Looking Back, Looking Ahead: 2021 Class 5A State Championship

2021 Class 5A Championship Game – Sapulpa 58, Tahlequah 49 I have to be honest, I was very glad that I got to attend this particular championship game. Sapulpa and Tahlequah were two of the best teams that I saw all year long - regardless of class - and the game definitely lived up to the hype. Sapulpa came out shooting the lights out and the Tigers matched them shot for shot for almost the entire game. Alas, a fourth quarter comeback attempt came up just short and the Tigers went home with the Silver Ball. In the end, it was the battle of the boards that was the big difference with Sapulpa’s [player_tooltip player_id="151306" first="Temira" last="Poindexter"] hauling in eight offensive rebounds and helping the Chieftains to a 39-25 victory in the rebounding battle. That kind of difference can be hard to overcome when it comes to second-chance points, regardless of how good a team may be shooting from the outside. Unfortunately for Tahlequah - typically a very strong shooting team - they shot 23.5% from behind the arc on the night and it spelled doom for a team who had lived and died by the three for most of the season. 2021 Runner-Up Outlook: Tahlequah Tigers (2020-21 Record: 23-3) The lone senior starter for the Tigers was [player_tooltip player_id="151338" first="Kacey" last="Fishinghawk"], our No. 35-ranked player in the class of 2021. Though she only had three points in the championship game, Kacey averaged almost nine points per game in her senior season and was the no doubt leader of a very, very good basketball team. Despite her whole team having a hard night shooting the ball, trust me, Fishinghawk can absolutely fill it up from long range. She will be shooting long-range bombs for a different set of Tigers - the ones at East Central University - this season. This season, I would fully expect the Tigers - that is, the ones from Tahlequah - to be right back in the tournament again, if not in the championship again. I’d say there is a very good chance we see a rematch of this game, in all honesty. Tahlequah will be absolutely loaded with talented seniors and it all starts with [player_tooltip player_id="211866" first="Smalls" last="Goudeau"] who had nine points in the championship last season. The UT-Arlington commit is a very smart player who builds off of her high-level defensive intensity with incredible offensive awareness and scoring ability. She is a flat-out star. Smalls made the jump from No. 18 to No. 9 in our most recent rankings, for good reason. Other seniors who are ranked include No. 35-ranked [player_tooltip player_id="211888" first="Tatum" last="Havens"] (committed to East Central), No. 61-ranked [player_tooltip player_id="160446" first="Faith" last="Springwater"] and No. 97-ranked [player_tooltip player_id="211908" first="Lily" last="Couch"]. Lydia McAlvain also started as a junior and averaged 7.4 points per game last season. She should be ranked in the next iteration of the rankings, in all honesty. Speaking of starting players - and highly ranked players - let’s not overlook No. 11-ranked (2024) [player_tooltip player_id="249266" first="Kori" last="Rainwater"] who projects as a Division-I athlete. As a freshman, the 6’0" post player averaged 8.4 points per game and recently showed at the Oklahoma Fusion Scrimmage that she is developing into even more of a leader and inside presence. She battles hard on the boards and with experience could definitely close the rebounding gap between Tahlequah and Sapulpa should the two teams meet again. In case Tahlequah wasn’t loaded enough, [player_tooltip player_id="249270" first="Jadyn" last="Buttery"] is the No. 30-ranked sophomore in the state and can absolutely fill it up. Long and strong, she goes hard to the rim and finishes with authority. She has a fire in her eyes and style of play that a lot of high school players seem to be missing. No. 71-ranked [player_tooltip player_id="241022" first="Madisyn" last="Matthews"] is a great three-point shooter off the bench for the Tigers, as well. It should be clear to see why I definitely think that the Tigers will be right back at the Mabee Center again for a run deep into the tournament this year for what would be their 9th tourney appearance and - should everything work out right - their first championship. 2021 Champion Outlook: Sapulpa Chieftains (2020-21 Record: 29-3) [player_tooltip player_id="151306" first="Temira" last="Poindexter"] was the no doubt leader of this team in scoring, rebounding, swagger, everything. Alas, Temira has taken her talents to Tulsa University and the Chietains will have a very big hole to fill in the middle as they make a run at their sixth state title during the 2021-22 season. Gone too is third-leading scorer [player_tooltip player_id="151320" first="Alexis" last="Lewis"] who will be playing at Seminole State. So, who will be leading the team and what are their chances of getting back to the pinnacle? Leadership won’t come in terms of class or age, but in terms of ability and skill. In this case, it will come in the form of one of the best players in the state in [player_tooltip player_id="197942" first="Stailee" last="Heard"]. In the championship game, Stailee had 14 points, second only to Poindexter’s 17. Heard is the No. 2-ranked junior in the state and currently holds offers from a who’s who of college clubs including Arkansas, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Tulsa, and a lot more. She is a tremendous athlete who is incredibly bouncy and is guaranteed to show you something on the court each time you see her play that you just didn’t think was possible. [player_tooltip player_id="197942" first="Stailee" last="Heard"] is worth the price of admission alone. Heard - or should I say Stailee - won’t be alone out there, though. Her sister Tyla is another highly ranked athlete with an impressive skill set for the Chieftains. The No. 8-ranked sophomore in Oklahoma has skyrocketed up the rankings since bursting on the scene as a freshman and improves by leaps and bounds every time that I see her play. She has a high motor and is becoming an incredible shooter and scorer. In the championship, she had nine points including getting Sapulpa off to a fast start with seven unanswered. Young Nalani Gouyd is a sophomore to have on the radar, as well. Speaking of young stars, Sapulpa has some of the best freshmen in the state coming up this season and they could be the catalyst to have them right back under the bright lights of the Mabee Center come March. No. 18-ranked [player_tooltip player_id="315186" first="Wrigley" last="Adkisson"] will be asked to step into the big shoes left behind by Poindexter in the middle of Sapulpa’s offense and defense and has already shown with her Swift grassroots squad that she knows how to get great position when rebounding. Sapulpa coach Darlean Calip places a premium on rebounding the ball with authority and could really pay dividends for Wrigley’s development as a "big." [player_tooltip player_id="315198" first="Mataya" last="Hall"] is another freshman who is going to do very big things for this Chieftains squad this season. After seeing more and more of her this grassroots season, I’ve started to think that perhaps her initial No. 30 ranking is too low. She may belong among the elite guards near the top of the class. She is that good. She goes hard to the rim and is very quickly developing into a three-level scorer with a very similar game to another Sapulpa player who will be playing Division-I by the time Mataya is asked to take over the team, [player_tooltip player_id="197942" first="Stailee" last="Heard"]. I would not be at all surprised to see Hall getting those same D-I offers by that point, too! Though [player_tooltip player_id="151306" first="Temira" last="Poindexter"] is nearly impossible to replace, you can see why - with the influx of new talent - this Sapulpa team could most definitely repeat and at the very least face off with the Tigers again come March!