Looking back on the recently completed basketball season, Ponca City Lady Cats Coach Jody Fincher calls it a learning year.

The team started the season relatively young and with youth comes inexperience. Three of the starters were sophomores and the team had only two seniors.

Not only were the Lady Cats relatively young, but they were denied a full year of practice and games in 2020-2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. So with things somewhat back to normal, the Lady Cats were in the learning mode.

"We were inexperienced and so young in spots," Fincher said. "Our sophomores only had a half-year's experience last year. We had freshmen who got to play some this year. We had an up-and-down season, although at times we played very well."

An example of the Lady Cats playing up and down took place in the final game of the season. They trailed Putnam City North 18-6 at the half and were down 26-6 midway through the third quarter. Then Ponca City got to work. They tied the score to send the game into overtime and then the game went into a second overtime. Eventually North pulled out a 53-47 win.

"We were up against a very good team. Putnam City North played for going to the state. I'm really proud of our effort in that game," Fincher said.

The last game with Putnam City North was the fourth time the two teams had played. Ponca City won the first game early in the season (46- 41). Then Putnam City North defeated the Lady Cats 44-31 in the Jenks-Union Invitational, and later was a 41-22 winner in a game played in the North gym.

The Lady Cats finished the year 9-13 and finished fourth in the Big Seven Conference.

The season started with a 20-point loss to Putnam City West, but in the next game, Ponca City downed Enid by 33 points. Then came the win over Putnam City North. Ponca City beat Sequoyah Tahlequah in the opening round of the Tahlequah tournament, but then lost to Tahlequah and Booker T. Washington in the tournament's next two games. A loss to Choctaw and a win over Shawnee preceded the Lady Cats' effort in the Ada Tournament where they played Ada in the championship game. Ada won that contest 47-29. On the way to the title game Ponca City defeated Norman North and Durant. In the Jenks-Union Invitational Ponca City lost to Jenks in the consolation championship. Before that it had lost to Putnam North and defeated the Oklahoma City Storm.

The remainder of the season involved a win over Guthrie, a loss to Putnam City West, a win over Enid, a loss to Putnam North, a loss to Choctaw, a loss to Putnam City Original (in overtime) and a loss to Midwest City.

The leader of the team was senior Ashlynn Fincher, who was the top scorer and used her experience as a four-year player to help guide her teammates. Fincher has signed to play at Cowley College in Arkansas City, Kan., where she could possibly be a teammate with her older sister Baylee. The other senior on the team was Margaret Blackstar, who came off the bench to provide some quality minutes for the Lady Cats.

Emma Gertken just completed her junior year and promises to be a team leader for next year. Three sophomores, Sarah Dingus, Kara Allison and Lainie George were starters and along with Gertken provide a good core for a team next year.

"We have four starters coming back," Coach Fincher acknowledged. And we have played other freshmen and sophomores off the bench. Our experience is going to be better. We have some work to do in the offseason, but I like the pieces we have coming back."