By Trey Hunter
Sports Editor
OKLAHOMA CITY – Christian Patterson checked into the game with a smile of excitement and joy and even high-fived the referee as he was signaled onto the court.
Okarche’s state semifinals loss to Cyril was nearing an end and once Patterson made his way onto the floor, a somewhat defunct atmosphere at the Big House spurred back to life. Fans of both the Warriors and Pirates sprung to their feet upon the Cyril junior’s arrival.
This year’s biggest shot at Jim Norick Arena didn’t decide the outcome of a game, but it did touch the hearts of those in attendance and showed the character of a few high school athletes from a small town in Canadian County.
Patterson is autistic and sees minutes towards the end of games already decided by the Pirates or their opponents. He played in the quarterfinals against Frontier, but wasn’t able to score. Friday, however, with an assist from the Warrior players and a few non-calls by the officials, in his first appearance at the Big House, double-zero capitalized.
The Pirates fed him the ball as soon as possible and after two misses and a third trip down the floor, Patterson turned, ‘walked’ towards the basket and banked in a shot that brought everyone in the arena to their feet, including fans from Okarche.
“I told my kids I wanted to win a state championship, but what they did there was as important as winning any gold ball,” long-time Okarche coach Ray West said of how his players reacted once Patterson entered the game. “It wasn’t planned. Our kids did it on their own and it showed people all over the state what type of character they have.
“That meant more to me and our parents and community than they will know. We couldn’t win it, but that was the next best thing.”
Once Okarche’s players realized the situation, they reacted in true form to West’s praise. They could have stopped Patterson, blocked his shot or stolen the ball. Instead, they backed off and set the stage for one of the finest moments produced from an arena loaded with history.
Patterson’s deuce capped a 80-55 win for Cyril and sent his team onto the Class A State Tournament finals where they defeated Ft. Cobb-Broxton for the title Saturday. His bucket against the Warriors was his only make of the tournament and it showed off not only his amazing journey, but also how even in defeat, sportsmanship can go further than any victory.
“It’s one of the classiest moves and group of kids I’ve been around in my 25 years as a head coach here,” West said. “It goes to show what a moment like that can mean to people. And it shows what kids from Okarche are all about.”
