CHADRON – Three high school seniors, including one from New Zealand, and a community college transfer have signed National Letters of Intent to play women's basketball at Chadron State College, head coach
Tim Connealy announced Thursday.
Two signees are from the region. Christi Sioux Bob played for Red Cloud High School in South Dakota and Katie O'Boyle played for Gering. The others signing NLIs are Maka Daysh (Mecca Dayesh) from Tauranga Girls College in Tauranga, Bay of Plenty New Zealand, and Madison Forney of Rawlins, Wyo.
Sioux Bob, a 5-foot-7 guard, was a four-time West River All-Conference selection and helped lead Red Cloud to two district championships. She averaged 13.8 points, 4.3 rebounds, 3.4 assists and 3.5 steals per game during her high school career. She was named to the Lakota Nation All-Tourney team and the Black Hills All-Conference team three times and earned first team honors from the Lakota County Times twice.
She is also a talented runner, qualifying for the state cross country meet and track and field meet five times. She owns seven course records for Red Cloud High School and was named all-state in cross country.
"Christi has great instincts on the floor and she will have great production for us," Connealy said. "She can get extremely hot shooting the ball and she gives us depth in the frontcourt."
O'Boyle, a 5-11 post, averaged eight points, seven boards and one steal a game for the Bulldogs. She was all-state honorable mention two times and placed on the Western Conference First Team and the All-Region First Team once. She will play in the West Nebraska All-Star Game this summer and is also an academic all-state selection. Her brothers, Patrick and Danny, play on the Chadron State football team. Her older sister, Emily, also attended Chadron State.
"Katie is very coachable and she has strong communication skills on the floor," Connealy said. "She's strong and athletic around the basket."
Daysh, a 6-0 forward, averaged 15.9 points per game during the New Zealand Secondary School Nationals. She scored in double figures in six of the eight games, including games of 24 and 25 points. She was named the MVP of her team three times and earned an all-around excellence award in sports at Tauranga Girls College.
"She has a nice combination of size, strength and athleticism, plus she's played at a high level since she competed for the most elite international team in New Zealand in her age group," Connealy said. "She's a very physical player and unlike anyone I've ever recruited before."
Forney, a 6-2 forward, averaged 17.2 points and 10 rebounds per game at Sheridan College in Wyoming. She was named to the All-Region 9 First Team, as well as the All-Region 9 All-Tournament Team.
In high school, Forney, who also competed in volleyball and earned all-state honors, was named all-state as a junior and senior in basketball and earned all-conference accolades three times. For her high school career, she averaged 20 points and 17 rebounds a game.
"She has the potential to score and rebound well for us," Connealy said. "She is a mature person and player who brings a lot of positive energy."