By Anvil Welch
awelch@joplinglobe.com
Wyandotte’s girls made it a special basketball season for coach Kara Kinney.
The Bears fell short of their obvious goal — reaching the Oklahoma Class 2A Tournament — but had several highlights.
The Bears, 19-8 overall, won the Lucky “7” Conference at 12-0. They won the Gold Division in the Northeastern Oklahoma A&M; Tournament. They won District 2 of Area III on their floor. They reached the Coweta Area in logging an overall 3-2 record in postseason with the losses to 15th-rated Preston and No. 16 Oklahoma Union.
But the season will be remembered for more than just wins, Kinney said Monday.
“We had such a great time during the season,” Kinney said. “The girls made it fun. They made it fun for each other. They made it fun for the coaches, too. I can’t complain about anything.”
Kinney expected the Bears to compete for Lucky “7” supremacy with the return of three starters from a 15-9, 9-2 edition.
“We were hungry for the league title,” Kinney said. “But it wasn’t a sure thing. We had several competitive teams in the league.
“I believe our team, compared to last season, showed marked improvement,” Kinney said. “Maybe I was surprised a bit by the amount of improvement.
“Kayla Oleman, for example, played through the summer and her improvement was obvious. She was more physical.”
The returning starters, all seniors, were the 6-foot Oleman, 5-6 Kristen Enyart and 5-7 Jennifer McCloud.
Kirsten Leppla, a 5-7 senior, and 5-5 junior Felicia Stone completed the starters.
Morgan Compton, a 6-0 junior, and 5-6 sophomore Alex Lyons led the reserves, Kinney said.
“Oleman averaged about 15 points,” Kinney said. “Leppla, who finished strong in scoring this season, probably averaged in double figures. Enyart was close to double-figure scoring.
“Oleman and McCloud were our leading rebounders,” Kinney said. “Stone led in assists. Leppla and Enyart probably were 1-2 in steals.”
Leppla, a shortstop for the Bears, has signed to play softball at Rogers State University of Claremore. Oleman will sign somewhere for basketball, Kinney said.
“Those seniors were huge leaders,” Kinney said. “For sure, we’ll miss them. We’re losing a lot of points and rebounds.”
Kinney, who’s completing her second season at Wyandotte, is a graduate of Lamar High School (2004) —a basketball standout for Richard Marti — and Pittsburg State University.
She was at Girard Middle School for two seasons — coaching seventh grade — before replacing Duane Thomas at Wyandotte.
She’s been assisted with the Bears by Richard Enyart (Kristen’s grandfather).
