Just four years after Dr. James Naismith invented the game of basketball in Massachusetts, the first girls team was organized at an Illinois high school. In 1895, Chicago Austin formed a team. A year later, Austin played Oak Park in the first known girls basketball team in the state.
By 1900, four schools formed the first league, eight years before the initial boys state tournament was held in Oak Park. But in 1907, Chicago Public Schools Superintendent Edwin Cooley banned city teams from organizing its girls basketball league. A year later, the Illinois High School Athletic Association banned girls from participating in interscholastic sports, especially basketball.
The Illinois League of High School Girls Athletic Associations was formed in 1920 to promote girls athletics. It was absorbed into the IHSAA in 1926.
In 1930, the first "telegraphic" basket shooting contest was sponsored by the IHSAA. The last was such contest was in 1975.
In the aftermath of Title IX, which mandated equal opportunities in sports for women, the IHSA ( the name was changed in 1940) allowed girls to participate in interscholastic basketball games.
Since the first state tournament in 1977, girls basketball has provided the state with excitement and given female athletes a stage on which to perform. Some of the greatest female athletes the nation has produced—Jackie Joyner-Kersee and Tina Hutchinson (East St. Louis Lincoln), Caren Kemner (Quincy Notre Dame), Yolanda Griffith (Chicago Carver), Cathy Boswell (Joliet West), Pam Gant (Joliet East), Nora Lewis (Peoria Richwoods), Janet Harris, Marie Christian and Kim Williams (Chicago Marshall), E.C. Hill, Dominique Canty and Natasha Pointer (Chicago Whitney Young) and Tamika and Tauja Catchings (Stevenson) graced the state's hardwood courts.
No coach in the nation can match the accomplishments of Marshall's Dorothy Gaters. Since 1976, she is 655-70 with seven state titles. No boys coach has more than four. In 22 years, Gaters' teams have won 20 city titles and 16 state trophies for Final Four appearances. If you include her 22 city championship games (supersectionals and city championship games are counted in boys records), Gaters has coached 70 games at the Sweet Sixteen level or beyond. The boys record by Collinsville's legendary Vergil Fletcher is 34.
Here's a look at the girls state tournaments:
1977: They were called the Golden Girls and
when the first Illinois high school state
championship was over, they took home the gold.
Finishing with a 21-0 record, Sterling, led by
guards Jolene Leseman and Marche Harris, won the
championship be defeating Chicago Public League
champion Fenger in overtime, Fremd and Washington.
It was the only girls tournament held at Illinois
State's Horton Fieldhouse. But 15 years later,
the girls tournament returned to ISU.
Other qualifiers included Centralia, Hinsdale South, Mattoon and Joliet West with a freshman named Cathy Boswell.
Fenger would not make it back to the Chicago city finals again in the millennium. A year earlier, the school won a city championship. Michael Jordan's wife, Juanita, was a player on that team.
1978: The girls tournament moved to the Assembly Hall in Champaign and this one belonged to Boswell, who was ordained "the first girls basketball superstar". The pigtailed Boswell averaged more than 22 points in leading her team past Chicago Marshall, Moline and Lincoln by an average of 18 points. Only a sophomore, the 5-10 forward would soon leave center stage in the high school arena. As a junior, she would miss much of the season with a broken ankle. Then she elected to graduate early and headed to Illinois State, where she earned All-America recognition.
Boswell went on to successful careers overseas in basketball and as a radio disc jockey. She won a gold medal as a member of Coach Pat Head Summitt's 1984 Olympic team and more recently was a member of the Chicago Condors in the now defunct American Basketball League.
Other state finalists were Mattoon, Belleville
West, Crystal Lake and Dundee.
For Marshall, it was the first of 20 state final
berths in 22 years. Under legendary coach Dorothy
Gaters, the Commandos, who gave have an ongoing
streak of 22 years in a row in the Sweet Sixteen
after losing to Chicago Vocational in the city
semifinals in 1977.
1979: Suburban Chicago won its first title as "Earl's Girls" a powerhouse from Niles West in Skokie rolled to the title. Led by point guard Connie Erickson, the Indians beat Marshall by 30 points, Oak Forest by 24 in the semifinals and East St. Louis Lincoln and junior star Jackie Joyner 63-47 in the title game.
