Memories of a Championship

Ventura honors its championship teamas final high school games are played

by Michelle Watson
     There were special guests at Ventura’s home basketball game on Friday night, as members of the 1987 Girls State Championship Basketball team were honored for their 25th anniversary of bringing home the title.
    “I haven’t been back to Ventura since I graduated, so it was nice to come back and see the nice, new gym they have and to remember my high school days,” said Steph (Jacobs) Wishman, a former starting guard for the team.

    Memories were shared for the many fans who were in attendance and remembered that remarkable season, where games were won and records were broken.
    Kami (Coe) Dyre, who organized the event and was a member of the team, said she remembers Coach Chuck Bredlow sitting the girls down on the first day of practice and handing each girl a neatly typed 3x5 index card with the team’s goals.  The card said, “We will be hungry in 1986-’87; we will win the North Star Conference; we will win our Sectional Tournament; we will win our Regional Final and we will qualify for the State Tournament.”
    The 1986-87 team more than accomplished those goals.
    The team was 9-0 by Christmas break. 
    The first true test came at the McDonald’s Holiday Tournament where the best teams in the state were invited to participate.  It was Ventura’s Kelly Smillie who saved the Lady Vikes that night.  Smillie launched a 14-foot jumpshot with :03 seconds remaining in regulation play to knot the score at 94-94 against Elk Horn Kimballton.  Ventura then went on to record a 103-94 victory over the number one rated team in Class 1A.  Smillie was called off the bench to fill the shoes of Ventura’s leading scorer, Lynne Lorenzen, who was forced to sit down with her sixth foul with 5:12 to play in the fourth quarter.  Sophomores Smillie, Stephanie Anderson and senior Robin Costello did what everyone hoped, but few believed they could.  They kept the Lady Vikes’ offense from stalling without their star, Lorenzen.
    They accomplished Goal #1 by finishing conference play with a perfect 13-0 record.
    Goal #2 was accomplished by beating Meservey-Thornton, 87-51, Sheffield-Chapin, 80-33, and Garner, 87-74, to be- Read More Via e-Edition