Inductees

In the fall of 1973, girls basketball officially joined Walnut Grove High School’s athletic department and, brick by brick, a path led to small victories here and there.

And now? Well, the gym is decorated in banners – many touting the success of the Lady Tigers – while the trophy case out in the hallway is running out of real estate.

In other words, it’s one of the most successful programs in the state. In fact, it’s why the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame proudly inducted the Walnut Grove High School Girls Basketball Program with the Class of 2021.

Since 2004, the Lady Tigers have advanced to 11 Final Fours, tied for seventh-most in state history. That includes six Class 1 state championships, which cover 2007, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2019 and 2020. Walnut Grove was a runner-up in 2004, 2012 and 2017, and placed third in 2016, 2021.

This for a school that had girls basketball in the 1950s before it went dormant.

Since 1973, the Lady Tigers are 769-485 (.613), including 384-79 since 2006. Along the way, they have enjoyed 29 winning seasons, with 21 20-win seasons.

Their first region title was in 1992. The 2001, 2003, 2011 and 2018 teams all reached the state quarterfinals, and the 1992 and 2006 teams advanced to sectionals.

And its top four scorers have played since the early1990s: 2001 graduate Faith Gilkey (2,807 points), 1994 graduate Tammy Erwin (2,513), 2018 graduate Bayley Harma (2,364) and 2014 graduate Heather Harman (2,323).

“The whole town is super-bought in,” Heather Harman said. “It’s this mentality of being a Lady Tiger: As the years go on and the more success happens, the next group wants a piece of that. We’ve certainly been blessed with the right pieces.”

The early 1990s teams paved the way. From 1991 to 1995, the Lady Tigers were 101-32.

“During my senior season (1994), we spent most of the year ranked and three of our four losses were to much bigger schools such as Springfield Catholic, Hickory County (Skyline), and Ash Grove,” Erwin said. “We were always undersized, especially in those early years with most of our team standing under 5-foot-8.  But we had an exceptional group of rebounders on the defensive end who would get the ball out of there in a hurry.”

Coaches Cindy Hoover (1992), Terry Ellis (1993, 1994), Bob Miller (1995) and Larry Wycuff (2000, 2001) had 20-win seasons. Darin Meinders coached from the fall of 2002 to March 2007.

“There were a lot of pieces there,” Meinders said. “We put in a whole new system, and they bought in and worked incredibly hard.”

The 2003 team reached the quarterfinals and inspired what was to come.

“We got in the weight room early, in the offseason,” said Abby Creed Cooper. “We played in as many camps, shoot-outs, and pick-up games as we could.”

The 2004 team won quarterfinals after losses in that round in each of the three previous seasons, and then beat Mound City 38-36 in overtime in the semifinals.

The 2007 team beat tradition-rich Scott County Central in the quarterfinals and easily beat Leeton for the state title.

“We knew that we could play with just about anyone,” said Emily Simpson Woody. “That was a mindset that Coach Meinders had drilled into us.”

Rory Henry has coached the team since 2010.

The 2012 Lady Tigers nearly won it all before Eminence eked out a 36-35 win in the state championship game, winning on two free throws with four seconds left. In 2013, Walnut Grove beat Chamois 47-46 on Heather Harman’s winning free throw.

The 2014 team blew out North Andrew by 35 points in the finals. That season, Walnut Grove’s four losses were to Final Four teams.

The 2015 team (31-1) topped Naylor 48-45 in the finals. That was impressive, considering six seniors graduated the year before and led Henry to convert from full-court pressure to a half-court, ground-and-pound style.

Despite numerous postseason injuries and early season challenges, the 2016 team came within six points of reaching the state championship game.

Mercer edged Walnut Grove in the 2017 finals, but the 2019 Lady Tigers beat Stanberry 57-40 for the state title – one year after falling in the quarterfinal round.

The 2020 squad beat South Nodaway 52-41 in the championship game after close wins in the semifinals and quarterfinals. The 2021 team fell to eventual state champion Jefferson Conception in the semifinals.

Overall, the program has won 17 district titles since 1992, and 12 conference championships since 2006. Additionally, 17 players have earned All-State honors – and most were multi-year recipients.

What a run it’s been.