‘Gold is always better than silver’
Runners-up 5 times since 2018, KHS girls break through for 2nd Wheat Capital title
‘Gold is always better than silver’
KINGFISHER GIRLS basketball’s lone senior Raegan Snider (23) hoists up the Wheat Capital championship plaque after helping lead her team to a 60-44 win over Jones Monday night at Chisholm. It’s the first time KHS has won the Wheat Capital since 2009,
There was no settling in 2025.
Kingfisher broke its streak of falling in the championship game of the Wheat Capital Tournament in impressive fashion.
The Lady Jackets dominated the middle two quarters Monday night to dethrone Jones 60-44 in the girls championship game.
It’s only the second time for the KHS girls program to win the tournament with 2009 being the other title.
Since 2018 alone, Kingfi sher went home with the runner-up trophy, including each of the last two years when Jones won the title.
It was a dominant run to the championship.
The top seed, KHS beat Cushing 67-14 Friday in the quarterfinal round. The Lady Jackets returned Saturday to thump Perry 65-34.
That gave Kingfisher another crack at Jones, which upset second-seeded Alva in the semifinals.
The Lady Longhorns, ranked eighth in Class 3A, had beaten Kingfisher 3534 in 2023 and then 48-34 a season ago.
After Kingfisher got off to a quick start Monday, the Lady Longhorns closed the first quarter strong and led 14-13.
But that’s when Kingfi sher took over.
KHS went on an 18-8 run in the second quarter, led largely by Reese Roof and Adlee Freisen.
Roof nailed a 3-pointer early and had seven points in the frame. Friesen added six more.
Both had nine points at the half as KHS built a 3122 lead.
The momentum carried over into the third quarter.
Roof started the half with a trey and then Abbie Myers made her presence felt.
The junior sat a good portion of the first half with foul trouble.
She came back to score nine in the third.
KHS started the second half with a 7-0 run.
The second half saw Kingfisher lead by as many as 20 while Jones got no closer than 13.
Karizma Johnson tried to keep her team in it.
She scored 11 in the fourth quarter and led the Lady Longhorns with 21 points.
Jentry Holbrook scored 11, but only two other Lady Longhorns scored in the game.
Meanwhile, Kingfisher had four reach double figures.
Friesen scored 11 points while Myers added 14, 12 of which came in the second half.
Roof led the way with 16 points.
She was named to the all-tournament team along with Raegan Snider, who was voted the tournament’s Most Valuable Player.
Snider ended the game with 14 points.
Roof led the team with 14 in the win over Cushing.
Snider scored 12 and Myers 10 as 10 different Lady Jackets scored.
KHS led 19-4 after a quarter and 40-4 at the half. Winless Cushing had just two field goals in the game.
Roof poured in 20 against Perry, which included her going 6 of 11 from 3-point range.
Snider scored 14 to go with seven rebounds and five assists, but it was junior Jancee Matthews who had the breakout game.
Matthews came off the bench to shoot 7 of 9 from the field and score 16 points. She also had three rebounds, three steals and six deflections.
The balance throughout the tournament is something coach Taylor Young appreciated from her team.
“This weekend was a team effort,” she said of KHS, which moved to 10-2 on the season and is ranked fourth in Class 4A.
She also liked the way - for the most part - Kingfi sher handled Jones’ defense, which can be pesky at times. “We did a better job of valuing the basketball and being patient to get the matchups we wanted,” Young said.
Most of all, Young likes winning. Her teams have gotten close to winning the tournament in two of her first three seasons at the helm and breaking a hex that’s stood since 2009.
“Gold is always better than silver,” said Young.