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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE -- November 27, 2000
Contact: John Johnson or Andy Frushour-- 517.332.5046

EAST LANSING, Mich. - Nov. 27 - A back-to-back winner of Michigan High School Athletic Association Class C girls basketball championships in 1984 and 1985, Newaygo High School will be honored through the Association's "Legends Of The Games" program at ceremonies at halftime of the Class C championship game of the 2000 Girls Basketball Finals at Rose Arena in Mt. Pleasant on Saturday (December 2). The Class C game begins at 5 p.m. (EST).

In its fourth year, the Legends program promotes educational athletics by showcasing some of the great teams of past years. At least seven members of those teams are expected to be in attendance to receive commemorative plaques and a banner to display at the school during the ceremony.

(The story that follows was written by MHSAA Historian Ron Pesch of Muskegon, for this year's MHSAA Girls Basketball Finals Souvenir Program)

Smitten. Is there a better term to describe the city of Newaygo's love for its girls basketball teams of 1984 and 1985?

The small community northwest of Grand Rapids embraced their squad of "Little Lions" as they traveled the previously uncharted trail of the MHSAA playoffs. It was a magical journey for all involved. Crowds swelled as the dream of a title approached. For many, it was their first exposure to girls playing basketball, and they had found a stunning collection of tour guides.

Thanks to the efforts of this special group of girls, memories flowed forth from the little village: reminiscence of a boys basketball team that reached the MHSAA semifinals in 1951; long lost tales about a state championship track team in 1929. The thrills were endless for all involved. They clung to each other with love and respect. With teamwork, and a never-say-die attitude, the players and their coach represented all that is good about high school athletics.

Newaygo's rise to the top of the girls Class C cage circuit coincided with the arrival of coach Stan Thomas. A second-team all-state selection in 1961 at Newaygo, Thomas returned home following college and took the reigns of the girls program in 1979. He quickly earned a reputation for turning out solid teams. His oldest daughter, Jacki, earned all-state honors for the Lions in 1981, and Thomas' team advanced to the quarterfinal round of the state tournament in 1983.

Junior Keri Thomas, the third of Thomas' four daughters, and senior guard Dawn Bulk co-captained the team in the fall of '84. Kristen Westcott, Sonja Beckman and Sheryl Frye also returned for their final year of varsity ball. They were joined by juniors Sandy Wagner and Doreen Berger, and sophomore Kristen Long. Freshman Erica Thomas or ET, as she was known by her teammates, rounded out the roster. She was the youngest of the Thomas children.

While the team was expected to do well, a lack of height (no one on the roster exceeded the 5-7 mark) was considered a real detriment to post-season success. As anticipated, the team rolled to a solid 18-2 mark in the regular season behind aggressive play and a knack for creating turnovers. Bulk and Keri Thomas emerged as the team's top offensive threats, and the team advanced through the districts, regionals and quarterfinals with relative ease.

Once again, the Lions faced a size disadvantage as they headed into the semifinals against Flint Academy at Western Michigan University's Read Field House. In an ironic reversal of roles, the Lions struggled with turnovers, coughing up the ball nine times in the opening quarter, and 19 times overall.

Deadlocked at 8-8 at the end of the opening frame, Academy opened up a 22-17 lead with 1:44 to play before the half behind a pair of baskets from their top scorer, Sandy Westbrook. Newaygo battled back with seven points, including the final two by Frye at the 9-second mark, to grab a 24-22 edge at the half.

Westbrook, who missed much of the third quarter after picking up her fourth personal foul, returned to action in the final quarter and guided the Eagles to a 46-42 lead with 4:09 remaining in the contest. Again, the Lions responded to the challenge.

Keri Thomas delivered two points on a reverse layup, drawing a foul on the play. Thomas nailed the shot from the charity stripe, and narrowed the lead to a point, 46-45. Keri added another free throw at the 3:19 mark to knot the score at 46, and then the Lions went into a stall, chewing up a full two minutes as the Academy remained in a zone and refused to foul. Bulk decided to go for the lead but traveled, and Newaygo was forced to give up the ball. The Eagles gained control, yet were unable to score. Fouled on the ensuing possession, Keri Thomas scored on the front end of a one-and-one with 1:10 to play to put the Lions up 47-46. Academy missed on two opportunities within the final minute, while Bulk added a free throw with two seconds remaining for the 48-46 win and the school's first trip to the finals.

A crowd of 2,930 showed up at Read Field House the following night for the championship match against Pewamo-Westphalia. Once again, the Lions found themselves trailing as the game neared the halfway mark. Down 21-15, they rallied for a 23-21 lead, behind four buckets by Bulk within 35 seconds. With the solid play of two seniors, Lynda Rademacher and Michelle Wieber, the Pirates grabbed a 39-37 lead late in the third, but buckets by Westcott and Bulk gave Newaygo a 41-39 edge at the end of the quarter.

