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May we always see her wave in freedom

"The Kokomo Lady Wildkats"

I made this page in honor of all the young ladies who play basketball for Kokomo High School. It is a real pleasure to be sitting there at the games watching a group of great ladies playing basketball the way it is supposed to be played.
Uncle Ray says to all of you to play this one for Uncle Ray.

2001-2002

Coach Charlie Hall
Head Coach: Charlie Hall
Asst.Coaches:
Ed Moon, Stacy Garlinger, Jay Karp, Daro Johnson (Freshman Coach)
Volunteer Coaches: Jesse Dunn, Lisa Pflueger
Student Managers: Tanisha Scruggs, Danielle Lawson

Uncle Ray's Kokomo Lady Wildkats

Roster for the season of 2001-2002

#21 Diana Anderson #43 Carrie Hendrix #34 Gretchen Hendrix

#55 Mica Hendrix #33 Davida Johnson #41 Jenni Little

#32 Miranda McBee #31 Heather Turner #11 Whitney Beck

#12 Ashley Hayes #15 Deunna Hendrix #24 Ashley Johnson

#14 Anne Thatcher #22 Haylee Denniston #42 Lisa Thompson

"The Season as it is played"

Nov. 6 , at Lafayette Harrison Kokomo 63 Harrison 46

Kokomo's Lady Wildkats jumped out quickly en route to a 63-46 victory over the host Harrison Raiders Tuesday.
No. 2-ranked Kokomo used strong starts to both halves to take the season-opening win. The Lady Kats scored the first 12 points of the game and led 16-4 after the opening quarter, then stretched the lead to 30-19 by halftime and 47-26 after three quarters.A lead that grew to as much as 26 points in the fourth quarter allowed Kokomo coach Charlie Hall to play every one of the 15 girls dressed and experiment with several combinations."
Harrison pulled back a bit in the second period as Christina Kokini and Brittany Dildine combined for 13 of the team's 15 points. The Raiders cut the margin to 30-19 by halftime, but Hall played 12 different girls during the quarter.
The Kats countered the Raiders with five points each from Ashley Hayes and Anne Thatcher and another four off the bench by Gretchen Hendrix. When his starting five took the court for the second half, Hall's team banged out a 15-2 run.
After sitting much of the second quarter in foul trouble, Deunna Hendrix took control of the game. The junior scored 10 of those points on a variety of drives and inside moves that Harrison defenders couldn't stop except by fouling. Hendrix hit all six free throws she took in the quarter as Kokomo gained a 47-26 lead. Deunna Hendrix led the team with 16 points while Hayes finished with 11 and Davida Johnson added 10 points and nine rebounds. The team played as a team destined to do it this year.

Nov. 9 Taylor at Memorial Gym Kokomo 69 Taylor 44

Kokomo took it right to the Taylor girls and met with some opppsition from a good Taylor team who had a couple of good 3-point shooters in thier lineup. But this Kokomo team played like they are trained to do and that is to never get in a hurry.. The name of the game is team play and this group of girls showed us again that it can go all the way. This win tonight extended the home win streak to 46 games. Ann Thatcher led with 15 points, followed by Ashley Hayes with 11, Deunna Hendrix , Davida Johnson, and Ashley johnson with 9 points each.. It was a great effort by the whole team as The Ladykats had 14 assists by the team.

Nov. 16 Lafayette Jeff at Memorial Gym Kokomo 59 Jeff 37

This started out as a tough one for our girls but with some bad errors by Jeff, we were able to take it right to them. The shooting was on target for us but the basket had a bottom in it. When they finally got the shots to drop, the Ladykats were able to play their game to a nice win. It was a great team effort with some great play by the bench. This is truly a great group of girls who don't get excited about being close in the score but also they know that they can break the game wide open at any time. Great game by the entire team.

Nov. 17 , at McCutcheon Kokomo 66 McCutcheon 57

The Ladykats went to the west tonight to meet a team whose records in lady basketball are among the best. Tonight like all the others ,it was a team effort that saw Deunna Hendrix doing what she does best and that is to score and assist and rebound. I see shades of her mother as she plays because she plays with the same desire as Robin did. There are girls out there who do their part in winning but don't get the praises because they do it in a team way. I look for many great games from all of these ladies and when you look at the 'B TEAM', and see what is coming up, you have to be happy with you will see for several years. Another great game played by all.

Nov. 6 , at Lake Central Kokomo 68 Lake Central 50

The Lady Kats tonight showed that they could played with a bigger more powerful team by using all of the players and by great defense by Ann. Also great bench help from Jenni, Carrie,Mica, Miranda,diane, and Heather who are the seniors and who do such a great job of helping to prepare the others for a tough game.Ashley with her scoring, Ashley Johnson with her feeds, and all around play by Deunna, Davida, Lisa, and all of the others made this team the winners of their fifth win this season. The B-team as well is 5 and 0 this year.

