Stilwell Basketball State Tournament History


By Gregg W. Stilwell
The Stilwell girls made their first of eleven trips to the State Tournament in the 1971-72 season.

1971-72 - Stilwell Earns First State Tournament Bid
Coach Harold Moten's "Indianettes" as they were known until the mid-eighties, won their first twelve games, and finished the regular season with an 18-2 record. Stilwell would win the District title with wins over Fort Gibson 71-47 and Haskell 47-44. Locust Grove and Warner would fall to the Lady Indians by scores of 56-51 and 72-65 respectively. The Indianettes would win the school's first ever Area championship by defeating Muldrow 61-56 at the Muskogee Civic Center. Senior Molly Reid, Stilwell's first All-State girls basketball honoree, led the scoring with 42 points followed by Rhonda Burnett with 15 and Carlene Soap with 4.

Stilwell would meet Choctaw in the first round at State. The Yellow Jackets edged the Lady Indians 68-66 in a game whose finish was marred by controversy. Trailing 67-66, Reid hit what was thought by everyone in attendance to be the game winning shot with :04 seconds left. The play was waved off however by a referee who saw coach Moten raising his arms in reaction to seeing his star player being given an open lane to the basket, and misinterpreted Moten's gesture as a signal for a time-out. Moten tried to explain that he was not calling the time-out, but to no avail. Choctaw stole the inbounds pass and hit a free throw to set the games final score.

Reid led Stilwell with 41 points, followed by Soap with 12, Burnett 11, and Charlotte Shell 2. Playing the guard positions in Stilwell first girls tournament game were Debra Benham, Rhonda DeWeese, Susan Means and Candice Holt.

Choctaw's elimination of Stilwell, followed by their subsequent loss the next night, began what is known today as the "Stilwell jinx". No team that has defeated the Stilwell girls in the State Tournament has gone on to win the state championship.

1977-78 - "WE ARE THE CHAMPIONS!!!"
Ron McGuire would be the next Stilwell girls coach to lead a team to the State Tournament, and this time the Lady Indians would bring back a big gold ball as a souvenir.

McGuire's "Indianettes"  rolled to a 19-2 regular season record in which they won the championship of the Connors State College and Roland Tournaments and recorded the first ever 100 point game in Stilwell girls history, a 103-45 triumph over Poteau at the E.G. McLemore Field House. The Indianettes opened the post season by winning the District Tournament with a 100-27 demolition of Hulbert in the first round, and an easy 76-31 win over Fort Gibson in the championship game. Kansas and Inola would fall in the regional playoffs by scores of 71-36 and 71-58 respectively. The Indianettes would earn a Class 2A State Tournament trip with a 57-41 win over Spiro in the Area Finals at the Muskogee Civic Center.

The first round of the State Tournament was held at Del City. The Lindsay Leoparettes provided the first round competition. Senior Vivian Paden scored 32 points to lead the Ladies to a 65-43 victory. Kathy Paden added 26 and Kari Keen contributed 7 in the win. The second round opponent would be the defending Class 2A State Champion Kingfisher Yellow Jackets and the two heavy weights would stage a State tourney classic at the Oklahoma City Fairgrounds. The Indianettes came out on top in a 66-64 overtime thriller. Kathy Paden led the scoring with 27 followed by sister Vivian with 22 and Keen with 19.

Harrah's Lady Panthers were the only team standing between Stilwell and the school's first State title in any sport the next evening. The game looked like it would be a repeat of the previous nights contest with the two teams exchanging the lead throughout the first two full periods of play as well as the first five minutes of the third stanza. Harrah led 44-42 at the 2:43 mark of the third period when the Indianettes would make a historic run. A steal by All-State guard Twila English and a basket by All-State forward Vivian Paden tied the game and started an avalanche of seventeen unanswered points that buried the Lady Panthers. Stilwell went on to record a decisive 77-60 Class 2A State Championship win.