Sandy Wagner, who finished with 11 points, opened the final frame with a basket from the outside, followed by another by Bulk from the top of the key for a six-point margin. The Pirates cut it to four, 45-41, with six minutes to play before the Lions went into their stall offense. The move paid off with another basket by Bulk and a quick layup by Keri Thomas on a steal to give Newaygo an insurmountable 49-41 lead and ultimately, a 57-52 win.

Following graduation, only four members of the '84 team - the Thomas sisters, Wagner and Long - returned. Four others - Lori Mauter, Tammy Morton, Amy Saum and Amy Schenk - joined the veterans to defend the title. The Lions posted a 19-1 mark in the regular season, winning the Newaygo County Athletic Association crown along the way.

Still, few basketball experts gave the Lions the chance to get out of the regionals of the tournament. But Newaygo emerged with convincing wins over Mason Country Central and Middleville Thornapple Kellogg to advance to the quarterfinals against league rival and surprise winner, Morley-Stanwood, whom it had defeated in two previous meetings during the regular season.

Despite some nervousness over facing the Mohawks for the third time, Newaygo jumped out to a quick lead. This time Erica Thomas gave the Lions the early momentum, scoring the game's six opening points. Newaygo rolled to a 30-10 halftime lead and a 47-30 win en route to a birth in the semifinals round.

"Being in the Final Four is what we wanted," said ET's sister Keri following the game. "The rest is gravy now."
The semifinal game with Benzie Central pitted teams of similar size against each other. Keri Thomas, named to the Associated Press Class C all-state squad for the second consecutive year, scorched the nets for 26 points to lead the defending champs to the final round with a 59-35 win over the Huskies. Erica Thomas shut down Benzie's Dionne Walker, holding the all-stater to four baskets on the night. Walker, who had averaged nearly 25 points per contest, added five of six free throws, to finish with 13 points.

With the win, Newaygo and their collection of devout fans would face top rated Detroit St. Martin dePorres. Featuring 6-3 junior center Daedra Charles, the Eagles were heavy favorites in the contest. Regardless, more than 1,000 fans made the trip to Read Field House in Kalamazoo to cheer on this band of overachievers.
Five hours before the big show, coach Thomas had gathered his squad together at the Comstock High School gym, the site of their semifinal victory, for some free throw practice. The move would pay dividends later in the evening.

Trailing 10-8 at the end of one quarter of play, the Lions again rallied and hit the locker room for the halftime intermission with a 22-15 lead. Newaygo opened up a 10-point lead, 34-24 at the third buzzer before dePorres made their move. Four baskets at close range by Charles and a pair of buckets and a free throw by Kazara Goins kept the Eagles in the game.

Trailing 44-40, dePorres' Dawn Douglas delivered a three-point play to pull the team within one, 44-43. On Newaygo's inbounds pass, Erica Thomas was fouled. With 11 seconds to play, the pressure was immense as she headed to the line for a one-and-one situation. The sophomore had hit only one of six free throws during the contest. Once more, her shot failed to drop. But Thomas chased down the rebound, and was fouled again.

"I just looked at the clock and thought 'If I don't make both of them, dePorres was sure to go down the court and get it to their big center, and she'll score,' " said Thomas after the game.

The drought at the line ended for ET, as she connected on the first shot. Pandemonium tumbled to the floor from the stands as Thomas sank the second shot, ensuring an upset victory and a second consecutive crown for the Lions.

"We figured we were the underdogs", said coach Thomas following the 46-43 win. "But we played with intensity and thought we could set the pace in the beginning. We played with our hearts all season and that's what brought us here."

The victory celebration continued on through the night and into the next day, as the community honored the team at the high school on Sunday afternoon. All eight members of the varsity squad spoke and expressed their gratitude for the support they had received throughout the season. But few in attendance could truly believe what had happened. They had witnessed a rare occurrence: back-to-back titles. More importantly, they had watched a classy collection of young ladies unite a village.

Expected to be in attendance at the awards ceremony are (List accurate as of Nov. 27 - All last names are from playing days):

· Team manager Stacey Gibson
· Team manager Jason Long
· A forward on the 1984 team, Number 12, Kristen Westcott
· A guard on the 1984 and 1985 teams, Number 14, Sandy Wagner
· A center on the 1984 and 1985 teams, Number 20, Keri Thomas
· A guard on the 1984 and 1985 teams, Number 22, Kristen Long
· A guard on the 1984 and 1985 teams, Number 30, Erica Thomas
· A guard on the 1985 team, Number 12, Tammy Morton
· A guard on the 1985 team, Number 24, Amy Saum
· A forward on the 1985 team, Number 34, Lori Maurer
· Assistant Coach Rose Bonk
· Head Coach Stan Thomas

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