The tournament drew a record 26,404 for four sessions. Other state finalists were Sterling, Waukegan West, Bartonville Limestone and Mattoon. This was the last one-class state tournament.
1980: Following the boys, which went to two classes in 1972, the girls tournament went to two classes, though the girls tournaments were contested the same weekend.
In the initial Class A tournament, Benton defeated Sidell Jamaica 52-42 as Cheri Nagreski scored 31 points, making 14 of 17 shots.
In the big-school tournament, East St. Louis Lincoln defeated Marshall 64-47 in the title game. The Flyerettes were led by Joyner and Barbara Gilmore. Marshall's top player was Janet Harris, who would go on to become a four-time All-America at Georgia. After two years of losing in the state quarterfinals, Marshall brought home its first trophy.
The tournament also introduced Joliet East's Pam Gant to the state. Gant, who would go on to star at Louisiana Tech where she won two national championships, was the first female to earn a tryout with the Harlem Globetrotters.
1981: The small school title was captured by Palos Heights (Chicago Christian), the first private school to win a girls state title, 44-36 over Quincy Notre Dame, making the first of four consecutive appearances in the state finals.
In the Class AA title game, Elk Grove defeated Peoria Richwoods 50-33 led by crafty little point guard named Faith Mimnaugh. The Grenadiers knocked off Gant and Joliet East 52-51 in overtime in the quarterfinals and then edged Niles West 44-42 in the semifinals. Richwoods handled defending champion East St. Louis Lincoln and Harris-led Marshall to reach the title game.
One oddity is that Elk Grove became the only state champion, to date, not to have a player on the all-tournament first team.
1982: Taking a page from Indiana, the girls tournament went to a new format with semistates at four sites in each class with the winners advancing to the state finals. A lawsuit, which contended that the boys and girls tournament were not the same, ended this experiment after one year.
In the class A finals, Lesley Hudgins had 25 and 12 rebounds to lead Kaneland past Metropolis Massac County 55-41. Quincy Notre Dame, with Caren Kemner, later a two-time Olympian in volleyball and one of the most feared softball hitters in state history finished third.
Junior point guard Marie Christian and the unrelated Jones girls—Annette and Jennifer—led Marshall to its first state championship, 57-49 over East St. Louis Lincoln.
1983: Overcoming a five-point half-time
deficit, Quincy Notre Dame defeated Rushville
57-53 to win the Class A championship. It was part
of a remarkable run which saw QND dominate team
sports with volleyball and softball titles.
Sophomore Nora Lewis scored 28 points and grabbed
eight rebounds to lead Peoria Richwoods to a 56-43
rout of Chicago Maria in the title game. Lewis,
who as a senior was rated the No. 1 player in the
nation, would bring her team back to the state
finals for two more years, both as the No. 1 team
in the nation. But Richwoods would not win another
title.
Illinois' prominence as a national force in the sport was evident by the fact that East St. Louis Lincoln, led by 6-3 Tina Hutchinson and 6-4 Toni Wallace, was ranked No. 1 in the country by USA Today. In January, Lincoln visited Chicago and lost to Marshall. It was the last game for Commandos standout Vanessa Sneed, whose eligibility expired after the semester break.
The rematch was played in the first quarterfinal. Marshall's devastating press, keyed by Christian, gave Lincoln Coach Earnest Riggins fits. In the end, Marshall won 72-71 in overtime on a Christian free throw. Hutchinson, who bowed out with a record 41 points and 17 rebounds, Wallace and Riggins all headed for San Diego State. As a freshman, Hutchinson led the nation in scoring, but academics and injuries cut her collegiate career short. Christian headed for Old Dominion and in 1985 helped the Lady Monarchs to a NCAA title.
1984: The Class A title game featured the end of one dynasty and the beginning of another. Quincy Notre Dame became the first girls teams to win back-to-back titles with a 56-53 victory over Teutopolis. QND's Susan Wellman was selected to the all-tournament team for the third year in a row along with teammate Lori Vogel, one of the state's All-Time great softball pitchers.
York did a great escape act twice to reach the Class AA championship game. The Dukes tipped Oak Forest 47-45 in overtime and then rallied to beat Marshall 42-41 on a 10-foot jump shot by guard Pam Fiene to reach the title game. In the championship, Laurie Hudgens had 27 points, 10 rebounds and 7 assists as the Dukes defeated then No. 1 Richwoods 55-46.
