Oklahoma High School Basketball Team Makes Postseason With Only 5 Players

A girl's basketball team at an Oklahoma High School with only five players is teaching everyone a lesson about determination.

Friday, February 17th 2023, 8:45 am

By: Jonathan Polasek

The Kinta High School girl's basketball team is teaching everyone a lesson in determination. Kinta won just one basketball game last year.

This year is a completely different story. The team won 11 games this year with a team of four sophomores and one freshman. Those are the only players on the team. Five girls playing every minute of every game this season.

Kinta's head coach, Clay Conley, said that only having five players can present its challenges. He said that running game-like situations in practice can be difficult, and on more than one occasion, Kinta has had a player or two foul out, leaving the team even more shorthanded.

However, the team has still found ways to win some of those games, and nobody, from the players to the coach, is using the number of players on the team as an excuse.

"They just don't make excuses. They just want to win. That's all they want to do is win. They do exactly how I ask. They play extremely, extremely hard. You know, with five girls or five players in general, you've got to play hard to win games," Conley said.

Win they have. Kinta made it to the regional round of the postseason this year with a chance to make it to the area round depending on the results of a couple of games this weekend.

While other teams Kinta has faced may have more players to substitute in and out of games, Conley has confidence in his team and knows that his team will not shy away from any challenge put in front of them.

"It gives me confidence going into games knowing that I’ve got girls on the floor that aren’t going to give in. They’re not going to back down from a challenge when the adversity hits, and I feel like they could get through it," Conley said.

Kinta played in what was essentially the regional semifinals on Thursday, February 16, and lost to South Coffeyville, but they still have an opportunity to make it to the next round. Kinta will have to win today against Shidler at 1:30 p.m. in Checotah and then again on Saturday in order to advance.