Dec. 1st, at Memorial Gym . Kokomo 67 Muncie Central 39

Kokomo played an afternoon game this week and it was against Muncie Central who had a couple of big gals on thier team..
#1-ranked Kokomo used most of the team in this one as they dominated Muncie on defense, great shooting and teamwork to secure another link in their home win streak. It took awhile for Anne and Ashley to open up but when they did , it was another great day of seeing this team play.." Muncie will beat a lot of other girls teams but today they were not good enough.
To see Deunna Hendrix play brings back memories of her mother, Robin who played basketball with power and etermination..
So after today's game, The Ladykats are still undefeated both in the varsity and the reserves.

Dec. 4, at Memorial Gym Kokomo 86 Western 29

The LadyKats took on Western in a county battle and they were out to show everyone that they do deserve the #1 ranking in the state. The whole team was in this one as the coach wanted to give everyone a chance to play..Anne Thatcher had the range tonight as she put in 19 points as well as many assists..The whole team works as a well-oiled machine designed to get the job done. Tonight the first five worked with the second five and the third five as a team, and this will help when we get into the tourneys..

Dec 7 , at Memorial Gym Kokomo 55 Marion 23

The Ladykats played tonight as the first half of a boys-girls doubleheader and the fans were treated once again to a display of teamwork and unselfishness...Once again Anne was on her mark as she put in 21 points. Ashley Hayes had a bad shooting night but she made up for it in the way that she played, giving out assists and rebounding as well as her great defense.
Hatlee came off the bench and did a great job although she had been sick this week.. The johnson ladies are really playing great and the Hendrix ladies are making thier folks proud with their play.. To go to these LadyKat games and watching these girls play makes me proud to call them "Uncle Ray's LadyKats.

Dec 13, at Memorial Gym; Kokomo 54 Huntington North 37 :

The LadyKats took on Huntington North tonight in what could be their toughest battle yet this year and it was a great game...The Ladykats started off with a 14 to 0 run but the Huntington team did not give up. The game stayed close and The Ladykats were only up by seven going into the fourth quarter. Deunna wnt to town and did all she could to lead us to victory. Each night there is always somone who will take charge and lead the rest. Most of the time it is a different player each night. Great game by a great team of Ladies.

Dec 13, at Memorial Gym; Kokomo 66 New Castle 47 :

The LadyKats took on New Castle in a afternoon game and we saw one of the best performances by Ashley Hayes as she took up the chore today of leading our Ladykats to another victory. Some of the players were having a bad day with the shoting going in and back out as well as the taking of some shots created by great defense by The Lady Trogans. I have to say that New Castle has a great team coming on and sholld blossom at tourney time. What Kokomo saw in the last two games will benefit them at tourney time also..

Dec 17, at Frankfort; Kokomo 65 Frankfort 50 :

In a rare Monday night game changed from it scheduled on Tuesday, The Ladies of Wildkat Land show that they can dish it out on any night and anywhere needed. Tonight it was Lisa Thompson who rose to spark our ladies and with the other playing their usual game it was Ladykats all the way. The gutsy play of Deunna along with the all around play of Ashley Hayes plus the marksmanship of Anne Thatcher along with great teamplay from the whole team brought another victory to Kokomo. My Ladykats are playing the game the way it is supposed to be played..

Dec 22, at Memorial Gym; Kokomo 56 Carmel 23 :

Kokomo tonight played a team that usally is very prominent in sports but tonight the Ladykats played their usual game of offence and defense to take the Lady Greyhounds. to defeat. This win was the 36th consectutive regular season win, as well as the 53rd straight win in this gym. They used the entire team in this one and it was the gutsy play of all of them to win this one . You can't pick a single star on this team as there are fifteen of them, Another great win for my Lady Kats. Thanks girls for playing as a team..

Jan. 2, 2002, at Peru; Kokomo 74 Peru 22:

This one started out very slow with both teams colder than the weather outside. but it wasn't long before the defense got the offense going. The Ladykats' knowledge of about the best defense that this old man has seen, put this one in the books as another win for these great ladies. The offense woke up to post a very lopsided score as Peru was only able to score two field goals the entire game...The Ladykats are still undefeated, but face a good Penn team Saturday Afternoon. Keep it up gals, it is fun to watch you play.

Jan. 5, 2002, at Penn; Kokomo 56 Penn 61 :

The LadyKats took on it on the chin this Saturday afternoon as they went through a cold shooting game. They tried 14 3-pointers only to get 1 to fall through. Penn played a great game in knowing what the ladykats are about. Penn shot 71 % in the second half and you don't survive that kind of shooting unless you have a heck of a lead. But give my Ladykats a lot of credit because they are made of steel and they will bounce back. You won't keep this team down because they will fight for the win anytime. Could be that just maybe a lost will be a benifit for them as the tourament is just around the corner. Go Ladies and continue to play your game...