Kathy Paden led the scoring with 33, followed by Vivian's 30 and Kari Keen's 14. Guards playing in the title game were English, Carlene Nofire, Donna Spencer, Penny Holmes, Patti Patterson and Connie Smothers. Stilwell totaled a record 32 steals in the game.

1978-79 Stilwell Repeats as State Champions
The 1978-79 Indianettes decided that they had such a good time winning the State Championship the year before that they would do it again. McGuire's Ladies posted a 20-2 regular season record, and breezed through the district tournament, blasting Hulbert 110-33 and beating Westville 77-54 in the finals. Mannford ( 80-61 ) and Haskell ( 75-68 ) were Stilwell's victims in the regional playoffs, with Jay being the last win on the way to the return trip to State ( 76-56 ).

The Dickson Comets were the opponents in first round action at Midwest City. All-Stater Kathy Paden scored 31 and Penny Holmes added 24 to lead the Indianettes to a 64-38 win. Next up was Lindsay, who was looking to avenge last season's State Tournament loss to the Indianettes. The Leoparettes came closer than they did the year before, but still came up on the short end of a 54-43 score. Paden led the scoring with 29, followed by Connie Grigsby with 12 and Holmes with 11.

Stilwell would face a familiar foe at the State title game in the Muldrow Lady Bulldogs. The NOAA rivals had split their two previous meetings, with Stilwell winning the first 46-45 at Stilwell and the Lady Dawgs winning 60-54 at Muldrow. The Indianettes would win their second straight 2A title with a 64-56 win. Paden led Stilwell with 33, followed by Holmes with 19, Grigsby 6, Lynda Littlejohn 2 , and Donna Spencer 2. Playing the guard positions for Stilwell were Littlejohn, Spencer, Cathy Brunk, Patti Patterson, Darla Johnson and Donna Hummingbird .

1982-83 - Henson Leads Lady Indians Back to State Tournament
First year Head Coach Jim Henson would lead the "Lady Indians" to their next State Tournament in 1982-83. Henson led the Ladies to a 20-2 regular season record , including the championships of the NSU and NEO tournaments. Stilwell would defeat Westville 63-48 to win the District title. The Ladies downed Checotah in the first round of the Regional tournament 62-58, but were defeated by eventual State Champion Jay 65-62 in the finals. Stilwell would survive the Area losers bracket, downing Morris 77-63, Coweta 80-62, and Muldrow, who had beaten the Ladies in the previous two meetings, 70-69.

Stilwell faced Collinsville in the first round of the 3A tournament at Midwest City. The Lady Cardinals snapped the Indians six game State winning streak, tagging the Ladies with a 74-58 loss. Rhonda Hummingbird led Stilwell with 29 points, followed by Vickie Price with 16, Paula Kelley 7 and Starla Wilson 6. Melanie Jones scored 50 points to lead the Lady Cardinals. Starting at the guard positions for Stilwell were Stephanie Abel, All-Stater Dana Price, and Glenda Sawney.

1987-88 - Lady Indians Return to "The Big Dance"
Five years would pass before Stilwell reached the State Tournament again. With Henson still at the helm, the 1987-88 Lady Indians finished the regular season with a 19-3 record that featured championships at the NEO and NSU tournaments. Stilwell was upset by Fort Gibson 51-43 in the District playoffs however, forcing the Ladies to win six straight to earn a trip to State. The Ladies did just that, defeating Wagoner 71-61, Henryetta 85-29 and Inola 51-33 in the Regional playoffs, and Sequoyah-Claremore 70-64, Fort Gibson 47-44, Okemah 58-38 in the Area playoffs. The Lady Indians battled a 25-0, # 1 ranked Prague team at Del City in the first round of the Class 3A State Tournament. Sheila Nelson scored 21 points, Eugenia Hawkins 14, Joni Hensley 10 and Julie Patterson 9 against the Lady Red Devils, but it would not be enough. Stilwell dropped out of the tournament with a 61-54 loss. Starting guards for the Lady Indians were Kim Hensley, Darletta Hummingbird, and Kayla Maxwell.

