BEDFORD – Lawrence County Museum of History will host the 1983 Girls Basketball State Champions 40-Year Anniversary Dinner at 5 p.m. on August 26th at the First Baptist Church at 1515 20th Street in Bedford.
Tickets are $30 a person and can be purchased at the Museum located at 929 15th Street in Bedford.
Sparked by the play of senior guard Kelly Fitzgerald, the Lady Stars led by as much as seventeen points with a little over six minutes remaining in the game. But the Crown Point girls, who had beaten top-ranked Heritage in the first game, refused to give up. With Nancy Cowan hitting four straight shots from the field, the Bulldogs staged a dramatic comeback to bring the game within two points, 52-50, with less than a minute left.
But Coach Pete Pritchett’s third-ranked team held on to win their first state championship by a score of 55-50. Tina Boruff contributed 15 points, Bobbi Jo Lovell 13, and Fitzgerald 13 for the winners. Tammy Hammel led Tom May’s runner-up team with 22 points.
Bedford-North Lawrence had beaten Indianapolis Howe in the second game of the tourney 47-46, never leading in the second half until Kelly Fitzgerald’s free throw with 14 seconds remaining. Tina Boruff’s 16 points had kept her team within a point or two of Howe. Howe had a couple of good shots at the end of the game but missed both, and Bedford advanced to the title game.
Sharron Tapps had 18 points and Teresa Jones 14 for Otis Curry’s Howe Hornets. Crown Point pulled the biggest upset of the state tourney in beating defending champion Heritage by a 57-49 score. Paced by Tammy Hammel’s 23 points and Merit Erickson’s 16, Crown Point opened up a 23-17 point lead at halftime.
In spite of a 20-point effort by Jody Beerman in the second half, Heritage lost their first game of the year and a chance at a second championship. Terri Lydy contributed eight points and 14 rebounds for Cheri Gilbert’s Patriots. Jody Beerman, who had scored 27 points for Heritage, was the winner of the coveted Mental Attitude Award.
A total of 391 schools and 4,557 girls participated in the state tournament series program.
All 1983, 1991, 2013, 2014 & 2023 BNL Lady Stars team members, coaches, managers, and cheerleaders will be admitted FREE.
Contact Marla Jones with any questions at 812-278-8575.
