MEEKER | The Meeker High School girls basketball team remained at home last weekend, hosting a pair of games beginning Friday against Olathe.
The Cowboys entered the matchup looking for a season sweep after earning a 51-28 road win over the Pirates on Jan. 16. Meeker completed the sweep in dominant fashion, defeating Olathe 54-20 behind a balanced offensive attack and strong defensive pressure.
“Great intensity and played our level the entire game,” head coach Eric Hamilton said. “Our defense was very solid in the win over Olathe. Holding them to 20 was positive for us and we were able to get minutes for a lot of our players.”
Senior Rylee Sullivan led the way with 24 points, surpassing the 1,000-career-point milestone in the process.
“I felt very accomplished reaching 1,000 points as it has been a dream,” Sullivan said. “So few people have gotten it in Meeker, so it feels like an honor and a huge accomplishment. As a senior, I think it shows a good representation of the leader I’m trying to be and setting an example that future girls can look up to.”
Head coach Eric Hamilton praised Sullivan’s achievement.
“Rylee hitting 1,000 points was a great highlight for our team and especially Rylee,” Hamilton said. “It is a huge accomplishment for a player to achieve in four years and a tribute to her hard work and dedication over her high school career. It was a lot of fun and awesome to see how excited her teammates, family and friends were to see it happen at home. I couldn’t be more proud of her.”
Sullivan said her leadership style has always centered on composure and making teammates better.
“I feel like I’ve always been natural at facilitating teammates with scoring,” she said. “Always encouraging teammates and stepping up shows composure and focus through leading by example.”
Junior Kayla Castillo, who has worked her way back into form after an injury earlier this season, said being sidelined changed her perspective.
“Coming back from injury has made me value every minute more,” Castillo said. “I don’t take being on the floor for granted anymore, so I try to focus on playing smart, staying patient and doing the little things right.”
Castillo contributed six points, three rebounds and four steals in Friday’s win.
“Even if I’m not scoring a lot, I know I can make a difference on the other side of the court defensively with my steals, rebounds and overall defense,” she said. “Regaining rhythm is about trusting my preparation and understanding my role. I’m just trying to stay confident, play hard and do whatever the team needs.”
Castillo also reflected on Sullivan’s milestone moment.
“Rylee hitting 1,000 points says everything about her work ethic and consistency,” Castillo said. “You don’t reach a milestone like that without putting in years of work behind the scenes. She shows up every day, competes hard and is an amazing leader to me and the underclassmen. It’s really cool to see her get rewarded for the time and effort she’s put into her game and our program.”
Fellow senior Addie Knowles added 10 points, three rebounds and three assists against Olathe. Freshman Cienna Rogers contributed nine points and two rebounds, while freshman Raegan Clatterbaugh filled the stat sheet with three rebounds, four assists and five steals.
With the win, Meeker improved to 16-4 overall and turned its attention to North Fork on Saturday afternoon. The Cowboys had previously fallen to the Miners 45-42 on Jan. 30 and were looking to even the season series.
The celebration from Friday night was short-lived, however, as Meeker fell to North Fork 55-52 in overtime.
The game remained tight throughout regulation, with neither team able to build significant separation. Meeker forced key turnovers and controlled stretches on the glass, but North Fork capitalized late to force overtime.
“In overtime they came out and had a five-point lead and we just couldn’t get shots to drop and had a couple defensive miscues that cost us,” Hamilton said. “It was a very exciting game and looking back I wish I would have made some adjustments, but our girls played so hard and fought to the end. It’s one of those games where maybe one possession could have changed everything.”
Sullivan again led the Cowboys with 22 points, including a perfect 6-for-6 performance from the free-throw line. She added five rebounds, four steals and two assists. Clatterbaugh turned in one of her strongest varsity performances, finishing with 12 rebounds, five assists and five steals. Knowles contributed six rebounds, and Castillo added six boards and three steals.
“We will definitely be better after this game,” Hamilton said. “These are situations that we cannot practice — the pressure, the intensity of the game. It’s a great learning experience for all of us.”
With the loss, Meeker dropped to 16-5 overall and 11-3 in conference play, sitting in third place. As of Feb. 22, the Cowboys moved to No. 12 in the CHSAA Selection and Seeding Index after holding the No. 11 spot the previous week.
Meeker will close out the regular season Friday, Feb. 27, hosting De Beque at 5:30 p.m. The game will serve as Senior Night, honoring Braydin Raley, Shailee Rundberg, Rylee Sullivan and Addie Knowles.
“Our team is looking forward to honoring our four awesome seniors on Friday,” Hamilton said. “Sometimes emotions can run high, but we will be ready to play and get a big win for them. This team is going to work really hard to prepare for regionals in March. Our best basketball is yet to come.”
Hamilton also expressed appreciation for the community support throughout the season.
“The team would like to thank our community for all the unbelievable support this season,” he said. “The stands are full every home game cheering on the boys and girls teams and we are grateful to be playing in front of crowds like that. Basketball is a long, tough season and we will need to be mentally prepared going into playoffs. Nothing better than playoff hoops at the end — it’s where all the hard work pays off.”
With one game remaining before postseason play, the Cowboys will look to regroup and defend their home court before turning their focus to March.
The Meeker girls basketball team gathers to celebrate Rylee Sullivan’s 1,000th career point milestone following Friday night’s home win. Pictured from left are Addie Knowles, Shailee Rundberg, Raegan Clatterbaugh, Kayla Castillo, Rylee Sullivan holding the “1,000 Career Points” sign, Tacey Toon, Cienna Rogers, Julie Kracht, Haigen Harrison, Mia Hernandez, Braydin Raley, head coach Eric Hamilton, assistant coach Karen Dinwiddie, Sienna Rolen and Josey McClain holding a “We Love Rylee!!” sign. ZACH CLATTERBAUGH PHOTO