The Tsalagi Anata Anitsvyasdi (Cherokee Lady Braves) won the 2025-2026 NCHSAA 2A Basketball State Championship on the evening of Thursday, March 12 in Lawrence Joel Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Winston-Salem, N.C. (BROOKLYN BROWN/One Feather photos)
By BROOKLYN BROWN
One Feather Reporter
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. – The Tsalagi Anata Anitsvyasdi (Cherokee Lady Braves) are the 2025-2026 NCHSAA 2A State Champions. The Lady Braves dominated the state game, earning their third state title in a row with the largest winning margin in NCHSAA history for women’s basketball on the evening of Thursday, March 12 in Lawrence Joel Veterans Memorial Coliseum. The final score, with a margin of 61 points, was 76-15.
Jr. (#1) Madison Rogers earns the title of Most Valuable Player for the 2025-2026 NCHSAA 2A State Championship game.
Jr. guard (#1) Madison Rogers was named the Most Valuable Player of the NCHSAA 2A State Championship game. She was the leading scorer with a total of 25 points and a shooting percentage of 66.67 percent.
Jr. center (#13) Joscelyn Stamper was named Most Outstanding Player from the Lady Braves. She was the next leading scorer with 15 points. She also tallied 10 rebounds and 5 blocks. Stamper earned Most Outstanding Player her freshman year when the Lady Braves won the 2023-24 NCHSAA 1A State Championship.
Sr. forward (#12) Yvonne Saunooke received the Sportsmanship Award.
Sr. (#4) Dvdaya Swimmer was the third leading scorer with 10 points. Sr. (#14) Marlee Hicks also played a great final game of her high school career, earning the fourth highest scoring tally with 8 points and a shooting percentage of 100 percent.
Seniors Yvonne Saunooke, Marlee Hicks, and Dvdaya Swimmer pose with the NCHSAA 2A State Championship trophy.
The Lady Braves came out strong, leading the first quarter 33-4. They would continue to dominate, with Cherokee’s starting five sitting out much of the third and fourth quarter.
Freshman (#2) Cambry Stamper came off the bench in the second half, scoring the final points of the game by sinking a three-pointer in the last 24 seconds. Stamper is the daughter of head coach Miranda Long Stamper and the sister of Joscelyn Stamper.
The Lady Braves end the season with an overall record of 30-1, and 17-0 in conference play.
In the post-game press conference, Joscelyn Stamper said the team motto is Iyusdigwo, a Cherokee term printed on the back of their warm-ups, “Anybody, anywhere, anyplace. That’s just how we carry ourselves. No matter if you’re way bigger than us, faster, smarter, older, we’re gonna give it all we have. We’re gonna put our heads down and go to work. It’s a good reminder and it’s also a warning for the other team, really, of what we’re coming for.”
