what we're supposed to do to win. We're confident and everyone's doing their job."
A year ago, the T-Wolves started 1-5. It's almost the same roster, but this season North's 7-0.
The 2008-2009 T-Wolves finished the year 9-11.
This year's squad is just getting started.
Schaefer was around the program a few years ago, when his brother Justin helped lead North into the state tournament.
How does this team compare to his brother's squad, the one he cheered on from the stands?
"I think it's really similar," Patrick Schaefer said. "We have a lot of the same make up. We have a bunch of different guys stepping up and making plays."
This week, the T-Wolves have enjoyed some time off for the holidays.
But Monday, they get back to work.
Usually, coach Butch Roberts said, North is back on the court the day after Christmas.
"I told them if we got to Christmas undefeated, I'd give them off until the 28th," Roberts said with a laugh.
But when they hit the court Monday, the T-Wolves will have plenty to work on.
They're not letting the perfect start get to their heads.
After all, it's a long season, and it only really gets going after the holidays.
"We've got some shortcomings," Roberts said. "Really fast, athletic teams are still giving us problems, but we showed some grit and some toughness at (No. 6) Midwest City we haven't shown in a couple years, and that's what I'm really proud of."
The schedule is tough right out of the gate for seventh-ranked North.
The T-Wolves host No. 8 Southmoore Jan. 5, play in the prestigious Bishop McGuinness Classic Jan.. 7-9, then hit the road for No. 17 Del City (Jan. 15) and come home again for No. 9 Edmond Memorial (Jan. 19).
"We have to keep going strong, keep doing well the things we've been doing," Roberts said. "We come out of the break with a really tough schedule.
"I told them, 'We can be 7-5 real quick if we don't watch ourselves.'"