1985: Elgin St. Edward earned the label
"the cardiac kids" after three heart stopping
games in the state final. The Green Wave shocked
then unbeaten and top rated Litchfield 48-45 in
overtime in the quarterfinals, edged Bradford
45-43 in the semifinals and with stood a 27-point
scoring burst by Teutopolis' Doris Carie to win
the title game 48-46. St. Ed was led by sophomore
Beth Hasenmiller (now Beth Sauser, an Assistant
Executive Director of the IHSA) and Anne Rotundo.
Marshall won its second title, smashing Wheaton
Central 63-37. At the time, it was the most
one-sided final in state history. The big win for
Marshall was a 62-48 semifinal victory over then
national No. 1 and unbeaten Richwoods. With the
score tied at 4 after just two minutes, Gaters
called a time-out, changed her offense and watched
her team score the next 10 points and coast to
victory.
In a third place game victory over Des Plaines Maine West, Lewis, with 3,314 points, established herself as the state's All-Time girls scoring leader. During the state series, she passed Gant, and would remain No. 1 until Williamsville's Angie Sapp passed her in 1993.
1986: The third consecutive time in the Class A title game was the charm for Teutopolis' Lady Shoes. Doris Carie, who would become the Illinois Basketball Coaches Association first Miss Basketball, scored 20 points and Beth Niebrugge 18 in a 59-44 victory over Massac County.
The victory gave T-Town a double that has never been equaled. Two weeks earlier, the Wooden Shoes won the Class A Boys Crown.
Peoria Manual was unranked in the final Associated Press regular season poll. City rival Peoria H.S. was unbeaten and ranked No. 1. Two other Peoria area teams, Metamora and Bartonville Limestone were also ranked.
But come tournament time, the season belonged to Dennis Brown's Rams. Led by center Carla McGhee, who would go on to Tennessee and play on the 1996 gold medal Olympic tea, Holly Baker and Micha Bingeman, Manual defeated Marshall 57-46 in the championship game. The attendance was the lowest (10,365) in state history.
Manual's victory in Class AA was the last of the 1900's for a non-Chicago area team.
1987: Ladies first was the order of the day.
After playing for a decade the week after the boys Class AA tournament, the girls tournaments were moved ahead of the boys and "February Frenzy" replaced "March Madness".
Led by Miss Basketball, Cindy Kaufmann, who scored 33 points in the title game, Seneca defeated Carthage Hancock Central 54-47. Hume Shiloh's Courtney Porter became the second freshman ever selected to an all-state tournament team, the first since Hinsdale South's Dawn Hallett in 1977.
In the Class AA final, Kris Maskala and Danielle Grill stepped up as Westchester Immaculate Heart of Mary held off Massac County, which moved up from Class A, 45-43 despite losing star forward Michele Savage to fouls.
Maine West was eliminated in the semifinals by Massac County 42-40 on a last second shot by Becky King. It would be the Warriors' last loss for a long time. A state-record 65-game winning streak started with a 43-37 victory over Geneseo in the third place game.
1988: For the second time in four years,
Teutopolis and St. Edward reached the title game.
This time it was all T-Town. Led by Lauri Holman
and Connie Ruholl, Teutopolis rolled to a 54-35
victory and finished the season unbeaten.
Maine West came to the Assembly Hall unbeaten and
ranked No. 2 in the nation.
Marshall arrived unbeaten and ranked No. 3 in the nation.
The teams met in a 9 a.m. semifinal in what many call the best girls game in state tournament history. The see-saw affair was decided when Maine West sophomore Moira Kennelly made a short baseline jumper at the buzzer while falling out of bounds. Marshall's Kim Johnson had put Marshall ahead with a lay-up with eight seconds remaining. In the title game, Maine West put the finishing touches on a 35-0 season by defeating York 46-37. The Warriors had seven players who would earn Division I scholarships led by point guard and Miss Basketball Nancy Kennelly.
The 1987-88 season was the last for Chicago Carver great Yolanda Griffith. The 6-4 center, who is now regarded by many as the best professional player in the world, averaged 34.8 points and led her team to the Chicago Public League semifinals.
1989: If 1988 was Class AA's year of "The Game," 1989 was the year of "The Call."
