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The Sequoyah Lady Indians bring home the Class 3A Championship Gold Ball for the second year in a row during the state basketball championship in Oklahoma City.

TAHLEQUAH, OKLAHOMA - The Sequoyah High School Lady Indians brought home the gold ball for the second year in a row with a convincing 60-45 win over the Verdigris Lady Cardinals to once again bring the Class 3A State Basketball Championship to Tahlequah.

After a close win over Marietta in the semi-final game, Sequoyah completely dominated the championship game at “The Big House” at the Oklahoma State Fairgrounds to complete their goal of winning back-to-back championship titles. The Lady Indians finish the season 27-2, a new school record.

Angel Goodrich and Shawna Singleterry led Sequoyah to the victory over Verdigris with 21 and 12 points respectively.

The championship game was a welcome achievement after a dogfight in the semi-final game Friday with a close 62-59 win over Marietta, thanks largely to a strong Sequoyah defense. The resilient Marietta team continued to battle and came within one, 53-52, at the three-minute mark.

However, a swarming defense by the Lady Indians created a turnover and Singleterry scored to take the Lady Indians to a 60-57 advantage with 58-seconds left on the clock. Marietta tried for the last shot to send the game into overtime, but Goodrich came up with a steal, drawing an intentional foul. She connected on both free throws to send Sequoyah into the championship game for the second year in a row.

“Everybody’s excited, not only that they won, but they won with style and class,” said Cherokee Nation Principal Chief Chad Smith. “Their determination and sportsmanship is to be admired.”

Sequoyah has become known in the past few years for its strong fan base and support, and the strong showing for the tournament games was evident. Several hundred fans made the trip from Tahlequah to cheer on the teams during the tournament.

The strong showing has promoted a unique outlet for other aspects of the Cherokee Nation as well. The Sequoyah games are broadcast locally on 101.7 FM-KEOK in English and the tournament games were broadcast simultaneously in Cherokee on AM 1350-KTLQ through the Cherokee Nation Communications Department.

Sequoyah High School "Home of the Indians!" P.O. Box 520, Tahlequah, OK 74465             Sequoyah High School Alumni P.O. Box 187, Park Hill, OK 74451-0187 Sequoyah High School, an Indian boarding school, originated in 1871, when the Cherokee National Council passed an act setting up an orphan asylum to take care of many orphans that came out of the Civil War. Sequoyah High School's approximate 300 enrollment represents 42 tribes and 14 different states. Students are eligible to attend if they are members of federally recognized Indian tribes or one-fourth blood descendants of such members.