By Scott Hansen
MaxPreps.com
No team in Oklahoma girls basketball history has won four straight state championships. Sequoyah will aim to be the first to do it this season, and the main reason history is likely to be made this season is because of guard Angel Goodrich.
Last season for the 27-0 Indians, Goodrich continued her budding career by continuing to produce astonishing statistics. Her scoring average of 18.2 per game actually dropped from the 21.2 average from her sophomore season. But it's her 7.5 assists, 6.9 steals, and 5.9 rebounds per game that make Goodrich special.
"She has tremendous fundamental abilities, she's only 5-foot-3, but she plays bigger than that. For those who haven't seen her, hopefully they enjoy what she brings to the table. She has great tools in the toolbox, great vision, and she's a clutch performer," said head coach Bill Nobles of Goodrich, the first Sequoyah athlete in the schools' 136-year history to sign a Division I national letter of intent.
Goodrich signed her national letter of intent with Kansas in November, turning away some major schools such as national powerhouse Oklahoma.
"After she talked about with it her family, they actually made the decision before they left the parking lot on their visit. She didn't necessarily want to sign with a name school. She wanted to go where she was most comfortable, and that was Kansas," Nobles said.
There are more weapons than just Goodrich for the Indians, who return five starters this season. Brea Brewer is another All-State candidate for Sequoyah, coming off a season where she averaged 9.3 points per game. Cassie Moore averaged 8.3 points and 7.2 rebounds, while sophomore Nikki Lewis and Lorin Hammer both were good for over six points a game last season.
"Anywhere else, these kids would be stars. They are not jealous about who does what, all they want to do is win," Nobles said of his supporting cast.
Goodrich was named as the State Tournament MVP for the third time in her career, while Hammer and Lewis joined her on the All-Tournament team. Brewer and Moore were Honorable Mention.
Sequoyah has compiled an 82-4 record over the past three seasons and entered the season with a 39-game winning streak, which will be put to the test when it travels to the Nike Tournament of Champions in Phoenix, Ariz. from Dec. 19-22.
"Some people out there will look at our team and ask themselves `what are they doing here?' It's not a matter of life or death, but obviously, we want to represent our school and the state of Oklahoma well.
"We just want to compete and let the chips fall where they may. The national rankings are great and everything, but our goal is to be the first team in girls' basketball history in Oklahoma to win four straight state championships," Nobles said of the trip to Phoenix.