Season Pass by Dennis Cox
The third first round match in the North Missourian’s GHS Hoops Madness challenge for women saw the #3 seeded team from 1983-84 defeat the #6 seeded 2008-09 team.
The 1983-84 squad, under head coach J. R. Collins, finished 24-4 and champions of the GRC (first time ever for the girls), Polo and Gilman City Tournaments. A victory over defending champion Stanberry in the final league game wrapped up a perfect 8-0 GRC run. Sally Spillman and Lori Beck were unanimous all-conference and they currently rank third and fourth, respectively, for Lady Bulldog single season points totals. Julie Wood and Dawn Tuttle were honorable mention GRC that season.
The final first round matchup pits the #1 seeded team from 1995-96, coached by Rick Lin, against the Lin coached team from 2002-03. This matchup features the top two single season scorers in Roxi Davitt and Amy Woodruff.
The 1995-96 team really had split seasons and maybe a charmed post season. Led by first team all-conference and all-staters Amy Woodruff and Cindy Critten, the team finished second in Class 1, despite posting only a 4-4 conference record. A late-season win streak of 9 games carried the club into the Final Four, where the Lady Bulldogs knocked off Norwood before falling to Drexel in the championship game. The 95-96 team finished 24-6 and won a district title in overtime over Gilman City when the Lady Hawks missed both ends of a free throw opportunity at the end of regulation play.
Sara Strasser earned honorable mention all-conference and Coach Lin was named KMZU Radio Coach of the Year. Natalie Bird and Andi Wilkinson rounded out the starting lineup. The team featured a deep bench with Joanna Hemry, Kim Sweatman, Amanda Dixon, Jacque Ruse, Devin Hamilton, Shanda Lollar, Miranda Eaton, Jenny Baker, Holly Garnett, Kelly Waterbury, Kristen Ellis, Staci Gatton, Jill Wilkinson and Kerri Lee.
The 2002-03 squad, which finished 20-8, rang up a 4-3 conference record but knocked off the top 2 seeds (#1 Lathrop and #2 Hamilton) to win the Hamilton Tournament in January. Despite late season success on the court, a district title eluded the Lady Bulldogs at the hands of #4 state-ranked St. Joseph Christian in the district final.
Roxi Davitt earned first team all-conference and all-district recognition. Kayli Burrell was a second team all-conference honoree and sister Kamille was named honorable mention. Other team members were Jamie Lunsford, Laura McCann, Katie Ward, Keira Story, Lindsey Robertson, Emily Gay, Kelsie Parker, Cassie Carder, Brittney Hixson, Taylor Henderson, Katie Jarboe, Trisha Sprague, Maria Burge, Kinsey Batson and Amanda Eaton.
Online votes will be tabulated up to 5 p.m. next Tuesday and results will appear online in the next bracket offering and in the North Missourian.
Quote: “The 2008-09 team was good, but I believe the 83-84 team would have too much firepower with Spillman, Beck, Wood, Tuttle and Deppen.”–Anonymous
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