Tradition is something that’s a trademark of Fort Gibson girls basketball and their records speak for themselves. For starters, the Lady Tigers extended their record for the most consecutive trips to the state tournament, girls or boys, to 18 years in a row last season by reaching the final eight teams in the Class 4A title chase. During the state tournament streak that began in 2005, the Lady Tigers have won four state titles (2011, 2013, 2014, 2018) and made multiple appearances in the title game. To some that would seem like pressure, but at Fort Gibson it’s a privilege that is not only cherished by players and coaches, past and present, but also by their fan base who can hardly wait for the scheduled December 2 opener. Can this year’s squad continue the treasured record achievement for a 19th year?

Entering his second season as head coach and sixth with the program, Scott Lowe welcomes the return of just one starter last year’s squad, Addy Whiteley (5-5, G, So.) who topped the scoring charts averaging 11.5 points per game while distributing 3.1 assists per contest as a freshman. A newcomer to the Lady Tigers camp, Laynee Staley (6-0, F, So.) gives Lowe’s squad a big presence on the blocks and the talent to step away from the basket and score as well as facilitate the offense with her passing skills. Kenzi Snell (5-6, G, Sr.) who came off the bench and played valuable minutes during the Lady Tigers race to the 2022 state tournament, will step into the starting role and give Fort Gibson a perimeter scoring threat as well as running the offense. Linzi Foutch (6-2, F, Sr.) gives the lineup a big presence in the paint for added rebounding muscle while Stephanie Hickman (5-5, G, Sr.) steps into the lineup at guard. “First things first, we must do what we do best,” said Lowe whose team is focused on keeping things in a proper order of importance.

“We expect to be competitive within our conference as well as statewide come playoff time. We feel like we have the pieces to be a very good team by the season’s end.” Despite their youth, there’s no cause for panic that the winning ways won’t continue as Lowe will get added support from the bench play from athletes who have waited their turn to step inside the lines and contribute on both ends of the court including Heaven Frost (5-7, G, Sr.), Addy Bracken (5-7, G, So.), Maggie Baker (5-8, F, Jr.) as next up in the rotation along with Kaelyn King (5-8, F, Jr.), Raelynn King (5-8, F, Jr.) Kaiah Austin (5-5, G, So.), Emma Spears (5-5, G, So.), Kyla Scott (5-5, G, So.), Kristjan Cantrell (5-7, G, So.), Katie Smith (5-8, F, So.) and Miley Wafford (5-6, G, Fr.).