Hatchett’s hustle helps hold Carl Albert together in title run
Meliah Hatchett receives a state championship medal from her father Lenny Hatchett. Photo by Jay Wiggins
By Jeff Harrison
Midwest City Beacon
On a team filled with scorers, Carl Albert junior Meliah Hatchett has embraced a different role.
Lady Titans coach Kyle Richey calls Hatchett the “glue” of the lineup for the work she does that rarely shows up in the box score.
“I mean, she’s never going to be a stat girl,” Richey said. “She’ll go do the dirty work. She’s probably never going to carry 15 points, but if she doesn’t allow somebody else to score, that affects the game.”
Hatchett takes pride in those small contributions, which helped the Lady Titans win the Class 5A state championship on Saturday, their first since 2000.
“I always try to do the hustle plays that really no one notices,” Hatchett said. “Rebounding is the one stat I try to always get, and then any points that I can. But I’m always trying to hustle and give us hustle points.”
Her defensive versatility has made her one of Carl Albert’s top defenders. Last season, she often battled much bigger players in the post when the Lady Titans lacked size.
“Last year we didn’t have a lot of size,” Richey said. “She was usually taking the best post right out of the gate. She had a girl up six inches on her. She’s willing to go chase anybody and battle on the block. Kids like that you’ve got to have.”
The experience helped Hatchett become a more complete defender.
“I never played against posts before, so I was struggling a little bit,” Hatchett said. “But I feel like it made me better for this year because now I can guard all five.”
A multi-sport athlete, Hatchett also plays volleyball and runs track, but basketball is her first love, one that runs in the family. Her father, Lenny Hatchett, previously coached at Del City and led the program to two state championships. He still helps her work on her game outside of school.
“We usually go to the gym and he’ll work on stuff I need to work on,” she said. “But he tries not to talk that much during the game.”
On Saturday afternoon, Lenny Hatchett, who now works as an assistant director with OSSAA, presented Meliah with her gold medal following a thrilling win over Newcastle in the 5A finals.
Carl Albert’s Meliah Hatchett grabs a loose ball during a game against Midwest City. Photo by Jeff Harrison
