"the People's Paths!" Cherokee News Path - Sequoyah Girls Basketball Gains National Ranking

***"Members Sequoyah girls’ basketball team. L-R are: Lorin Hammer, Cassie Moore, Coach Bill Nobles, Brea Brewer, and Angel Goodrich."***

TAHLEQUAH, OKLAHOMA – On the path that may lead to a third straight state championship, the Sequoyah Girls basketball team recently received national recognition by being ranked as one of the country’s top 25 high school teams in a recent Sports Illustrated poll.

“The Cherokee Nation is proud of the accomplishments and success of this athletic team,” said Chad Smith, Principal Chief of the Cherokee Nation. “These young ladies are a great example to all of our Cherokee youth. They display the leadership qualities and ambition that have led to a successful Cherokee Nation. Their achievement is a testament to Native American people and Sequoyah Schools.”

Many of the players are from small communities throughout the Cherokee Nation and are excited but humbled by the team’s national recognition.

“When coach told us about the Sports Illustrated ranking, we were all just kind of quiet,” said Lady Indian Angel Goodrich. “I’m from a small community called Greasy, so to be looked up to by younger kids is really awesome. Even other small schools that we play are proud of what we have accomplished. It’s all pretty cool.”

Amazingly, this undefeated 3-A team is not led by seniors but by a group of juniors that Coach Bill Nobles proudly refers to as the “Fabulous Four.” Nobles attributes the Lady Indians’ success to the leadership abilities and dedication displayed by the team.

“It says a lot about the determination of these girls when a 3-A team can be ranked nationally,” said Nobles. “When I was first contacted about our status, I was surprised and kept it to myself for a while.”

Nobles announced the ranking to his team in the locker room following a 49-38 home victory against Metro Christian. Word quickly spread throughout the schools recently dedicated Tsu-Na-Ne-Lo-Di center, which serves as the home court to Sequoyah basketball. Tsu-Na-Ne-Lo-Di is the Cherokee word for “place where they play.”

According to player Lorin Hammer, being ranked up the country’s top 25 teams is no small achievement for a school of any size, and especially a school the size of Sequoyah.

“Since we’re such a small school, being considered one of the best in the country is really big for us,” said Hammer. “Usually small schools don’t get recognized like larger schools do. Our national ranking will help other small schools know that they can accomplish big things, too.”

Nobles said the road to success has not been achieved without making a few sacrifices, and he credits the hard work ethic of the players to the success of what could be considered a Cinderella-story team.

“This year and the past two years, we have worked really hard,” said Brea Brewer. “This year has been probably the hardest we’ve worked because we have no seniors. Some of us had to step up into leadership roles and we had to get used to that. So this year, we kind of had to prove ourselves.”

“We’ve given up a lot to get to where we are now,” said Hammer. “We practice on the weekends and play all summer long. We could be the underdog, but we’re not. We have accomplished what a lot of 5-A and 6-A teams haven’t.”

With the season not yet over, players consider teamwork and team spirit to be an important fundamental to the success of the team.

“We work hard and lift each other up,” said Cassie Moore. “If one of us is down, it can bring the whole team down. So, we work to build one another up and do our best to be good leaders.”

Nobles said the ranking was great to have, but added that the team would have to continue to work hard to achieve their primary goal of a third straight state championship title.

“The ranking’s not going to win us a gold ball, but it’s nice to say we’re in Sports Illustrated’s Top 25,” he said.