By BYRON BEERS
TULSA, OK (April 21, 2023) – VYPE Magazine and Shelter Insurance are proud to
announce the winner of the Miss Basketball Oklahoma Award, Stailee Heard of Sapulpa High School.
Heard’s performance against Holland Hall in the Class 5A State Tournament championship game propelled her to the very top.
The standout do-it-all forward is now a member of an elite group that was started in 2012.
Heard joins the likes of Lakota Beatty (Anadarko), Toree Thompson (Broken Arrow), Rylie Torrey (Locust Grove), Ana Llanusa (Choctaw), Jaden Hobbs (Alva), Jessi Murcer (Westmoore), Jalei Oglesby (Howe), Aaliyah Moore (Moore), Kelbie Washington (Norman) and 2021 winner Darianna Littlepage-Buggs (Classen SAS) as VYPE Miss Basketball winners.
“Stailee is one of those once in a lifetime players,” Sapulpa head coach Darlean Calip said. “She is a true basketball player and plays the game the right way with passion, drive and just a warrior mentality to do whatever to win. It has been a pleasure to watch her grow into an amazing young lady and an outstanding player.”
Heard was perhaps the most complete and consistent player anywhere in the state throughout the season.
But she saved her best for the biggest stage in a legendary performance.
Heard, the Frontier Valley Conference Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year, scored a basket with two seconds left to lift the Lady Chieftains to a 75-74 win over Holland Hall and carried Sapulpa its second state title in three years in the championship game on March 11 at Lloyd Noble Center in Norman.
“[Stailee] is a team player and will do whatever to help her team have success,” Calip said. “She played at a different level than her peers this season leading us in almost every statistical category, but stats mean nothing to her. She wants to win! Being selected as the POY and DPOY in our conference speaks of the respect she has earned through her work ethic and the way she plays the game.”
Heard poured in a season-high 41 points on 14-of-24 overall shooting to cap her stellar career in the win over Holland Hall. She also pulled down nine rebounds, connected on four of her six 3-point attempts and went 9 of 10 from the free throw line.
Over the course of her senior year, she recorded 14 double-doubles. She nearly posted a triple-double against Broken Arrow on Dec. 6 when she scored 17 points, grabbed 11 rebounds and handed out nine assists. She had a season-best 18 rebounds and added 26 points against Lamar (Arkansas) on Dec. 8, finished with 31 points and 10 rebounds against Kiefer on Dec. 30, had 20 points, 14 rebounds and eight assists against Nathan Hale to begin the playoffs in February, and closed with 18 points, 10 rebounds, six assists and six steals against El Reno in the state tournament semifinals.
As a senior, Heard averaged 20.5 points and 10.1 rebounds, and helped guide Sapulpa to a 25-2 overall record. She averaged 4.2 assists, 2.7 steals, shot 55 percent overall from the floor and 34 percent from 3-point territory.
An Oklahoma State University commit, Heard was recently selected to the Oklahoma Girls Basketball Coaches Association and Oklahoma Coaches Association Large East All-State teams.
“I am super excited to see her now focus on one sport, to see her excel and blossom into an outstanding player for Oklahoma State. She has so much room to grow,” Calip said.
