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. Head Coach Marvin Smith
I would like to express our sincere gratitude in being selected as an inductee to the QND Hall of Fame. The 1981-82 girls basketball team was comprised of many talented QND athletes who not only excelled in basketball but impressed many with their skills in other sports. As I recall, thinking back to this time at QND in the late 1970s to the mid 1980s, the female athletes made numerous trips to the IHSA state tournaments in volleyball, basketball and softball, winning many state titles. Their success at such a high level in all sports was a true testament to the dedication, work ethic and determination exhibited by these young ladies far beyond the basketball court. I recently spent time looking back through all the impressive and well-deserved inductees to the QND Hall of Fame over the years. Many of the fine athletes I had the pleasure to coach during my time at QND are well represented. The success these fine athletes enjoyed over their high school years is quite remarkable and extremely rare. Every honor awarded to these young ladies is well-deserved. I would like to express a sincere thank you on behalf of the entire team to the selection committee for the honor of joining an elite group of teams and individuals who have and continue to wear the blue and gold so proudly for Quincy Notre Dame. It is true what they say: "Once a Raider, always a Raider."
—Marvin Smith