For the first time, the big schools played the three-day format that had been Class A's domain with quarterfinals on Thursday, semifinals Friday night and the third place and championship games Saturday afternoon.
Winnetka New Trier ended Maine West's winning streak at 65 in the semifinals of the Niles West Sectional. The Trevians were coached by John Schneiter, who was hoping to become the first coach to win state basketball titles with boys and girls.
His Decatur boys team had won in 1962. He also had a second place finish with New Trier East's boys in 1973.
Led by Trish Andrew and Carrie Ramenofsky, New Trier built a lead in the fourth quarter, but Toni Foster, Riat Hale and Kenya Pittman led Marshall back and Pittman scored to send the game into overtime.
With Marshall leading by two in overtime, a controversial technical foul was called on New Trier for not coming out on defense. The call turned the game and Marshall won 56-50.
The third place game featured the first triple overtime in the history of the girls state finals as IHM edged Moline 68-65.
Teutopolis got 22 points from Marsha Campbell and held off Shiloh, which got 24 from Porter, 46-44 in the Class A title game.
1990: The T in T-Town stood for title.
Before Michael Jordan led the Bulls to their first NBA championship, Dennis Koester and Teutopolis had three-peat on their minds. the lady Shoes left little doubt they crushed Nashville 62-29 in the title game. After a one-point victory over Sullivan in the super-sectional, Teutopolis won its three games at the Assembly Hall by an average of 26 points to become the only girls team to win three consecutive championship. Marshall won its second title in a row and the fourth under Gaters, as Marshall coach equaled the boys record of four state titles. After a narrow two-point victory over Chicago Mother McAuley in the semifinals. The Commandos defeated West Aurora 65-49.
1991: Good-bye, Assembly Hall. Hello, Redbird Arena! After 14 years, the girls state tournament left Champaign and returned to the Illinois State campus.
The most shocking result of the season came in the Chicago Public League championship where Chicago Washington edged Marshall 56-53 in a controversial overtime game. It ended a boggling streak of 13 city titles by Marshall.
But the best in the Windy City this year was Mother McAuley. The Mighty Macs, who had never won their own conference tournament, nor a Christmas tournament, and were known primarily as a volleyball power, won the state title with a 69-65 victory over East St. Louis Lincoln. In the title game, Megan Lucid scored 24 for McAuley and Norine Nolan 20.
Unbeaten and ranked No. 1, Sullivan rolled to the state championship behind the inside-outside duo of Becky Clayton and Amanda Glazebrook, who combined for 34 points and 20 rebounds in a 65-48 title game over Seneca.
1992: After surviving Okawville in overtime in the quarterfinals, the Bluegirls from Carthage Hancock Central won the Class A title for veteran coach Dick Biery.
Carthage defeated Sullivan 74-69 in the title game as juniors Amber Law scored 26 and Tiffany Carl 23. Crescent-Iroquois (enrollment 74) became the smallest school to reach the Class A Final Four.
Marshall was back and led by a trio of juniors, Kim Williams, Yolanda Miller and Marie Scott, who all played on the 1990 championship team. In the title game, the Commandos were matched against unbeaten Limestone and eventually MissBasketball Tammy Van Oppen. Marshall led most of the game, while Van Oppen kept her team close. With the game ties and seconds to play, Limestone pressed and Marshall point guard Nicole Head got the ball down court and into Williams' hands. Williams found a wide open Miller for the game winning lay-up at the buzzer.
1993: Repeats were the story.
In Class A, top-rated Carthage sent Birey into retirement with a 69-57 victory over Okawville as a going-away present. In the title game, Law scored 20, Carl and Kim Jacob 15 each to overcome the Hasheider cousins, Beth, who scored 30, and Michelle with 17.
Williamsville qualified for the Elite Eight and the state's All-Time scoring leader, Angie Sapp got the last of her 3,403 points on the floor of Redbird Arena in a 65-35 loss to Okawville.
Marshall made it four titles in five years and six overall for Gaters with a 44-41 victory over Maine West in the title game. The Commandos trio of Williams, Miller and Scott were all selected as All-Americans.
1994: Beth Hasheider earned everyone's admiration for courage. Playing with a torn ligament in her knee, the senior captain provided the inspiration to lead her team to an 80-68 victory over top ranked Woodhull Alwood in the title game.