1988-89 - Number 1 Ranked Lady Indians Head Back to State
The Lady Indians returned to State the next season, their second back-to-back appearance at the big dance in school history. Stilwell turned in a 19-2 regular season record, successfully defending their NEO and NSU tournament titles and recording the first 100 point game in SHS girls basketball since the 1978-79 season, a 103-41 thumping of Cascia Hall in the opening round of the NSU classic. The Lady Indians would have to win only two playoff games to make the return trip to State. Stilwell won the Regional title by defeating McAlester 74-44 at Sallisaw and the Area title by besting Wilburton 59-47 at Tahlequah.

Okemah's Lady Panthers were the first round opponents for the # 1 seeded Lady Indians. The Panthers had lost to Stilwell in last season's Area consolation finals, but gained a measure of revenge by upsetting the Lady Indians 53-51. Julie Patterson led Stilwell with 28 points followed by Eugenia Hawkins with 14, Sheila Nelson with 5 and Kristy Fourkiller with 4. Guards playing in the game were Sherry Johnson, Toni Workman, Leisa Green, Paula Crittenden, Kirsten Cline and Kerry Langley.

1991-92 - Stilwell Makes Final Six-on-Six Appearance at State
The 1991-92 Lady Indians were the last team to qualify for the State Tournament in the 6-on-6 era of Oklahoma basketball. Stilwell, now coached by Dale Brown had posted a regular season record of 16-6, and had defeated Westville in the first round of the District playoffs at Vian. The District championship game was expected to be won by the host Lady Wolverines, who were ranked # 1 and boasted a perfect 24-0 record. The Lady Indians weren't impressed by Vian's resume' however, and recorded a remarkable 46-25 upset win.

Stilwell would follow up the District title with a Regional championship, defeating Sallisaw 50-41 and Fort Gibson 45-42. The Lady Indians would lose in the Area Finals 41-17 to Stigler, but would bounce back the next night with a 40-29 triumph over Muldrow.

The Lady Indians first round foe would be the Woodward Boomers. Jennifer Bunch and Donna Carlton would score 9 points apiece, while Christy Crittenden added 5, Janene Benham 4 and Melissa Fourkiller 3 in Stilwell's 48-30 loss.

1996-97 - Rhoads' Ladies Earn First Five-on-Five State Berth
Dennis Rhoads would guide the Lady Indians to their first 5-on-5 State Tournament appearance in 1996-97. Like the 1991-92 team, Stilwell posted a 16-6 regular season record. The Lady Indians claimed the district title with a 78-44 blasting of Hilldale, but lost the Regional championship to Sallisaw 61-55 after downing Roland in the tournament's opening round 57-41. The Lady Indians would claw their way through the Area losers bracket, defeating Checotah 64-31 and Grove 57-46 in the first two contests. Stilwell would earn a Class 4A State Tournament trip by dropping Fort Gibson 59-51 in the Area Consolation Championship.

# 1 ranked Harrah would be the Lady Indians opponent at Del City in the first round of the State Tournament. Stilwell would put forth a valiant effort before finally falling to the Lady Panthers 56-45. Stacy Benham, Jennifer Gonzales and Stephannie Swift led the Lady Indians with 11 points each, followed by Shane Brown 5, Amanda Auffet 4 and Nikki Knight 3.

1999-00 - "Little Injuns that Could" Pull Off Miracle at the Big House
In the 1999-2000 season Stilwell's underdog Lady Indians knocked off one number one ranked squad, but finally fell to the eventual State Champion in the Class 4A State Semi-Finals. Stilwell's girls, who close at 16-12, defeated Jay 59-58 in the opening round Thursday night, but lost to eventual champ Kingfisher 72-45 in the Final Four Friday afternoon at the State Fairgrounds in Oklahoma City.

