2022 Quincy Notre Dame Hall of Fame inductee: 1981-82 girls basketball team

QUINCY — The phrase “rebuilding season” was tossed around before girls basketball season started at Quincy Notre Dame in 1981. Four players had graduated from the 1980-81 team that placed second in Class A, and coach Ivan Brown also was gone. However, a young team quickly gelled, and a late-season injury didn’t stop the Raiders from finishing third in the 1982 Class A state tournament.

After finishing the regular season with a 21-3 record, QND coach Marvin Smith received bad news when postseason play started. Junior Caren Kemner, a starter who didn’t play basketball as a sophomore, suffered a knee injury and missed the next four games. However, that opened the door for sophomore reserve Sue Wellman, who scored 40 points in victories over Unity (55-36) and Central (54-36) in the Payson Regional.

Wellman had 19 points to lead QND past Springfield Ursuline 68-39 in the sectional semifinal at Beardstown. The Raiders then forced 37 turnovers in a 56-27 victory over Riverton in the sectional title game. Kim Hessing led the team with 16 points, but it was the only postseason game Wellman didn’t lead QND in scoring. Wellman had 18 points, and Kemner returned to score 14, in a 63-50 victory over Bunker Hill in the super-sectional at Carlinville. Wellman then had 15 in a 54-47 victory over unbeaten Manito Forman in a sub-state game in Petersburg.

The Raiders’ title run ended in a 59-47 to once-beaten and eventual champion Maple Park Kaneland in the semifinals at Assembly Hall in Champaign. It was QND’s only loss to a Class A team that season. Wellman had 22 points in a 69-59 victory over Seneca in the third-place game. QND finished with a 28-4 record, equaling the school record for victories.

Team members were manager Tina (Glanzman) Fisher, statistician Shelly (Peters) Evans, statistician Lori Damhorst, and players Jane (Duesterhaus) Frazier, Lori Vogel, Joyce (Venvertloh) Serangeli, Mary Haubrich, Karen Wolf, Teri (Glanzman) White, Peggy (Wolf) Fisher, Darlene (Venvertloh) Butler, Anne (Rakers) Meyer, Karen (Kowalski) Allen, Kim Hessing, Caren Kemner, Sue (Wellman) Wideman, Ellen (Venvertloh) Vonderheide, Becky Winking and Jana (Althoff) Mueller. Dan Travers was the assistant coach. Marvin Smith was the head coach.