Inductees

Thumb through the Marshfield High School yearbook of 1975 and eventually you’ll land on a four-page section devoted to the inaugural Lady Jays basketball team.

Splashed with old black-and-white photos, the opening pages also feature headlines reading “Girls Shine In First Season” and “Show Potential for the Future.”

Amazingly, it was prophetic. Just outside the modern high school gym now stands a crowded trophy case, and it’s easy to spend a good half-hour just standing there, admiring the hardware and reminiscing.

“When I left in the spring of 1990, there were 98 girls in third and fourth grade playing basketball,” former coach Scott Ballard said. “And almost every driveway in town had a basketball goal.”

What a run it’s been, and the success is certainly worthy of the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame, which proudly inducted the Marshfield Lady Jays Basketball Program with the Class of 2019.

Marshfield has advanced to 12 Final Fours, which include seven state championships (1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1996, 1997, 1999) – tied for second-most in the state and, until as recently as 2017, was tied for most with Scott County Central. The Lady Jays were runners-up in 1992 and 1998 and finished third in 2002 and 2014, and fourth in 2001.

Along the way, the Lady Jays have:

• Enjoyed 102-game win streak (the start of the 1988 season and into the 1991 season) that stood as the state record until 2019.
• Won 14 conference championships and 17 district titles, including 16 consecutive (1987 -2002.)
• Advanced to 15 state quarterfinals
• In order, been coached by Deborah Hirsch Claus, Sandra Brown, Max Willis, Steve Hubbell, Scott Ballard (1981-1990), Gary Murphy (1991-2012), Shelly Jones (2013-2018) and Katie Pritchard (current).
• A 825-396 (.676) record from November 1974 through March 2019, including 226-105 (.683) in conference play.

All this after humble beginnings. The white jerseys, with sleeves and a collar, pulled double duty with the volleyball team. And that first winter ended in a 3-7 record. No team won more than 10 games in any of the first seven seasons.

Yet success became consistent starting by March 1982, as Ballard’s first team finished 16-7 after opening 13-2 – despite only 11 players combined on varsity and junior varsity.

Only 14 were in the program the next season, yet the Lady Jays surged to a 22-4 finish, winning the Central Ozark Conference (they went winless the prior year) and playing for their first district title.

The 1987 team offered a glimpse of the future, becoming Marshfield’s first state quarterfinalist and finishing 25-5 after a four-point loss to McDonald County. The next three teams all finished 32-0.

The 1988 team won the state title by beating then-No. 1 Duchesne 59-58 on a buzzer-beating put-back by Stacy Nunn. Marshfield’s only senior had fouled out with four minutes left, and the final five consisted of two freshmen, two sophomores and a junior.

The 1989 team beat Visitation Academy 55-52 in the finals, and the 1990 team scored a 55-39 win vs. Oak Grove.

Certainly, the Lady Jays were a box-office draw. Large crowds became the norm. Fans lined up outside the home gym shortly after the 3:05 p.m. school bell.

Sixteen Lady Jays have filled 33 slots on MBCA or media All-State lists dating back to 1987: Trish Van Diggelen, Melody Howard, Stacy Nunn, Nikki Cooper, Julie Howard, Melissa Grider, Carissa Wilson, Michelle Mikkelsen, Lauren Ivey, Natalie Mottesheard, Jennifer Fisher, Cheratin Dunn, Kelsey Theobald, Lacy Boshe, Lauren Aldridge and Peyton Greenlee.

Howard (MSHOF 1999) starred on Marshfield’s first three state titles teams and was a two-time All-American for the Missouri State Lady Bears in the early 1990s, including on their 1992 Final Four team, plus played for Team USA and three pro seasons.

Murphy’s teams earned 485 wins in 22 seasons, reaching eight Final Fours and winning four state titles. He noted former Superintendent Dr. Howard, Bullard and players made his job easier long before his arrival. He also credits the competitive COC.

Murphy called the 1991 state title “a relief,” considering the pressure in a quest to win a fourth consecutive state title.

“In 1996, instead of it being a relief, it was extra special to get there and realizing a dream that we weren’t sure we were going to accomplish,” Murphy said. “The 1997 team proved it wasn’t a fluke. And that 1999 team was so versatile.”

All in all, Marshfield is a Hall of Fame program and now a member of the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame.