Photos Courtesy of B. Pourier
Maȟpíya Lúta senior Chayton Palmier wrapped up his high school basketball career with pride, heart, and a message for the future of the program. The Red Cloud boys’ basketball team finished their season with a hard-fought 72-55 loss to Winner in the playoffs, closing the year at 11-11. But for Palmier, the record only tells part of the story.
“I’m proud of how this team bounced back from losing LNI and all the matches we should have won before,” Palmier said. “I’m especially proud of how we went into playoffs with a killer mindset—whoever we faced was going to come down to us.”
Maȟpíya Lúta won five of their last seven games, rallying after a midseason slump and finding their rhythm as a team. Palmier, a senior leader on the squad, said this year taught him a lot about his role on the court, particularly on defense and in communication.
Photos Courtesy of B. Pourier
“I learned that no matter what, you can still impact the game by hustling, getting the ball where it needs to be, and scoring,” he said. “But even with that, you need tough plays and simple ball movement. Trying to lead this squad taught me how to play better defense and, more importantly, how to be more communicative with my teammates—how to lead them on defense and keep us together.”
For Palmier and his teammates, the journey started with a wake-up call in their first game.
“The first game we played was at Hill City, and it was a tough loss,” he recalled. “That was a wake-up call for all of us. We had to have a chip on our shoulder every game after that. Whether we won or lost, we wanted to win the next one. It helped us grow together on the court—finding out who could do what, what we needed to work on, and what we could develop as a team.”
As he looked back on the season, one memory stood above the rest.
“I’ll remember my last home game the most,” Palmier said. “We only had five players with year-long varsity experience, and we brought on three who had almost none except from practice. We still found a way to win. It was a fight, but it showed our determination and how we dealt with setbacks. That game showed me the essence of basketball—‘the will to play and win.’”
Photos Courtesy of B. Pourier
Now that his high school career is over, Palmier hopes to leave a legacy for the next group of players.
“I would tell them to work through the summer. Remember those moments when you were down or when you were up, and play with passion. Love the game. Remember every moment—whether it was on C-team or varsity—and let every experience help you grow. Everyone can be a leader, not just for themselves but for the people around them.”
With leaders like Chayton Palmier setting the example, the future of Maȟpíya Lúta basketball looks bright.