by By Dan Ninham (Oneida)
Hardin HS senior Julianna Takes Horse is one of the top post players in Montana girls’ basketball. She recently signed her national letter of intent with Mendocina College in Ukiah, California.
“We are extremely excited to have Julianna!” said Katherine Escobedo, head women’s basketball coach at Mendocino College. “After watching a good amount of film on her, I knew that she would be able to contribute to our team right away as a freshman. After speaking with her on the phone, I knew she would be a great fit for our program. She is hard working, respectful, and determined. She is the entire package and a perfect example of what I look for in recruiting players.”
“Mendocino College competes in the hyper-competitive Bay Valley Conference that is mostly comprised of teams from the San Francisco Bay Area. With Julianna, the incoming recruiting class, and the returners we have from last season, this is going to be a good year for Mendocino College women’s basketball. This will be my second season as Head Coach and Julianna is my first out-of-state player that has committed. She is quite possibly the first true out-of-state women’s basketball player in the history of Mendocino College,” added Katherine.
“We can’t wait for her to get here,” said Katherine. “Welcome to the Eagle family, Julianna!”
Julianna Takes Horse is a member of the Crow Tribe in Crow Agency, MT. She is a child of Greasy Mouth and Bad War Deeds Clans. Her Crow name is ‘bachuxxbiiloote itchesh’ (good competitor). Julianna’s mother is Barbie LaForge and father is Franklin Takes Horse III.
“I am a 6’2 post for the Hardin Lady Bulldogs basketball team at Hardin High School in Hardin, MT,” said Julianna. “I have played in other sports throughout my life like softball, volleyball, and cross country but was mostly driven to basketball. Through basketball, I have had the opportunity to travel around our nation with an AAU team called Sacred Hoops and also had the opportunity to travel to China and Europe my senior year but was unfortunately cut short due to COVID-19.”
“I played at St. Labre Catholic School my freshman year then transferred back home to Hardin HS my sophomore year and remained at Hardin for my senior year. I have varsity lettered all four years of my high school career. My sophomore and junior year at Hardin HS our team were runner-up’s at state both times but my senior year in the semi-final game, the Montana High School Association (MHSA) announced that the winners of the semi-final games were to be Co-State champions due to the COVID-19 found in Yellowstone county where the tournaments were being held,” added Julianna.
Top-ranked Harden defeated Livingston 64-40 in the first semi-final game. Julianna scored 14 points and dominated the inside with her teammates. The Lady Bulldogs lost the last three state championship games.
Billings Central defeated two-time defending Class ‘A’ state champion Havre 50-43 in the second semi-final.
“We finished the semi-final game against Livingston as Co-State Champs with the Billings Central Lady Rams in the 2019-2020 season,” said Julianna. “Honestly I was disappointed in how the tournament ended but everything happens for a reason. I’m just thankful I got to play with some amazing girls on my team and share a state title with a great team like Central who I know works as hard as we do.”
Julianna’s hudl profile is located here: https://www.hudl.com/profile/12205165/Julianna-Takes-Horse
“My tribal core value is being respectful especially to your opponent,” said Julianna. “In a game everyone who steps onto the court has a goal and mindset that is to win. So even after the ending result of whoever won you should still respect them for putting their all out there.”
“Being a leader is also one of my greatest tribal core values,” said Julianna. “I try my best to show what leadership is by representing. A way I represent is through one of the tribal districts. I am the Black Lodge District Princess and show younger children how leadership can help them. There is more than to what is just there on our ‘rez’ with striving to be more than what people think they are just capable of, especially Native American children. I take pride in a lot of my tribal core values. Showing the world that we are capable, unique, and our culture is beautiful. We can express it with our talents in the world.”
“My mom has positively influenced me to who I am,” said Julianna. “My mom raised me as a single parent and gave me all the knowledge I have to today. She always told me ‘what you do today is the outcome of your tomorrow’ so I took it by heart on what I do everyday. She has done a lot as a single mother and I’m proud to call her my mom. If she can do it I know I can.”
Mom Barbie LaForge said: “My daughter Julianna, I am blessed to have raised her to be this fine young woman. I tell her the choices we make today will be the outcome of tomorrow, I encourage her through the battles she faces that only she is her own enemy and she will take what she wants the most. Being there throughout her life I raised her to be compassionate about everything she puts her mind to. I wanted her to be an outstanding woman. So when she discovered that she wanted to be the best softball player in second grade I knew that I raised her right because at that young of an age she had determination in her mindset. From that moment on she got into other sports like volleyball and cross country but what really impacted her was basketball. She was so motivated with basketball and believed at a young age it’d take her places.”
“Being the oldest of my children she really wanted to show them what was right and what is wrong. So she showed it with her accomplishments she had made in her life that she is still continuing. As her mother I know she will be okay in California playing basketball. She showed it a lot growing up in front of me even when I wasn’t able to make it to something being a single parent but along the way she made friends and met parents that became her second parents that also showed her how to be a leader as well,” added Barbie.
“She was right when she said she wanted basketball to take her places,” said Barbie. “She has been places I have never been to before and travels more than I do. I tell her that no one can defeat her but herself. She is a brick wall and only she can tear herself down. She is one of a kind tall and strong. She is also full of love especially for the game. The leadership she shows will make her rise up and there is no other Julianna Takes Horse because God made her one of a kind.”
“Someone else who really helped me in this journey was my coach Jonah Red Cherries who has coached me ever since I was a third grader,” said Julianna. “He pushed me to play softball and get into sports.
“Someone that pushed me on and off the court was my best friend Marie Five,” said Julianna. “I’ve known Marie ever since middle school and even on the days I didn’t want to work out she pushed me. She’s like a big sister to me. I look up to her because she’s my best friend and always tells me there’s more than what’s just there and you can always be improving. She also played with me for the Hardin Lady Bulldogs.”
“What I do to help maximize my ability physically to perform better as a player is working out on my off time and running to stay in shape,” said Julianna. “Especially with this quarantine going on it allows everyone to improve on something.”
“Some areas I believe I need to improve on mentally is not doubting myself,” said Julianna. “I did a lot of that my freshman and sophomore year and it didn’t really get me anywhere because I always had that thought in the back of my mind that I wasn’t doing enough. But when the time came when I needed to step up, my closest friends, and family helped me get out of that mindset. So when I needed to do my part as a teammate I did it and just let it all out on the court.”
“I connect my spirituality with the sport of basketball is no matter what I do it all has to be given to God,” said Julianna. “Before every game I pray and after when it’s over. No matter what I do it’s not only for the love of the sport but it’s for God. When I play I don’t play to get the favor of anyone’s attention. I play because God gave me the ability to play.”
“The mental strategy I use during a stressful game or a tough game is ‘who wants it more’,” said Julianna. “When the game comes to an end and it’s a close game you could have all the talent in the world but what really matters is who’s heart is set on wanting to win the game more.”
“During this pandemic I’m focusing on myself mentally to better myself with all of this going on,” said Julianna. “It’s been allowing me to get closer to my family.”
Photo Credit: Tommy B. Robinson
