Chargers Dominated First "Official" Girls Basketball Season
- Nov 1, 2017
- 3 min read
This week’s tip-off of the girls basketball season marks the 42nd year the girls sport has been sanctioned by the Indiana High School Basketball Association.
Now, that doesn’t mean it was the first year of girls basketball all together because it was not. In fact, girls basketball in Montgomery County was played dating as far back as the early 1900s. However, for the purposes of this particular column this week, we are only going back to the beginning of when the IHSAA began sanctioning the sport in the fall of 1975 when that season ended with Warsaw winning the title in 1976.
In the first “official” season, it was North Montgomery that dominated the county and the area. The Chargers, coached by Bonnie O’Hair, had perfect 15-0 record in the regular season that year.
A 65-61 win over Brownsburg in the fourth game of the season was the closest any team came to knocking off the Chargers in the regular season. There were very few close games overall. Western Boone fought the Chargers close (57-50), and a couple of 11-point decisions, including one to county rival Southmont (39-28), were the only tests of the season.
The Chargers began sectional play with an easy 74-35 win over Crawfordsville, who ended the season winless (0-11). The Chargers raced to a 40-13 halftime lead and cruised to the victory using a well-balanced scoring attack. Mary Gross led the Chargers with 13 points, while Andra Harshbarger and Areaka Stephens each added 12 and Deb Jannsen had 10 points. The Athenians were led by the 15 points from Sandy Wilson and 11 points from Carolyn Thompson.
The second round, which was delayed several days due to a snowstorm, saw the Chargers defeat Lebanon by a 55-50 score. The Chargers broke the game open by outscoring the Tigers 22-17 in the third quarter to take a seven-point lead into the fourth quarter. Gross was fouled with the score 53-50 with 20 seconds to play, and she hit two free throws to seal the win. Gross had a game-high 20 points that night, while Harshbarger added 19 points. The Chargers won despite going just 5-of-15 from the free throw line.
Earlier that evening the host Western Boone Stars beat Southmont, who had entered the tournament with a 5-5 record, by a score of 49-35. Southmont was led by freshman Shelly Todd’s 13 points and Paula French’s 10 points. Western Boone got 17 from Joyce Neal and 14 from Cindy Beesley.
That sat up a North Montgomery and Western Boone final. The Stars (12-4) put up a good fight, yet they could not deny the Chargers winning the school’s first girls basketball sectional title. The Stars had no answer for Harshbarger, who scored 18 points to lead all scorers. She was the only player from North to reach double figures. Stephens added seven points.
Western Boone was led by Beesley’s 17 points.
That sent the Chargers to the regional, played at North Montgomery, just two days after winning the snow-delayed Western Boone Sectional.
The Chargers cruised to its 18th straight win in its first regional game, beating Frankfort 64-48. Once again, Gross and Harshbarger led the way as Goss had 24 points and Harshbarger had 11.
In the other first-round game, Lafayette Jeff held off a pesky Seeger team and advance with a 37-36 win.
In the title game, the Chargers and Bronchos were tied at 20 at the end of the first half and Lafayette Jeff had a slim 34-31 lead after three quarters. The Chargers managed to tie the game at 36, but then took a 38-36 lead when Gross hit a shot two minutes into the final quarter. However, Lafayette Jeff’s Kim Carter scored eight of her game-high 18 points down the stretch to help the Bronchos avenge a 61-40 loss (without Carter) to the Chargers earlier in the season. Gross led the Chargers one last time with 17 points, while Harshbarger added nine.
That sectional title for the Chargers was the first of what is now become nine titles. The Chargers have won sectional titles in 1976, 1980, 1981, 1995, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006 and 2007.
Members of that first sectional title team were: Leeann (Sis) Bane, Lisa Brummett, Pat Cassida, Mary Gross, Andra Harshbarger, Deb Jannsen, Kelly Klinker, Barb Matricia, Kris Randolph, Areaka Stephens, Donna Turner and Jerri Vail.
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