By Rob Patrick
It was the thing that Bryant was best known for back then: High school basketball, particularly girls high school basketball.
The town and the school district were in the early stages of the incredible growth that is still going on. And the 3,000 citizens or so were completely caught up in the tremendous success of the Lady Hornets.
The tradition had begun in the early 1980’s soon after high school girls basketball had switched from a six-player game to the normal five-on-five. Bryant won its first State title behind Tina Webb in 1982. But, in 1988-89, the program reached the pinnacle of its success to date.[more]
For the second year in a row, the Lady Hornets captured the championship of the top classification, Class AAAA, as well as the old Overall State tourney which brought together the champions from each classification. They’d gone unbeaten for the second year in a row, finishing on a winning streak that had reached a modern state record 58 games in a row (which was extended to 62 the next season before ending). They were ranked eighth in the nation by USA Today.
This Friday night at the Hornets Nest, the same gym in which the girls won so many of those games, the 1989 team will be honored in conjunction with the Bryant-Cabot game to celebrate the 20th anniversary of their incredible achievements. Head coach Carla Crowder, now coaching the Cabot Lady Panthers, assistant Steve Loibner and most of the members of the team — one coming from as far away as New York — will be on hand.
Crowder, in her second year as Lady Hornets coach, was named the Arkansas Coach of the Year that season. In all, she led Bryant to three State and Overall titles and has led Cabot to another.
The core group of seniors on that 1989 team were Sally Moore, Becky Patton, Marla Goshien and Amanda Stuart. Moore, Patton and Goshien left Bryant after having been part of teams in junior high and senior high that had compiled a record of 209-15.
All four of the seniors went on to play in college; Moore and Goshien at the University of Arkansas, Patton at Arkansas Tech, and Stuart at Henderson State.
Moore was a Parade All-American and the Arkansas Gatorade Player of the Year, who started for the high school varsity as a freshman. She was all-conference and all-State all four years and twice named the Most Valuable Player in the State tourney.
Patton and Goshien joined the high school varsity after their freshman season was over. Patton was a three-year starter and was all-conference, all-State and on the All-State Tournament team two years in a row. Goshien was a two-year starter and made all-conference and all-State and All-State tourney both years.
Stuart was named all-conference and all-State as a senior.
The fifth starter on the team was a junior in ’89, DeeDee Harris, who now coaches the seventh and eighth grade teams at Bryant Middle School. She was a three-year starter and made all-conference, all-State and all-State Tournament.
The team was deep in talent with Deshea Boggs, Heather Torrick, Sabrina Pike, Carmyn Hubble, Tracy Wilson, Traci Harrison, Rachel Nazaruk, Ann Shirron, Nicki Spradlin, Shannon Thomey, Amber Carr and Kristi Johnson. Team managers were Carol Wallace, Alan Loibner and Becky Nazaruk.
“I remember a group of girls who were totally committed in carrying on the tradition that was laid before us by other girls that played,” said Becky Patton Davis, who has been instrumental in organizing the event. “We just had that winning tradition. We did not want to lose. We worked really good together. We were good teammates on and off the court. And, of course, we were led by two great coaches in Coach Crowder and Coach Loibner.
“The four seniors and Dee Dee, we were all very unselfish as far as who led the team on any given night,” she added. “It was a special group. We loved the game.”Asked what she remembered, Dee Dee Harris Ward said, “The biggest thing is just all the people, all the crowds. I mean every game that you walked into everybody in the community was there; all the teachers, parents, grandparents, the student body. It was just amazing. And, at the time, I didn’t realize what a big deal it was. I just kind of thought that was the way all ballgames were. Now, you go to a ballgame and you go, no, that really was a big deal. People followed us to every game we played in the state, people that didn’t even have kids on the team.
“I guess looking back 20 years, you realize what a big deal it was but, at the time, we were just playing ball,” she added.
“The first year, we were not expected to win, Mount St. Mary’s was,” Patton Davis mentioned. “That was when they had (6-4) Kendall Mago. Our senior year, the ‘89 season, we were on everybody’s radar with a big target on our backs. But we wanted that second title. Looking back, I don’t remember it being that hard but I’m sure it was. Like anything, it’s harder the second time around. At that time, we just knew we were going to go out and do whatever it took to get that win. But we went through the season pretty much uncontested until the second-to-last game when we played Gentry, in the Overall. We only beat them like 65-62. That was our closest game by far.”
“I’m proud of what the team accomplished and proud to be a part of it,” she concluded.
Sam Chaloner
Hard to believe it has been 20 years. Those were some good times back then.