"I think we surprised alot of people," said Lady Indians head coach Dennis Rhoads who was in his final season in basketball. "We would have liked to have won it all, but this is a good way to end your coaching career."

STILWELL 59 JAY 58
Senior guard Julie Gaches connected on a free throw with 1.7 seconds left to upset the Lady Bulldogs of Jay late Thursday night at the State Fair Arena.

Gaches had missed her first free throw attempt, but swished the second one to give her team the victory. Jay inbounded the ball, but could not get a shot off in the final second.

Jay had a chance to win as they had the ball and went for the final shot with 38 seconds left. Stilwell's defense would come through once again as the Lady Bulldogs could not get into their offense and Gaches came up with a steal and was fouled with 1.7 seconds left.

Back-to-back three point field goals by Sophomore Mandy Duncan had given the Lady Indians a 50-41 lead with 4:36 left in the contest, but Jay would go on a 11-3 streak to pull within 53-52 with 1:55 left in the game. Free throws by Duncan pushed the lead back to five, 57-52 at 1:11, but Stilwell would miss on 3 of their next 4 from the charity stripe which allowed Jay to once again knot the contest 58-58.

The game started off slow for both teams as the Lady Bulldogs did not score until 3:56, followed by Stilwell's first bucket at 3:07. A three-point field goal by Gaches had put the Lady Indians on top 8-6 to close the opening frame.

After a tie at 8, Stilwell would score 7 in a row. Junior Misty Benham would start it with a hoop from the lane followed by a steal and a score by Duncan , and a three-point play by Sasha Rhoads for a 15-8 lead at 5:16. A rebound basket by Rhoads along with a steal and score by Marquana Chewey made it 21-13 at 3:49, but Jay would pull back within 29-23 at the half.

A three-pointer by Duncan at 3:08 of the third period kept the Lady Indians ahead 34-28. Stilwell's lead would stay between four and six points until consecutive steals by the Lady Bulldogs in the final minute would pull them within 38-36 entering the final stanza of the season. The victory proved to be sweet revenge for the Lady Indians. Jay ( 25-2 ) had run up the score on Stilwell 75-34 in their second meeting in January.

"It just doesn't get any better than this," said Rhoads. "Our girls laid it all out against Jay."

Benham lead Stilwell with 17 points, followed by Gaches with 14, Duncan 14, Rhoads 9, Audra Fletcher 2, Chewey 2 and Samantha Ferguson 1

KINGFISHER 72 STILWELL 45
The Lady 'Jackets connected on their first five three-point field goals and cruised to the win Friday afternoon at the State Fair Arena. Kingfisher did not shoot that well in the tournaments opening round, or in the championship game the following evening, but made the first five long-shots they put up including three in the opening stanza which gave them a 21-8 lead.

Kingfisher would take a 54-26 lead into the Lady Indians' final stanza of the 1999-2000 season. Stilwell's shots would finally start falling in the final minutes. The Lady Indians would go on a 10-2 run at one point, with Benham getting six of the points which made the score 65-40 at 1:42. After a final 7-0 run by the Lady 'Jackets, the Lady Indians would get a pair of free throws from both Audra Fletcher and Misty Panter, along with a final field goal by Dawn Tuell at :15 to set the final score.

"I think the girls were just spent from the night before," said Rhoads. "Kingfisher was the best team we played this year, and they also had their best shooting night of the season."

Benham led Stilwell with 10 points, followed by Rhoads with 8, Chewey 7, Duncan 7, Ferguson 4, Gaches 3, Tuell 3, and Panter 2.

Kingfisher ( 26-2 ) which was rated number three in the state would win the Class 4A title the following evening with a 47-29 decision over Anadarko.

