‘It was our goal from the first time we stepped into practice to hang a banner,’ Oakley Lady Hornets claim 2A State Championship
NAMPA, Idaho (KMVT/KSVT) — Heart, resiliency, defense; Oakley basketball.
Oakley is the 2024-2025 2A State Champions.
The top-seeded Hornets took down No. 2 Prairie 62-51 to claim its first state championship since 2018.
“We’re so excited because this has been our goal from day one when we walked into practice,” senior Makaye Cranney told KMVT. “We wanted a banner hanging from our ceiling, and now our hard work has paid off.”
Oakley will hang the banner after four straight years of being at the state tournament.
“This year has been so fun working all together and being together since day one to get to this point,” senior Chloe Berlin said.
Oakley led most of the game, including a five-point lead entering the fourth quarter.
Prairie would battle back and tied the game at 46 with under five minutes to go.
KMVT spoke with head coach Kristin Jones about what she had said to her team at that moment.
“We just needed to play and game and take care of the ball and do the things we know we needed to do,” Jones explained to KMVT. “I don’t need to talk them into it very much because they are very levelheaded and know they can have what it takes.”
Jones was right.
The immediate response? Junior Taylen Beck nails a three-pointer to put Oakley back on top.
“I think we all had the knowledge that we could do it,” Beck said. “Just us telling ourselves that helped us push through when they got close.”
They pushed through and then excelled.
Oakley got the back the next possession as senior Dakota Wadsworth knocked down a three-pointer of her own.
Wadsworth had an all-time performance in the championship game, erupting for 31 points. 31 points in a state championship game! Are you kidding me, Dakota Wadsworth?
“We knew we had really good energy on Friday and wanted to see that same energy today (Saturday),” Wadsworth told KMVT. “We told ourselves it was just another game and that we needed to play our game.”
If you know Oakley, you know their game is simple.
Defense, defense, defense.
The Hornets were ruthless and aggressive on the defensive side and on the boards. Oakley forced 20 turnovers and outrebounded the Pirates 37-24.
“When we call a timeout, we get in those situations and talk about one stop at a time,” junior Livee Berlinguet told KMVT. “Once we get one stop after another, it builds our momentum to build our lead back up.”
Berlinguet has been the general for the Hornets this season in how she controls the tempo and facilitates the offense. She had a game-high seven assists for the Hornets.
Another X-factor for Oakley was its defensive anchor, Adelyn Maseda.
She had another double-double, scoring 13 points and grabbing 16 rebounds. Maseda also created second-chance opportunities for her squad, grabbing seven offensive rebounds.
The junior couldn’t be happier in the moment.
“I’m just so proud of all these guys (looks to her teammates),” Maseda said. “I’m proud of what we’ve become, how we’ve grown, and all we’ve accomplished. Pure joy, just pure joy.”
All seven players who saw the court scored in the state title game as Camila Magana knocked down a three-pointer late in the third quarter.
The Hornets are bringing a trophy back to Oakley and are thankful to their small community for all the support.
“We’re really grateful for our coaches and community that showed up and cheer for us,” Cranney said. “That doesn’t happen a ton with small teams, but our community is so amazing, and they’re one of the reasons we’re here.”
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