By Jeff Johncox

Transcript Sports Writer

Jeannie Ramon has battled foul trouble her whole high-school career.

Norman High's biggest player, Ramon has started since she was a freshman. Only now, in her junior season, is her talent really beginning to show.

It's not like she didn't shine in her first two seasons. But Ashley Bruner, now at South Carolina, was the Tigers' go-to player in the post, and Ramon spent a lot of time on the bench thanks to those pesky fouls.

Even earlier this season, Ramon was struggling with the problem.

But since Winter Break, she's been on her game, and on the court, more than ever.

"You saw how important Jeannie Ramon is to our offense, and what she can do when she's out on the court and not in foul trouble," NHS coach Matilda Mossman said after Ramon stacked the stat sheet in a 68-40 victory over Sapulpa in the second round of Westmoore's Lady Jaguar Classic last month.

In that game, Ramon scored 10 points, snatched 12 rebounds, dished out five assists, nabbed two steals and blocked eight shots.

The day before, against Lawton Eisenhower, she scored 16 points, grabbed 10 boards, dished out another five assists and had six steals.

This week, Ramon scored 38 points in two games, both NHS victories, and both wins the Tigers needed going into today's state playoff seedings.

Not only is Ramon playing well against smaller teams, like Southmoore, she's also starting to score against teams with similar inside size, like Edmond Memorial.

And while Ramon has stepped up, the players around her have stepped up, too.

Olivia Meek scored 14 points and had seven rebounds in the Tigers' victory over Southmoore Friday night. Kim Hayes has come off the bench and had nice success in the post for the Tigers, too. Hayes can also hit a jumper.

When the Tigers have Ramon, Meek, Hayes and Gwen Nelson working the inside, and working it well, it only opens things up for their big hitters on the perimeter.

Kamra King and Chelsea Key are two of the best-shooting guards in Class 6A, especially when they get open looks from 3-point range.

Jordan Franks and Laran Vanderpool can also hit from outside.

Having Ramon as a legitimate scoring threat in the key makes the Tigers a very dangerous team.



Tri-pod shut down

Conversely, while NHS' inside game has been looking good, Norman North's struggled mightily Friday night against top-ranked Midwest City.

The Timberwolves couldn't get a pass inside to their 'tri-pod' of posts: Seniors Payge Wilson and Andee Wayne and junior Mariah Turner.

The three combined for just 13 points on 12 shots during North's 59-35 defeat.

"The inside game is who we are," North guard Madison Marquardt said. "It's what our offense revolves around. When you cut that off, it kind of sucks."

Now, the T-Wolves hadn't played a real game in almost three weeks, thanks to a scheduling mishap by Plainview that kept them out of the Southern Oklahoma Classic and all that pesky ice and snow that came a week later.

But North still looked pretty good early against the Bombers, and only trailed by two at halftime.

What happened?

Well, the T-Wolves couldn't hold onto the ball. Guards were visibly frustrated during the third quarter, when inbounds passes and passes to the interior were gobbled up and taken the other way for baskets by the Bombers' tough, full-court press defense.

It all started with North's inability to find any kind of inside game.

True, almost every Bomber is big.

Midwest City's two-guard is 6-foot.

Then there's Kaylon Williams inside, who's 6-4 and one of the top talents in the state along with swing player Richa Jackson, who just does a little bit of everything, like Sade Morris used to do for NHS.

Despite the size difference, the T-Wolves were able to score inside with Wilson, Wayne and Turner the last time they played Midwest City, though.

This time, the Bombers cut off their passes, and the T-Wolves were unable to reverse the ball and find an interior route.

Lack of movement also hurt, according to coach Jeff Blough.

"They physically pushed us under the goal and we let them get position too early into every possession," Blough said. "We didn't move. We didn't set screens. We didn't get open. We had no ball reversals. That's not who we are."

Usually, it's the North defense that discombobulates an opposing offense. Friday, the T-Wolves were the victims.

North will probably get a regional hosting spot today, but if the T-Wolves want to go deep into the playoffs, they have to figure out a way to get the 'tri-pod' the ball often.

Jeff Johncox

366-3535

jjohncox@normantranscript.com