With their season ended prematurely by official responses to the COVID-19 pandemic, members of the Ponca City Lady Cats now cast their eyes to their futures.

The Lady Cats had qualified for the Class 6A State Tournament, but that event first was postponed, and then last week was cancelled permanently as state school officials mandated that public schools in the state would be closed for the duration of the school year.

Five of the top eight Ponca City players are seniors and their futures will go in directions away from here.

Two plan to play college basketball.

Baylee Fincher, a fourstarter at Po-Hi, is headed to West Texas A&M in Canyon. She scored 1,334 points over her Ponca City career and has gotten state-wide notice for her play.

“I won’t begin (at West Texas A&M) until August,” she said when asked about her future. “Until then I will be working out or doing things that I can to make myself a better player.”

The other who has college basketball plans is Ryley Beard.

“I plan to go to Cowley (College in Arkansas City, Kan.),” she said. “I haven’t signed a letter of intent yet, because of the virus. But that is the plan.”

Part of Beard’s immediate future will be to help provide care for her ill mother, she said.

KaSandra Lyons has been a two-sport player throughout high school and has her sights set on participating in a sport in college—just not basketball. She has signed a letter of intent to play volleyball at Southwestern College in Winfield, Kan.

Kabria Christian has been a part of the basketball team all four years of her high school career as a backup player. Basketball isn’t a part of her plans for the future, at least not in a playing capacity.

She wants to attend the University of Central Oklahoma in Edmond and study forensic sciences.

Karis Branstetter is another who has been a part of the Lady Cats all four years of her high school experience. Her focus in college will be on academics as she will attend the University of Arkansas and study industrial engineering. She will study in the honors program.

Three of the top eight will return.

Carlie Badley will be back as a senior. She looks back on the past season as being a big year of growth for her as an athlete.

“I am excited about coming back as a senior. I do have plans for next year and they include continuing to have a winning season. We have done that all three years I’ve been in high school.

“I would like to see us go undefeated at home and if possible get into the state tournament.”

Trinity Regnier also will be a senior. She looks at next year’s team as being pretty young.

“We will have lots of freshmen and sophomores coming up,” she said.

But she said she feels the young players will learn and help the Lady Cats develop into a pretty competitive team.

Sophomore Ashlynn Fincher saw a lot of playing time as a freshman and was a starter this past season.

She sees a return to the state tournament as a possibility.

“I hopefully want to go to the state in the future, not wanting this year to be the last,” she said.

In the immediate future her plans include participating on an AAU team from Tulsa this summer. She participated in AAU last summer.

“It is really helpful to get your name out there and have coaches see you play,” she said.

She indicated AAU provides a lot of opportunity to travel.

“It is really fun,” she concluded.