Lady Chiefs
the night. On four occasions in the second half, the Lady Chiefs brought the game back within 10. They didn’t lie down; they didn’t give up.
“We just have that kind of personality where we don’t look at who we’re playing and have any fear,” junior standout Mikayla Pilley said. “Whenever you have a team that wants the best for everyone, and is not talking behind each other’s back and just wants everybody to do their absolute best, I think that’s why we’re so special because it’s so hard to find. I’m thankful that we have a team like that.”
Kickapoo had a team full of leaders, Hanchey said. It didn’t matter the adversity the Lady Chiefs faced throughout the year, each player was there to pick each other up.
It was a year the Lady Chiefs lost two games with the other coming Dec. 16 in a two-point game against Battle. Before then, Kickapoo secured a Willard Basketball Classic with a two-overtime championship win over Rock Bridge, Class 6’s third-place finisher.
A Pink and White Lady Classic firstplace trophy was claimed along with a sweep through the Pittsburg Tournament. The Lady Chiefs went undefeated in Ozark Conference play before claiming a Class 6, District 5 championship in a thrilling win over Republic.
Wins over Lee’s Summit and Cor Jesu Academy put the Lady Chiefs on the state’s biggest stage where they ran into a team in the middle of the greatest girls’ basketball run the state’s ever seen.
“When you have a group like we have, when we (three-second pause) have leaders and seniors who set the example (two-second pause), nobody can stop us (two-second pause). Nobody.” Hanchey said. “When I decided to go for this job, I wanted these girls to remember how much fun basketball is... basketball is supposed to be fun. I feel like we forget that sometimes. We had fun every day.
“Second place? I’ll take it. These are memories these girls will have for the rest of their lives and I’m just lucky to be a part of it.”
Kickapoo has bright days ahead. It will lose its beloved senior leader Kya Johnson, who looked at Pilley and told her she better be back in the state semifinals next year. That may be possible with Pilley leading the way with Allison Scott, Mikayla Smith and sophomore standout Josie Salazar among those returning. Johnson’s hug with Hanchey was a bit longer than the others. Through the tears, Johnson’s mascara came off on Hanchey’s pullover. They laughed when they realized it during the postgame press conference.
Johnson will be difficult to replace. She’s been Kickapoo’s heart for several seasons on the basketball and volleyball courts. Every little thing she does, it’s done for others.
Once the embrace was over, Johnson was handed the second-place trophy. Wiping her face, Johnson managed a smile, even through the pain having played her final game wearing the brown and gold.
Johnson took a deep breath and took the moment in.
“It’s easy to look at that game and be disappointed that it didn’t come out our way,” Johnson said after taking six seconds to collect herself. “But when I grabbed that trophy, I really just took a second and appreciated the last four years and everything we’ve been through.
“I just took a second to be appreciative and being proud. I hope that when we get back in the locker room that every girl is proud of themselves because we gave a fight, we gave a fight to a really good team and did not back down.
“I’m absolutely proud of that secondplace trophy because I knew that we gave everything we could.”