Jan. 12, 2002, at Memorial Gym; Kokomo 60 Anderson 27:

The Ladykats didn't let a loss last week bother them this week. They took it right to a good but inexperiened team and they showed why they are rated in the polls. This was a game of domination with all the girls playing thier hearts out. I talked with Anderson coach Jumping Johnny Wilson who I knew several years ago when he was a Globetrotter and he told me that his team will get better with experience as he has several freshmen on the team and he looks for a good year next year..Our gals are still perfect in the NCC and they have a game at Logan before going to The Chicagoland Classic.

Jan.17, 2002, at Logansport; Kokomo 66 Logansport 34:

Our Ladykats started out kind of sluggish in the first half but in the third quarter, they showed why they are one of the top teams in the nation. Coach Hall used all his players and twelve players scored. Top scorers were Ashley Hayes with 12 pts and Deunna Hendrix with 11 pts. But once again this was a team effort to keep thier NCC hopes alive. And add to the record that the B-team is 15-1 for the year. Things look good for several years..

"LADYKATS IN CHICAGO FOR THE CLASSIC":

Jan. 18 ,2002, in Chicago; Kokomo 50 Marian Catholic 52 :

The LadyKats took on it on the chin this Friday evening as they went against one of the top teams in the nation. Our ladies played like champs and lost in the final second as Marian Catholic was able to win with two free throws coming off a foul called in the last second. Tough way to lose but we are so proud of them anyway. Could be that just maybe a lost will be a benifit for them as the tourament is just around the corner. ...

Jan. 19 ,2002, in Chicago; Kokomo 45 New Trier 43 :

The LadyKats once again played a top team not only in Chicago but also in the nation. This was the third game in less than 48 hours and that will only benefit us when our tourney starts. Could be that this game might have been the best played this year as our gals didn't let the loss the day before bother them. They played very aggreessively and they played with a purpose. Deunna ended up with 13 pts, Ashley Hayes with 9 pts . again a game and a great group of girls to be proud of....

Jan. 26, 2002 at Richmond;; Kokomo 59 Richmond 51:

The ladies traveled to Richmond to take on gals down south and the bus ride there didn't slow our girls down. We sort of went flat though for a little while, after getting up by 27 points, but they took over with thier usual team play and rose to the occasion.As usual our bench did thier usual great job of resting our starting five...I have to say that the team as a whole is one of the best I have seen.

Jan. 30 ,2002, in Memorial Gym. Kokomo 53 North Central 54 :

The LadyKats took on it on the chin for the first time after 53 straight wins at this fabled gym. We hadn't lost a home game since 1997 and that in itself is a great tribute to our Ladykats and to the system here in Kokomo. North Central deserves all the praise of a great team as they had a book on our team which allowed them to get going down the floor as we tried to press them. Great scouting by the North Central scouts. At the end we had the ball and we had the last shot. It looked good and just barely missed after bouncing on the rim. The loss coming in the final game of the regular season might be the needed spark to go get them in the tourney. I have to say that watching my Ladykats in action whether it be a win or loss, makes me proud of them. They are Uncle Ray's Neices, and they are great.

"Going into the sectional"

Feb.5, 2002 at Memorial Gym;; Kokomo 54 McCutcheon 56:

Well, we went into the sectional with high hopes of winning it all but this year it was not to be. Our Ladies went against one of the most disciplined team that this fan has seen in years and the type of offense put forth by McCutcheon had our girls at bay for most of the game. But with the game almost over, our girls came back to tie the game and send it into overtime. In the overtime , once again McCutcheon used thier skills and waited for the last second to shoot and that is where our season ended. On this night we were defeated by a great team , but our girls have nothing to be ashamed of. All season we have been blessed to be able to sit back and watch the game of basketball played like it is supposed to be played.. Fun on the floor and fun in the seats..You have made the old man proud to call you "Uncle Ray's Ladykats". Now we work hard, keep in shape, keep the grades up, and prepare to do it all next year...

It has been another great year for our girls team and a great year for the fans. I want to take this opportunity to express to all the girls on the varsity and the reserves that you have given your all in making this old man and all your fans proud. To those seniors that will go their separate ways, I express to you that I hope that each of you are proud in the way that you represented all the fans and your school. I saw something out there on the floor from each of you in ways that would make your parents and teachers proud. To say thanks to you for making my day would be the same as it coming from all your fans. Go out into the world and be whatever you want to be. Thanks from Uncle Ray. And you girls that are coming back, I say only this. "GO YOU LADYKATS".

"The Mascot"KOKO"

This candle will burn forever for those brave men and women who lost thier lives on Sept. 11, 2001