Strafford girls basketball dynasty claims fifth straight state title
STRAFFORD, Mo. (BVM) – There are a lot of dominant high school basketball programs across the country. But no matter how good you are, winning a championship never comes easy. However, Strafford’s girls basketball program continues to buck the trend.
In March, the team won its fifth straight state championship at the Class 3 level. The Lady Indians have lost just six games over their elite five-year run, which includes three straight undefeated 33-0 seasons in 2016-17, 2017-18, and 2018-19. This resulted in a state record 123-game winning streak, which came to an end last December. It was the first loss Strafford had experienced since January 2016.
This year’s championship also set a Missouri State High School Activities Association (MSHSAA) record, as no girls basketball team previously in Missouri had ever won five straight state titles.
Of the five, this season’s run may have been the most impressive. Strafford graduated four starters from last year’s team, including standout twins Hayley and Kayley Frank. Their father, Steve Frank, also stepped down after overseeing unprecedented success as the head coach during this run.
Hayley, who was a 3,000 point scorer for the Lady Indians, has gone on to play at the University of Missouri as a five-star recruit, while Kayley is playing at College of the Ozarks. Meanwhile, Steve stepped away to watch his daughters play at the collegiate level, but still remains an assistant athletic director at Strafford.
Enter first-year head coach Dustin Larsen, who took the Strafford job last offseason after leaving the boys program at Springfield Catholic. A 19-year coaching veteran, Larsen had spent 15 years coaching both girls and boys at different points for the Fighting Irish. He made the transition to Strafford, in large part because of his family.
“I have daughters in fourth grade and sixth grade so I wanted to make that transition back to girls basketball at some point,” Larsen said.
The opportunity to coach for such a highly touted program was also tough to pass up.
“I’ve been familiar with Strafford for years. I had a lot of people question why I would want to take on a program that’s so successful, but at the end of the day it’s just basketball. I wanted to come be a part of the program and bring something to the program as well,” Larsen added.
Walking into a program that had a 115-game winning streak, won four straight state titles, and just completed their third straight undefeated season, one would think Larsen may have felt some kind of pressure, but it was actually just the opposite.
“I didn’t feel any pressure. I took the same approach that I did when I walked into a program I coached that hadn’t won,” he said.
Larsen also has a strong relationship with coach Frank, who he had competed against for many years at Springfield Catholic.
“He was a coach I could always communicate with. We developed a relationship and respect for each other through our similar approaches and having that passion to do the best we can for kids,” Larsen explained.
Taking over the historically successful program, Larsen knew things would be different this year, but still thought his team was good enough to win a fifth straight championship.
“Every team starts the season with a goal to win a state championship and honestly I really believed we could,” coach Larsen said. “They were going to have to be a different type of team, but I felt like we could do that with this group.”
The Indians took a different approach after losing an elite scorer like Hayley Frank, and became more balanced, playing outstanding team basketball. Not only did the team lose their leading scorer, but also three other starters from last season. Development and emerging talent was necessary, and it certainly happened.
The 2019-20 Lady Indians still had experience with four seniors, but outside of lone returning starting senior Logan Jones, none had played a lot of minutes. Mica Chadwell was one Strafford senior who missed a lot of summer workouts due to being in an ATV accident last year, but contributed a solid season. Taylor Dormann was another who was in just her second year with the program, but came into her own on the offensive end of the court. Taylor Treat was the fourth senior on this squad, and she brought the heart and grit this team needed.
Sophomore Emma Compton rounded out the lineup at guard, and her and Jones each earned All-State honors in Missouri. Chadwell and Dormann also joined the pair as All-District players. Larsen credits several other girls off his bench who made significant development and contributions throughout the year as well.
Despite only having three losses, the season would have some tough moments, including the first loss of the year to end the record winning streak.
“Any time you have a streak of that magnitude end it is definitely heartbreaking,” Larsen said. “You want to continue the tradition of those who played before you…but at the same time we knew we just had to be the best version of us and the next day the sun was going to come up.”
The Indians would suffer two more losses the rest of the season, including a defeat on senior night to conference rival Skyline High School, who Strafford had beat by over 20 points earlier in the year. However, Larsen credits those losses as “eye-opening moments” that helped the team to improve.
“You want some challenging times because those are the times that can help you get better,” he said.
Strafford would rally from that final loss and make it back to the Class 3 state title game yet again, facing Licking. With concerns surrounding the COVID-19 outbreak, the game was moved up and played in front of a limited number of fans, adding a bit of adversity to the mix. But coach Larsen and the team felt fortunate just to get to be on the court.
“We reminded the girls, we’re getting to play and we have to be thankful for that,” Larsen said.
However, the game didn’t start out as planned, with the Lady Indians coming out sluggish in the first half, often settling on offense. The team came out of halftime strong, but after another run by the Wildcats, Strafford found itself down 14 points. The resilient Indians would not quit though, and would add to the legacy of this historic program with a comeback for the ages, winning 65-62.
“Our kids just kept believing. They kept that sense of composure and you just can’t explain how proud you are of a group when you find a way to win a game like that. It took everybody,” Larsen said.
For the first-year coach, finally winning a championship was very satisfying, as he had been to three other final fours, including finishing runner-up in the state title game last year with his boys at Springfield Catholic.
But it was even more satisfying to see the Strafford program set a state record with their fifth straight title, even though so much had changed from last season.
“I’m just so thankful for the girls and happy for them to get the opportunity to do this,” Larsen said. “It’s so rewarding for a coach to see a team come together and come full circle. To see those kids accomplish this when a lot of people probably doubted them. I’m just blessed for the opportunity to coach them.”
The 2020-21 Strafford girls team will again lose four seniors to graduation, but Larsen still thinks a bright future is on the horizon.
“We definitely think we have everything in place to continue success, and success brings the opportunity to win championships. If we continue to focus on getting better each day not only as players but as people and continue to grow I think a lot of great things can happen,” coach Larsen said.
What Strafford accomplished in winning a MSHSAA record fifth straight girls basketball title despite the offseason turnover is remarkable, and will always be remembered. With coach Larsen, and the foundation this incredible program has in place, a sixth straight championship seems like a strong possibility.
