Why Riverside's first girls basketball state tournament win meant so much

Raegan Swiftwater was overwhelmed with joy.

A 2016 graduate from Riverside Indian School, Swiftwater was moved to tears when the Braves took down Red Oak last week to advance to the Class A girls basketball state tournament.

Swiftwater, who was the first 1,000-point scorer and college recruit under Riverside coach Jim Kelley, was ecstatic. All of the hard work had finally paid off as the Riverside girls were set to make their first state tournament appearance in school history.

“It was heartwarming to know that everything that not only Coach Kelley has been working towards but even former girls such as myself were worked," Swiftwater said. "If there’s a dream out there, you have to work. It’s just really enlightening and heartwarming, so I had to make the trip down here to come see it.”

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Riverside, a boarding school for Native Americans just north of Anadarko, made its first appearance in the state tournament on Wednesday afternoon and left with a 43-39 win over a Vanoss team that was making its 11th appearance in school history.

The closest any other Riverside girls basketball team has gotten to the state tournament was in 2008. That's why Riverside fans from all over made the trip to State Fair Arena in Oklahoma City. Swiftwater made a six-hour trip of her own to cheer on her alma mater.

The appearance means a lot to the girls and the Native American community. And it showed as the support for Riverside was nearly overwhelming, likely doubling any other school's attendance at the Class A quarterfinals.

“This is really nationwide because it happens in other states, too,” Kelley said. “The Native community really comes out to support the Native kids and they’re really behind the Native kids. But it’s definitely something that we always value. A crowd like that, even when we travel, our energy from our crowd is amazing. It makes a difference.”

Riverside fell one shot short of the tournament last year, after giving up a 10-point lead in the area final. The loss was heartbreaking because Kelley and Riverside felt like last year's team should have been the first. But since then, they’ve been determined to get back.

“I really do feel like that loss attributed to the hunger this year to make it here,” Kelley said. “We already had the confidence last year and believed that we should, we fell short. But it really gave us the confidence this year.”

With the newfound confidence and determination, Riverside stormed to a 26-1 record this season to advance to the tourney as a No. 4 seed.

Kelley, who played in the state tournament at Carnegie, prepared his team on how to play under the bright lights. And it paid off.

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On Wednesday, Riverside did more than just make its first appearance. The Braves took down Vanoss for its first state win to advance to the semifinals.

Alexis Parker scored the first basket on the first possession of the game with a jumper on the left wing and center

Terayna Jones, who is in her first year of school-organized basketball, led the team in scoring with 12 points and 11 rebounds.

Karliey Parker scored the go-ahead bucket in the final minute that gave the Braves the lead they never gave back.

“It felt unreal at the moment,” said Riverside junior Day Whitehawk, who scored five points in the game.

After the final buzzer sounded, Riverside players and fans were able to celebrate a win years in the making. Some raised their hands, some clapped and some hugged as they made their way over to the stands where they soaked in the love from the overwhelming number of fans in attendance.

“The support has helped us throughout the whole season,” Riverside senior Mahle Jim said. “To know that we have all these people supporting us and showing us that they care. They believe in us to win state and bring it home.”

Up next for Riverside is a matchup against No. 2 Caddo (25-2) at 1:30 p.m. Friday for the semifinals.

“We have a lot of people that would not like to see us win,” Swiftwater said. “And it takes getting the right group together, getting the right team to achieve that dream. And Coach Kelley has worked so hard over the years to instill that dream into every single player that he’s ever had. It’s just a proud moment for everybody. Just being Native, a win for one Native is a win for all.”

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This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Oklahoma HS basketball: Riverside earns first win in state tournament