Del City girls building on state semifinal run during busy summer schedule

By Jeff Harrison
Midwest City Beacon

NORMAN — After reaching the Class 5A state semifinals last season, the Del City girls basketball team isn’t wasting any time preparing for its next run.

The Lady Eagles spent last week competing at the University of Oklahoma team camp in Norman, one stop on a busy June schedule that also included a team camp at Edmond North and upcoming games at Oral Roberts University.

While summer camps are focused more on development than wins and losses, Del City’s players and coaches believe the early competition is helping establish the foundation for the 2026 season.

“I feel like there are a few things that we just need to get better at, but overall we’ve been having a pretty good start to our summer season,” said senior Kamyiah Morgan said.

For senior Saniya Bonds, the summer marks the beginning of a new chapter for a team that returns much of its roster from last year’s successful season.

“I’m actually ready for the season,” Bonds said. “I feel like it’s new journey, new teams, people, and I’m actually ready to see what’s gonna be like.”

Coach Mariah White said summer basketball always comes with an adjustment period as players return from AAU competition and begin playing together again.

“Every time we come in the summer, it’s like a fresh start,” White said. “Being off since March, so two, three months, and just trying to get back in our groove, it’s always good for us.”

Del City returns three starters and several key contributors from last season’s state semifinal team. The Eagles also added transfer players and freshmen who are beginning to find their place within the program.

“I think that’s the biggest thing, is we got that core coming back, but everybody also have a new role,” White said.

One of the biggest changes is learning to play without longtime point guard Sacha Hunt, a four-year starter and the team’s second-leading scorer last season.

“She was our point guard for four years, and so this is the first time everybody’s playing without Sacha,” White said.

The Lady Eagles believe their experience together should help ease that transition. Morgan said the returning players have developed strong chemistry after playing together for several years.

“We have a bunch of us that are returning to be seniors. We actually have nine seniors,” Morgan said.

That veteran group has already helped Del City look comfortable on the floor despite the limited practice time.

“We played together really well,” Morgan said. “We were making the next pass, getting open shots, taking good passes. So we played where our chemistry is coming together really well.”

Bonds also pointed to the team’s depth as an early strength.

“Our bench, too,” Bonds said. “They kind of get us time to blame.”

White said the roster’s versatility allows the Eagles to adapt to different opponents.

“We have a lot of size,” White said. “We have a lot of guards that can play different states in different spots. One day it might be an inside game, the next day it might be an outside game. So I think that’s the beauty of this team.”

The summer schedule has provided opportunities to test those strengths against quality competition. Before traveling to Norman, Del City attended a team camp at Edmond North.

“We played some really good teams there,” White said. “It was good for us.”

The Eagles were also scheduled to compete at ORU against programs such as Bixby, Muskogee and Tulsa Union before hosting their own team camp later in the week.

“I really like the fact that we’re competing in June,” White said. “It kind of sets the tone for whenever you come back to school.”

For a senior class that has experienced deep playoff runs but is still chasing a state championship, last season’s semifinal appearance remains a motivating factor.

“It definitely drives you, because you don’t always want to be that team that was almost got like each year, we get further and further,” Morgan said.

With nine seniors, new additions and several weeks of summer competition still ahead, the Eagles hope the work they’re putting in now will help them take the next step when the season begins.