Clover Park High School Girls 1982 State Basketball Champions

L-R: Joel Parker, Allison Lotspeich, Rhonda Chachere, Fifi Robidoux, Netra McGrew, Michelle Clark, Donya Monroe, Kathy Taylor, Ruth Rufener, Becky Davis, Kathy Schumock, Karen Turner, Darlene Seeman, and Jim Angelel. Missing Mary Ann Johnson.

Clover Park’s run to the girls state basketball title in 1982 was not unexpected. Just one year earlier, the Warriors won the regional championship before finishing fifth in the state tournament. This was an experienced team with five senior starters, led by the talented Donya Monroe, who that season would earn every honor from all-league right through to All-American. In addition, though none of these players were around in 1978, a history of Clover Park state tournament success had been established when that Warrior team won a state title under the guidance of head coach Nancy Wells Rothenberg.

The 1981-82 Warriors ran through the regular season without a blemish on the record, but in a battle of unbeaten powerhouses they dropped a 58-43 decision to Bellevue in the district semifinal. They battled back to beat Garfield, 66-47, and earn a spot in the state tournament with a 22-1 record.

The eight-team field was loaded, and the Warriors drew Richland, another 22-1 team, in the opening round. They were up to the challenge, rolling to a 67-45 win and into the semifinals against 19-5 Blanchet. With 6-1 forward Kathy Taylor notching 16 points and six rebounds, Clover Park dispatched of Blanchet, 51-43, to earn a spot in the championship game opposite Auburn, which had put together an impressive 26-1 record to that point. The showdown for the state championship featured a battle between South Puget Sound League champions – Clover Park from the South and Auburn from the North.

The game was close after the first quarter with Clover Park holding a 13-12 lead. Auburn surged ahead, 25-21, at the half, but the Warriors, and in particular Monroe, got it going in the third period. With the 6-2 center scoring 11 points, Clover Park took a 38-35 lead into the final period and held on to win by the five-point margin, 52-47. Monroe poured in a game-high 26 points on 12-of-23 shooting, and was chosen tournament MVP. Clover Park point guard Netra McGrew scored 10 points while controlling the tempo. Monroe also led both teams with 18 rebounds, and it was that aspect of the game that played an important role in the outcome as the Warriors pulled down 50 boards to just 29 for Auburn. Besides Monroe’s 18, Michele Clark had 11 rebounds and nine points and 6-1 forward Kathy Taylor, playing on a bad ankle, had 10 rebounds to go along with six points and four assists.

As befits a championship affair, the teams played a clean game with both squads turning the ball over just seven times.

The next day, the News Tribune ran an article chronicling the championship game, and Monroe told reporter Stan Farber that the team vowed as early as the first practice to win the state championship. “Our goal wasn’t to go undefeated, but to win the state championship.”

The goal was accomplished.