Just two days after an announcer's profane and racist tirade landed them in the national spotlight, the Norman High School girls basketball team powered through to bring home a state championship on Saturday.
The Norman Tigers beat Bixby 48-37. They finished their season undefeated.
Chantae Embry, a senior forward on the team, told KOCO 5 News' Porsha Riley they did not allow themselves to be distracted.
"We couldn't let anything affect us... and we're just very grateful and blessed for the opportunity and thankful that God gave us this ability," Embry said.
Before the game, the WNBA Players Association issued a statement commending and supporting the Norman team -- as well as the Union team, who joined them in kneeling on Friday -- for taking a knee to call for racial justice.
"You clearly love this country and desire that it loves you back. We are with you. You have our support," the players wrote.
On Thursday, announcer Matt Rowan of Tahlequah-based OSPN Live called the girls "f***ing n*****s" for kneeling before the game. His comments went viral and were covered by the New York Times, CBS News, CNN, and The Guardian in the UK.
The Frontier reports Rowan initially lied, telling them he had not made the remarks, before later changing his story and admitting he had done so. He blamed his use of the racist language on his diabetes, prompting the JDRF, the nation's leading type 1 diabetes research foundation, to issue a tweet clarifying that, "There are a lot of symptoms of high blood sugar, racism is not one of them."
Gov. Kevin Stitt did not comment on the Thursday incident until Saturday afternoon, after the girls had won the title.
“The racist comments directed at the Norman girls basketball team have no place in our society. Period. As governor and a Norman High School graduate, I’m proud of how the Lady Tigers persevered and brought home a state championship," Stitt said in a statement issued by his office.