Angie Lintker scored 25, Michelle Hasheider 19 and Beth 17 in the championship contest.
In its two other games in the finals, AlWood, which scored a state record 2,818 points, outscored its two opponents 181-88.
To many, it's what championship games are all about. Ranked 12th in the state, Glenbrook South shocked Marshall 67-62 when freshman Dan Leonard hit a dramatic three-pointer with eight seconds remaining to break a tie at 62. Leonard finished with 22 points and senior Julie Tilghman had a career high 19 in the title game. Alisa Burras, who would lead Louisiana Tech to two NCAA Final Fours and Westark, Ark., Community College to a national junior college title, led the Commandos with 14 points.
1995: Teutopolis was back and Koester won his fifth crown as the Lady Shoes held off Carlyle and high scoring sophomore Courtney Smith 48-46 as Gina Bloemer scored 20 and Maria Niebrugge 17 and 12 rebounds. In the title game of the Chester Sectional, Carlyle knocked off top rated Okawville 43-42.
Tauja and Tamika Catchings, the best sister act to hit the state and the daughters of NBA veteran Harvey Catchings, came to Redbird Arena. Together with Katie Coleman and Rebekah Ford, Stevenson rolled past Mother McAuley 77-47 in the title game.
Stevenson was ranked No. 1 and was unbeaten in 1994 before being upset by Libertyville in the final of the Highland Park Sectional. The 1995 team suffered two losses, both without the Catchings playing. After defeating Pickerington, Ohio in January, the Patriots were ranked No. 1 in the nation until losing to Warren while the Catchings were in Mississippi at their grandfather's funeral.
During the summer, Tamika and her mother, Wanda moved to Duncanville, Texas for her last two years of high school.
After finishing second in the Chicago Public League playoffs six times since 1984, Whitney Young defeated Marshall 43-23 in the title game behind Dominique Canty and Natasha Pointer.
1996: There was no stopping Carlyle or future Miss Basketball Courtney Smith as the Indians pounded Carthage 86-50 in the title game, the most one sided state final in history. A record 22,375 attended the small school finals.
Tauja Catchings stayed in the state with her father and combined with Coleman to give Stevenson its second Class AA title in a row with a victory over Elgin 50-35 in the finals. The toughest hurdle for Stevenson, for the second year in a row came in the Maine West Super Sectional against Wilmette Loyola, a team that would be heard from in the near future. The Patriots rallied to win 67-62.
1997: The state tournament turned 21 and for the first time in 18 years of two class basketball, the state finals were held on separate weekends.
Carlyle made it two in a row as Smith led her team past Teutopolis 57-48 in Class A to avenge its championship game loss in 1995.
Taylorville and Galesburg brought huge crowds as a record 25,957 jammed into Redbird Arena for the Class AA state finals. The two schools entered the semifinals with perfect records. Allison Curtin and the Taylorville Tornados prevailed.
But in the championship game, Loyola, which had defeated Marshall in the semifinals, rolled to a 59-40 victory behind Kristin Santa, who made a title game record seven three pointers and sophomores Olga Gvozdenovic and Lauara Sobieszczyk.
1998: Ranked seventh in the state, Nokomis proved to be the toast of Class A led by Molly McDowell, who poured in a state final record 35 points, Nokomis defeated No. 1 Carthage 70-60 in the championship game.
Loyola repeated as Class AA champions as senior Jeanette Paukert played the best games of her prep career. The Ramblers held off Marshall in the semifinals and East St. Louis Lincoln in the title game.
1999: McDowell was back and led Nokomis past Carrollton, which had six super sectional qualifiers since 1992. "Miss Molly", whose pregame ritual of eating cheeseburgers from her local Dairy Queen and homemade sugar cookies has her dubbed "The Sugar Cookie Kid," won Queen of the Hill three-point shooting contest, a contest that started in 1993, first capturing the Class A crown and then returning a week later to defeat the Class A Champion.
In Class AA, Kourtney Walton scored a big school title game record 30 points as Marshall defeated Galesburg in the championship game to give Gaters her seventh state championship trophy. In the quarterfinals, Galesburg all-stater Sarah Larson's shot with one second to play ousted Loyola.
The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and not necessarily those of the Illinois High School Association.