Front
row--Haylee Deniston ,
Lisa Thompson , Davida Johnson ,Mica Hendrix , Carrie Hendrix,
Gretchen Hendrix ,
Back
row Whitney Beck , Anne Thatcher, Hillary Beck ,
Jennie Martin, Deunna Hendrix, Miranda McBee, Ashley Johnson,
The
Lady Kats were coached by Charlie Hall,
and
assistant coaches Ed Moon, Tiffney Boruff,,
Jay
Karp,Daro Johnson, & Jesse Dunn
The
Student Managers were Tenisha Scruggs & Aaron Miller
Oh what a ride this great group of ladies took us on this year. I must say that they as a group made my day each and every day that I sat there in the stands watching them play. Here was a group that played together, and who helped each other, when a turnover was made. These young ladies were sort of like teachers out on the floor, in that they taught all of us in the stands that sportsmanship and loyalty was the name of the game. There was and is no mountain too high to climb. You take one step at a time, and then you take another.
The season that these ladies gave us was a wonderful one. They never gave up , and quitting was not in their vocabulary. The heart of each young lady out their on that floor each night was in the thought that they as a group wanted to give their fans a night to remember. They represented their school and the state of Indiana very well. I know that they as a team gave this old man a season to remember. In this group, there were four sets of sisters, and that in itself is remarkable.
They went through this season undefeated through twenty games and that in itself is remarkable. The type of teams that they played against were very good ones and there were times when a loss might occur. But they never gave up, and because of that, they ended their season as the # 1 team in 4A. In my thinking they are the #1 team in all of Indiana. But with class basketball, you have to stay in your class.
They entered the sectional with the first step on their way to the state title. Although all the teams were out to knock them off, they used thier teamwork and their skills to pass that first step in the tourney. In the two games in that sectional, they played against two great teams who gave our girls all they had.
They took on their opponent in the regional and they met the same kind of power that all year has been there to knock them off. Again, with the teamwork and the skill that this great group of ladies possess, they were able to rise up and take yet another step in the tourney.
Now it was a trip to the semi-finals against another undefeated team. There could only be one team coming out of this game with a perfect season. Again it was the teamwork and the skills that got them through that first game. They were ready to finish that step and go on to the fial step of that ladder that took you to the mountain top. They went against a great team and they gave their all. They didn't get to take that step into the finals, but it wasn't because they didn't try. They gave everything that they had and more, but it wasn't to be. This great group of fine ladies had met the end of their road this year, and so they will have to start all over next season. They will miss their senior members very much , but with the desire that these young ladies have along with their skills, and their committment to working as a team, I look forward to being there in the stands, cheering them on, to another great year of Lady Kat basketball.
They have been fun to watch and in my heart I have adopted all of them as my neices. So to you, The Lady Kats of Kokomo High School, I say; "Job Well Done"
The Cheer Leaders were
"Johanna Aaron", "Jennifer Cecil", "Kylie Coady",
"Stephanie Flores", "Leeann Green", "Kristal Gregory", "Abby Heady", "Alexis
Phipps", "Jennifer Stalter", & "Cammy Strckler".
And of course, who can forget "Gwen Elliot",who this
year was "Koko The Kat".
Nov. 8, 2000, they played
Laf.Harrison at home and won it by the score of 75-35.
Nov. 10, 2000, they played Taylor at Taylor and won it by the score of 78-33.
Nov. 17, 2000, they played Laf, Jeff at Jeff and won it by the score of 63-62
Nov. 18, 2000, they played McCutcheon at home and won it by the score of 53-50.
