Sallisaw senior riding out basketball playoff run for as long as it lasts
Editor’s Note: This interview was conducted Tuesday afternoon, 48 hours before Thursday afternoon’s Class 4A Regional Tournament consolation quarterfinal game vs. Poteau in Stilwell. See complete Sallisaw basketball regional tournament coverage in Wednesday’s edition of Your TIMES.
No matter how long the 2024 high school basketball playoffs last for the Sallisaw Black Diamonds, senior Max Stump is planning to make the most of it.
“I’m definitely going to enjoy it,” said Stump, whose Black Diamonds faced NOAA Conference rival Poteau in the Class 4A Regional Tournament consolation quarterfinals Thursday afternoon in Stilwell. “The energy has to be high, going into every game that it could be my last. That’s what I’m going to do these three (regional tournament) games and the practices we have left.”
To say this 9-14 season, which was the team’s record going into Thursday afternoon’s playoff game, has been like a roller coaster is an understatement.
“It’s definitely been an up-and-down road — winning some games, then going on some losing streaks, then get back on a one- or two-game winning streak, then losing,” Stump said. “It’s definitely been up and down, but going into this next game (Thursday’s Class 4A Regional Tournament consolation quarterfinal against Poteau in Stilwell) we have a stretch here where we can go on a run and give ourselves a chance (to make state) for sure.”
Since the Black Diamonds lost Saturday night’s Class 4A District Tournament finals to the host Stilwell Indians, it means they will have to take the “long path” to make it to the state tournament — winning three elimination games at this weekend’s regional tournament and three more elimination games at next week’s area tournament at Okmulgee.
“We came up short against Stilwell.” Stump said. “Looking ahead, you have to dwell on the positive. These next three games to get to area, they’re definitely doable. We just have to lock in and take these games one game at a time.”
This weekend won’t be the only time Stump has faced elimination in postseason play. He was a part of the Cinderella 2023 Sallisaw football season in which the Black Diamonds went 7-5 and made it to the Class 4A state quarterfinals. Each playoff game was a makeor- break contest — win and advance, or lose and see the season end. Stump said his mental state of mind in each playoff run for him this senior year has been the same.
“Coming into these last stretch of games, I feel like I need to step up and be the leader of this team,” he said. “After the loss in the last game, our confidence was down. These last practices, I had to step up and be a leader and get these guys on the right path to win these next three (Class 4A Regional Tournament) games.”
Being the lone senior on the Black Diamonds basketball team makes him believe he has to be the leader.
“These team practices (this week) were my last practices if we don’t set up and make these three games happen (getting wins to claim the regional consolation championship and advance to next week’s area tournament),” Stump said. “I’ve had to step up these last practices to get everybody going and get our confidence back up and make a (postseason) run.”
At the moment, there are no college athletic offers, either basketball or football, so he’ll keep doing what he’s been doing — being a firefighter.
“If offers come in, I’ll definitely take into account going the college route,” Stump said. “Right now, I’m going to continue being a fireman.”
So, as the final high school basketball season is nearing an end, Stump is just focusing on the tasks at hand, not the finality of it.
“It’s definitely getting crunch time,” he said. “You don’t want to think about having so many games left, but now that it’s coming to the end it’s definitely a wake-up call that I have so many games left. I’ve got to work hard.”
