BY JIM MISUNAS
Great Bend High School girls basketball coach Steve Petty saw something special with his 1979-1980 Panthers. The Panthers captured the school’s lone girls state basketball championship with a surprising 62-50 victory over defending 6A state champion Wichita Heights.
The seed for a state title was planted in 1979 when the Panther girls watched Wichita Heights win the 1979 Class 6A state championship.
Petty tested the girls’ confidence level by questioning whether they could compete with the Falcons.
“They said, ‘Coach, we think we can beat them,’ “ Petty said. “That’s exactly what I wanted to hear.”
The Panthers’ 6-foot-2 Jackie Reiter (20 ppg, 16 rpg, 7 spg) and guard Vikki Watson (11 ppg) earned 6A all-state tournament honors as they cruised to three state tournament victories. Reiter scored 22 points, Sheri Garner scored 18 points and Watson added 12 points in the championship game. Jenny Parr led the Falcons with 27 points.
Jackie Reiter (Valentine) was named a Baylor University’s Women’s Basketball Legends in 2008 after scoring 1,379 career points. Six-foot-1 Beth Lebsack (Barton, Tulane), and Sheri Garner (Barton, Washburn) also played college basketball.
“Jackie Reiter was the best basketball player in the state and the best player Great Bend has ever had,” Petty said. “She’s was athletic. She moved like she was 5-8. She loved to rebound. She always wanted to know how many rebounds she had and how many points her player scored.”
Reiter dominated the 6A state tournament by averaging 20 points, 16 rebounds and 7 steals per game. Watson averaged 11 ppg. The Panthers cruised past Kansas City Washington 54-34 in the opener as Watson (13), Reiter (12), Jill Frost (11) and Garner (10) scored in double figures. Great Bend rolled past Shawnee Mission West 68-33 in the semifinals as Reiter scored 25 points and Watson added 10 points.
“We were graced with great basketball players. The girls were athletic and many were part of Great Bend’s state track champions,” Petty said. “We had guards who handled the basketball really well and they loved to play defense. One key was those girls were honor roll students who studied the game. The girls liked each other, which really helped us.”
Point guard Jill Frost was the Panthers’ underrated standout. The Panthers played primarily zone defense except on occasions when they played an effective halfcourt trap borrowed from Salina South.
Petty remembers how the Panthers ended practice each day.
“We told each other, ‘We can. We will,’ every day,” said Petty. “We prayed before team dinners and appreciated our time together, the opportunity to play basketball, improve and represent our school.”
The Panthers dominated Hutchinson High 51-33 to qualify for the 6A state tournament. Hutchinson captured a 1976 state basketball title and finished as state runner-up in 1977 and 1978. Hutchinson eliminated the Panthers in 1979. The Panthers won their final eight games and finished with a 19-3 record with losses against Topeka Highland Park, Hays High (61-51) and Dodge City (64-63).
Highland Park’s coach paid the Panthers the ultimate compliment after the Scotties beat Great Bend early in the season.
“Highland Park’s coach believed we had an outstanding tea,” Petty said. “When it comes to state tournament time, Great Bend will be there.”
Bill Carlton coached the first Great Bend girls basketball team in 1976-77, which finished 0-16. One time, state champion Liberal beat the Panthers by 50 points. Petty’s colleagues questioned why he’d accept the head coaching job the next season.
“I loved the opportunity because I knew the girls were coachable and would get better as basketball players,” Petty said. “We gained experience and the girls improved their skills. They made me a better coach.”
Assistant coach Don Atkinson worked individually with girls to perfect the game’s fundamentals.
“Don would work with the girls until they got it right,” Petty said. “It made them better players.”
GREAT BEND PANTHERS 1979-1980
SENIORS—Carol Behr, Beth Lebsack, Jackie Reiter, Sherrie Rexwinkle, Virginia Surface
OTHERS—Jill Frost, Sheri Garner, Brenda Juergensen, Ginny Russell, Joan Schmidt, Tricia Surface, Kathy Vink, Vikki Watson
1979-1980 SEASON
(1-0)—W— Liberal
(2-0)—W—Hays High
(3-0)—W—Dodge City
(4-0)—W—Garden City 71-46
(4-1)—L—Highland Park
(5-1)—W—Salina South 48-28 (Reiter 14)
(6-1)—W—Goddard 50-37 (Lebsack 13; Reiter 11/17)
(7-1)—W—Junction City 71-49 (Reiter 24/17; Lebsack 15/12)
(8-1)—W—Salina Central 58-20 (Reiter 14; Garner 10)
(8-2)—L—Hays 51-61 (Reiter 19)
(9-2)—W—Salina Sacred Heart 52-36 (Reiter 17; Frost 10)
(10-2)—W—Ellinwood 74-29 (Reiter 20; Rexwinkle 12);
(11-2)—W—Salina Central 50-19 (Lebsack 14)
(11-3)—L—Dodge City 63-64 (Reiter 28; Lebsack 10; Watson 10)
(12-3)—W—Lyons 61-41 (Reiter 22; Garner 13)
(13-3)—W—Salina South 53-44 (Reiter 18)
(14-3)—W—Garden City 71-49
(15-3)—W—Garden City 62-34 (Garner 20/11)
(16-3)—W—Hutchinson 51-33 (Reiter 17; Garner 12)
(17-3)—W—KC Washington 54-34 (Watson 13; Reiter 12; Frost 11; Garner 10)
(18-3)—W—SM West 68-33 (Reiter 25; Watson 10)
(19-3)—W—Wichita Heights 62-50 (79 champion) Reiter (22, 20/16/7); Vikki Watson 12 (11 ppg); Garner 18/8 (13 ppg)
