Lady Rebels go to regional with plans of a championship

BY RICK REED

News-Gazette Sports Editor

LYNN - The year was 1992 B.C.

Before Class.

Randolph Southern's Lady Rebels, led by Randolph County's "Player of the Year" Lanett Stephan, had just won the sectional and were preparing for a trip to the Anderson Regional.

The foe was Carmel, a school now classified as 4A.

And as good as the Rebels were - and they were very good - they were no match for the bigger school.

When Southern's girls make the trip to the Class A Lapel Regional there will be no Goliath awaiting. All of the schools represented are similar in enrollment.

Of immediate concern for Rich Clark's team is Clinton Prairie, a team with a deceptive 9-12 record. The Lady Gophers have been one of the elite programs in the state over the past five seasons, twice reaching the semistate.

Tri-Central (17-6), ranked sixth, meets Indianapolis Lutheran (18-4), ranked third, meet in the first game, set to tip-off at 10:00 a.m. Southern and Clinton Prairie will battle at 12:05. The championship game is set for 8 p.m.

Clark, who coached the 1992 team, knows that class basketball has changed the perspective of playing at the regional level.

"You know going in that you're playing teams your own size. All of the schools are in the same boat. We all have a chance," Clark said.

With just 16 teams remaining in each class, there will be just four teams remaining in Class A after the regional dust has settled.

Clark believes if his team plays with the same purpose and level of intensity as it did against Union City in the sectional, there's no reason the 18-5 Rebels can't be one of those four teams.

"All the things that are going on at school this week and in the community have been great. There's a lot of hype, and you want the girls to soak things in and enjoy it. But at the same time you can't lose focus of what's ahead of you. And I don't think the girls are."

Clark said the Rebels had a good practice Wednesday at Lapel.

"We can't be content with winning the sectional. I don't think the girls are content. They seem ready to play and I think they want to do more."

The Lady Rebels are led by senior Whitney Frame, fourth among state scorers with a 27-point average.

Frame, though, will need some help from her teammates.

"All the girls have to play their roles and have to do what they do best," Clark says. "Everybody has a part to play."

Team members include seniors Frame, Jessica Comer and Jeni Hutton; juniors Dani Marquis, Ashley Perry and Ashley Parsley, sophomores Haley Frame, Ashley Hutchens and Katie Thornburg, and freshmen Vanessa Legg, Brandi Snyder and Tabitha Lewis.

The team will be transported by a charter bus to Lapel on Saturday, escorted by a police cruiser and by a fire truck to the county line. A caravan of fans, including a fan bus, will follow.

A pep session is scheduled for Friday at the school to show support for the Rebels.

"The support down here has been unbelievable," Clark said. "I really appreciate all the support from the fans, parents and students. They have been tremendous."

Tickets for the regional have been disappearing as fast as Randolph Southern officials can obtain them. For those who are unable to purchase tickets at the school, they will be available at the door for $6 per session.