1977 Basketball Team Inducted into Hall of Fame

Photo by Michael Spangler
    At last Friday’s Hall of Fame Football Game vs Denham Springs, the 1977 CHS Girls’ Basketball Team got inducted into the Central High School Hall of Fame.
    This team did not just follow tradition – these young women set tradition.  In 1977, women’s athletics was in its infancy.  The state basketball championships had only been established three years before, and Coach Ida Phillips was not expectiong a championship going into the season.  But this group of exceptional young women, gifted with unbelievable athleticism and strong determination, soon convinced their coach otherwise.  Coach Phillips said of her team, “The kids got more determined… when things got rough.”  Adversity seemed to make them stronger: Their dedication and teamwork helped the team stave off Ponchatoula’s late charge in the championship game to win a close 43 to 41 victory for the state championship.
    Also honored and remembered at the game was Coach Ida Phillips.  Coach Phillips is no longer with us, but her sisters Alta Wilson and Louise Wattree, brother-in-law Robert Wilson, and niece Dr. De’Ette Perry were present to represent her.  Coach Phillips had said of her team, “I love all of the girls very much, and I will never forget what they have done.  They are the type of athletes that the community can be proud of, both on and off the court.”
    Members of the 1977 Central High School Girls’ Basketball Team are Dawn Ash (David), Lisa Corrick (Jones), Becky Crum (Ash), Robyn Ellerbee, Jami Gremmillion (Glaser), Louise Henderson (Leverett), Glenda Kimble (Louviere), Jennifer Koury (Carter), Neva McCall (Ferguson), Lorraine McCaa, Karrie Paxton (Burks), Gail Shaffer (Baugnon), Teri Stoewer (Hruska), and Donna Wallace.  Managers were Jeanne Olive, Valeria L. Smith, and Ginger Watts.
    Congratulations to Central High School’s 1977 Girls’ Basketball State Championship Team, the latest inductees into the Central High School Hall of Fame.