2003-04 - Lady Indians Earn Tenth State Tournament Bid
By Keith W. Neale
The Stilwell Lady Indians trip to the Class 4A State Tournament last week was a short one as the Elgin Lady Owls took an early lead and coasted to a 71-50 win in the quarterfinals at Midwest City last Thursday night. The Stilwell girls close the season with a 14-15 mark, but should be in good shape for the 2004-05 campaign as they lose only two seniors, including one starter.

Elgin, who would eventually lose to Woodward 53-37 in the finals, used the inside and outside scoring of the Pillow sisters to doom the Lady Indians. The Lady Owls jumped to an early 22-12 advantage and took a 34-22 lead into the locker room.

Stilwell would mount a comeback in the third period, cutting the deficit down to below double digits, 43-34, entering what proved to be their final stanza of the season.

Cassidy Pillow had killed Stilwell from inside the paint, while her sister Jessica would open the fourth quarter with back-to-back three pointers to push their lead back to 49-34 and the Lady Indians could not catch up.

Jill Garcia led Stilwell with 14 points, followed by Senior Ashlie Bolin with 13, Kati Gilstrap 7, Jamie Johnson 5, Alex Auffet 5, Jade Mink 3, Lindsey Cloud 2 and Valerie Harris 1.

Cassidy Pillow led Elgin with 24, followed by Kensey Hall with 13, Jessica Pillow 11, Taylor Campbell 8, Ashley Hutt 5, Makayla Mattingly 5 and Casi Rawls 2.

Stilwell falls to 7-8 all-time at the state tournament. Elgin is the seventh state tournament foe to defeat the Lady Indians in the first round but fail to win the Gold Ball. Only Kingfisher, which defeated Stilwell in the 2000 semi-finals went on to win the state title.

2004-05 - Lady Indians Battle Hard at State But Fall Short
By Gregg W. Stilwell
The Stilwell Lady Indians basketball season came to an end last Thursday night with a 50-43 loss to number 2 ranked Edmond Deer Creek in the first round of the Class 4A State Tournament at Southern Nazarene University in Bethany. Stilwell closes the season with a record of 22-8.

The Lady Indians played the Lady Antlers tough in the first period, trailing by only a single point, 15-14 after the first eight minutes of play.

Stilwell shocked heavily favored Deer Creek in the second period. The Lady Indians used their usual stellar defensive play to lead them to an 11-5 run that gave them a 25-20 lead with 3:10 remaining in the half.

The Lady Antlers held Stilwell scoreless the remainder of the period, foreshadowing the fate of the Lady Indians in the third stanza.

While shutting out the Lady Indians, Deer Creek chipped away with three points in the final minutes of the half, cutting the Stilwell lead to 25-23 at intermission.

The Lady Antlers dominated the third period, continuing their 3-0 end to the first half by adding 17 more during a game changing 20-6 run.

Deer Creek led 42-31 going into the final period.

The 11 point lead was the largest of the game for Deer Creek as the Lady Indians began making a run of their own. Baskets by Senior Jill Garcia and Junior Kati Gilstrap brought Stilwell back to within 42-35 at the 5:04 mark. Stilwell outscored the Lady Antlers 10-3 through the first five minutes of the final stanza, pulling to within four, 45-41 with 2:55 remaining. But the Lady Indians were unable to get any closer.

Deer Creek used their height advantage to cut down the scoring chances inside and nab any errant Stilwell shots that were forced from the perimeter.

The Lady Antlers were able to pull away in the final minute, outscoring Stilwell 5-2 to set the final score at 50-43.

Garcia and Gilstrap tied for the high scoring honors with 12 points each. Lindsey Cloud scored 7, Kim Doyle 5, Valerie Harris 3, Alex Auffet 2 and Dara Fountain 2.

Playing their final games for the Lady Indians were Jill Garcia and Jamie Johnson, each three year starters, as well as starting guard Valerie Harris and key reserve Leslie Ketcher.

Garcia ended her career in second place on Stilwell's scoring list and established a new record for most games played in a career with 81.