Nov. 25, 2000, they played Lake Central at home and won it by the score of 72-33
Nov. 30, 2000, they played Anderson at Anderson and won it by the score of 63-43
Dec. 5, 2000, they played Western at Western and won it by the score of 61-32
Dec. 8, 2000, they played Marion at Marion and won it by the score of 87-38
Dec. 12, 2000, they played Tipton at home and won it by the score of 65-27
Dec. 14, 2000, they played Huntington North at Huntington and won it by the score of 58-54
Dec. 16, 2000, they played New Castle at New Castle and won it by the score of 81-44
Jan. 3, 2001, they played Peru at home and won it by the score of 92-32
Jan. 8, 2001, they played Frankfort at home and won it by the score of 71-29
Jan. 12, 2001, they played Chicago Washington in Chicago and won it by the score of 68-36
Jan. 13, 2001, they played Wilmette Loyola in Chicago and won it by the score of 52-42
Jan. 18, 2001, they played Logansport at home and won it by the score of 55-39
Jan. 20, 2001, they played Muncie Central at Muncie and won it by the score of 57-41
Jan. 27, 2001, they played Richmond at home and won it by the score of 78-31
Jan. 31, 2001, they played North Central at North Central and won it by the score of 63-50
Feb. 6, 2001, they played Carmel at Carmel and won it by the score of 56-36
The Lady Wildkats finished conference play undefeated, with a record of 7-0. This is their fourth consecutive championship under Hall's leadershipThe #1-ranked Lady Wildkats ended regular season play with a perfect 20-0 record. This is a first in 124 seasons of boys and girls basketball at Kokomo High School. Congratulations to the Lady Wildkats!
Feb. 13-17, 2001 Class 4A Sectional 7 @ Kokomo
High School Memorial Gym
Kokomo 58---Huntington
North 42
Kokomo 49 -- Marion
37
Kokomo 59 Brownsburg 40
Feb. 24, 2001 IHSAA Semi-final @ Warsaw
Kokomo
46 Highland 42
Ft Wayne Snider 64
Kokomo 51
What a great season these girls had. We are very proud to have had the opportunity to witness their games all year. They finished up with a 24 wins 1 lost season. We await the team for next year and we know that they will excell as this group did."Comments from The Lady Kats'Fans"
"LADY KATS FAN COMMENTS" I wanted to thank you for the letter in today's Tribune on the Lady Kats. These girls had a truly amazing season and their dedication to the game and their teammates will never be forgotton. The web page was great too. I really enjoyed it. To Deunna, Anne, Hillary, Jennie, Davida, Lisa, Haylee, Gretchen, Mica, Carrie, Ashley, Miranda, Heather, Dianne, and last but not least Whitney, thank you for the wonderful ride. It's been fun watching you grow. I'll be following Hillary and Jennie in college, and the rest of the bunch next year as you make your way to a state title. Whatever happens, happens, but I will alway be proud of my Lady Kats! Andrea Mast (Lady) katsfanHi; This is Anne Thatcher ,and I read your article in the paper and it brought tears to my eyes again. It really means alot to me and the team when we hear what people thought about our team and our season. That was a wonderful article in the paper and a wonderful webpage. I just wanted to thank you personally, and thank you for the team b/c. I know that once I tell them to look in the paper and go to the webpage, they will be so happy to know someone would write that about our team. I'm sure it will bring a tear to there eyes again. Which is sometimes a good thing. So thank you once again. It really makes us feel good. I pray for as good of a year next year or even better. I know we can reach the top of that mountain by the end of my senior year, maybe twice. It will be tough though without Hillary and Jennie though. Thanks, Anne Thatcher
From Jencamp01@aol.com You gals are Awesome!!!!!!!!!!. I did not get to go to as many games as I would have liked to because of my job. I did however, get raving reports from my husband ,who is a diehard Kokomo girl's basketball fan. To Jennie Martin, you were the one I most enjoyed watching growing these past three years. Your game has improved tremendously. The whole team has come together as a family once again and shown what they could do if they worked together. Yes, Jennie and Hillary will be greatly missed, but with the talent that is on this team now and the talent that is coming up, you guys are going to continue to have great success. To those who are going to be Seniors next year, Hold your head up high, come together and show some strong leadership next year. You guys will go very far!! --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
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