Coach: Darlean Calip
21-22 Record: 20-7
Hall of fame head coach Darlean Calip knows a thing or two about athleticism. Her name is scattered all over the East Central Tigers record book as a player. Her husband Brad is a member of the College Football Hall of fame after his own successful stint at East Central as a quarterback. And the four-time state champion head coach has a roster full of girls with basketball in their blood ready to make a run for the Chieftains fifth title.
Oklahoma State signee Stailee Heard can hoop. Stailee and her sister Tyla are the top two returning scorers and rebounders for Sapulpa. Stailee is a senior and averaged 19 points and 9.0 rebounds to go along with three blocks per game as a junior. Tyla averaged 11 points and 7.0 rebounds of her own to go with three blocks as a sophomore. Those efforts have garnered multiple Division-I offers. Stailee and Tyla are the daughters of former John Marshall high school and University of Tulsa guard Tony Heard and Lisa Osceola-Heard, one of the top scorers in TU women’s history.
“The girls started coming to my camp in about the second or third grade. They are the type of kids that are just a joy to coach,” said Calip.
Add to that mix a pair of McQuarters’ girls and you have a heck of a basketball gene pool. Senior Reagan McQuarters and freshman Riki McQuarters are the daughters of Oklahoma State two-sport star, R.W. McQuarters. Reagan returned to Sapulpa after leading Will Rogers in scoring on the way to a state tournament appearance of their own a year ago. Reagan averaged 16 points per game and just like her dad, is a menace on defense. Riki will be one of several freshmen that could contribute on an incredibly deep team.
“She’s only about 5-feet-6,” said Calip of her up and coming freshman. “She has some of the most impeccable timing for rebounding that I’ve seen in my career.”
Calip welcomes back a nice mix of youth and leadership that will contribute around the Heard and McQuarters foundation. Mataya Hall has leadership beyond her age. The sophomore has a swagger soaked up by her teammates and loves to do the dirty work when she’s on the floor. Taylor Bibly is a cross country runner with great stamina and one of the Chieftains’ most accurate outside shooters. Wrigley Adkisson stands 6-feet-1 and can score at all three levels while providing solid defense at the rim.
Sapulpa should be fun to watch. Pressure defense, offensive skill, tons of depth and a desire to erase the memory of a surprise semifinals loss in 2022. Coach Calip and Company are the favorite return to the top in 2023.
