Georgetown High School Lady Eagles have not literally been good forever, but they have done their best to make it seem that way. They made it to the state tournament in 1978, they made it to the state tournament in 1996, and they made it three times in between. They won a state title in 1979, and they have become a perennial playoff entry. Not bad for a program that died in 1956.

   As hard as it is to believe now, for 18 years from 1956 to 1974, the school that has become synonymous with girls’ basketball did not have a program because it was “too expensive and too physically demanding.” That hiatus was sandwiched by excellence. The tradition began in the late 1940s and 1950s when Coach Esther Weir produced Lessie Lee Cole and Alice “Cookie” Barron. Barron, described as the “Babe Zaharias” of Georgetown, later went on to become an All-American for the Wayland Baptist Flying Queens and was a member of the American team that defeated the Russians in the 1957 World Games..

   Soon after Barron graduated from Georgetown, the girls’ basketball program was disbanded in 1956. The coach was Miss LaVern Clifton, and Paula (Wheeler) Doerfler remembers that the school board voted not to play girls basketball the summer before her freshman year. “The school board said that girls’ basketball was too expensive and too strenuous,” Doerfler recalled. While Georgetown refused to let girls play basketball, Barron, one of the most famous graduates of the school, went to Colorado where she became a pioneer for high school girls’ athletics. Georgetown began the process of catching up in 1974. At a time when many school districts were being forced into action by Title IX Legislation, Georgetown Superintendent Jack Frost was ahead of the times..

   Frost resurrected the girls’ basketball program, vowing to make it a first-class program. He made Mike Brown the first high school coach and Paula Doerfler and Sue Davidson the junior high coaches. With renewed interest, a year later Georgetown hired Natalie Gunter and began the true quest to put Lady Eagle Basketball back on the map.

   In 1976, the Lady Eagles tangled with powerhouse Waco Midway and lost 104-19. Two years later, the resilient locals beat Midway, 41-39. As much as any game in the program’s storied history, that contest sent the message that Georgetown was back from the dead.

   That 1977-78 team beat Bridge City, 44-34, in the regional championship game and advanced to the state tournament, where they eventually lost to state champion Canyon, 77-52.

   That set the stage for the most successful season in the history of the program. One year later, Coach Tonya Toles (Lott) took the helm and, with the help of assistant coaches Davidson and Judy Hill, led the team to a 3A state championship, defeating Dumas and Sweeny.

   In 1982, Georgetown split district games with Del Valle, which featured future University of Texas superstar Bev Williams, before losing to the Williams-led Eagles in the regional finals. Coach Toles (Lott) led the Lady Eagles to yet another state appearance in 1983, where they lost in the semifinals to Corpus Christi Calallen.

   Three times in the mid-1980s, Cathy Fuller (Sefcik) coached teams that made brief playoff appearances before falling to Little Cypress-Mauriceville, Waco Richfield, and McKinney, respectively.

   Meanwhile, the little country school was growing quickly. Georgetown was moved into Class 5A in 1988, leading to inevitable growing pains. The program struggled, and in 1988 Georgetown made a move to revive its sagging fortunes.

   This time, the solution was hiring Rhonda Farney and assistant Kellye Richardson. Once again, the program was resurrected.

   “In 1989 and 1990, we beat teams we should not have and lost to teams that we should have beaten,” Coach Farney said. However, before long, the Lady Eagles were simply beating everyone. 

   In 1990, building on the theme “The Tradition Continues”, Georgetown defeated a Round Rock team led by Nicole Collins (Louisiana Tech and Angelo State star), then, on the final night of the regular season, beat the 13-0 Waco Lady Lions and their star Benita Pollard, who later played for the University of Texas. Much as the victory against Waco Midway in 1978 sparked the program’s rebirth, those two wins led to much bigger things in the years that followed. 

   Building on the previous season the 1991 Lady Eagles, dubbed “The Dream Team”, returned to 4A and returned to the playoffs. With three returning starters (Desiree Warren, Kristen Posey, and Catherine Parnell) and a host of district champ junior varsity players, the team found itself in District 25-4A with an old, familiar foe Waco Midway. Midway returned four starters from a state runner-up team, including all-state player and University of Texas signee Judy Holcomb. Something had to give, and it was Midway. Georgetown split with the Pantherettes in district, and then defeated them in the regional finals for a trip to the Final Four. Georgetown lost to Dallas Lincoln in the state semifinals, 45-49. 

   In 1992, with three remaining starters (Carly Curtis, Posey, and Shawna Ford), the Lady Eagles won District 25-4A and breezed through the state playoffs, which set up a first-round state tournament match-up between the locals and the Kaufman Lady Lions. Georgetown, hoping to “Fulfill the Dream”, played at the Erwin Center before over 14,500 fans, the largest crowd ever to watch a Texas high school girls’ basketball game. After beating Kaufman, the Lady Eagles lost a heartbreaker at the buzzer to Canyon Randall, 42-43.

   In 1993, Georgetown suffered through a rebuilding year, which meant they merely made the playoffs. Looking to “Take Charge” with only one returning experienced letter winner, sophomore Suzanne Koy, and a number of talented newcomers (Whitney Reierson, Kerrie Edgar, and DeAnn Porfirio), the team turned in one of its most remarkable seasons ever when it defeated eventual state champ Austin Westlake and later Belton in a district playoff game. Representing District 25-4A, the Lady Eagles fell to LBJ in bi-district.

   “Armed and Ready” in 1994, the Porfirio-led Lady Eagles won three tournaments and advanced to the regional semifinals before losing to Tuloso-Midway at the buzzer. The loss was a miserable ending to what had been a sparkling season.

   After four years and four playoff berths in 4A, the Lady Eagles began “Courting Tradition” in 1995 when they returned to 5A. The team, led by three returning starters (Natalie Tucker, Koy, and Reierson), began the season with a 19-game winning streak before falling to Canyon in the Midland Byron Johnson Christmas Classic. The team was nationally ranked as high as fifth in the USA Today poll. The team simply began a new streak that carried them into the 5A playoffs for the first time ever. Georgetown eventually fell to North Mesquite in the regional semifinals before a record crowd at Baylor’s Ferrell Center. The 1995 team was led by seniors Erin Elsasser and Koy.

  With three returning starters (Tucker, Reierson, and Amy Johnson), the 1996 Lady Eagles were one of the closest knit teams in years. Basketball was “The Tie That Binds” and with Cari Lynn Stridde and Rhonda Ooten joining the three returnees, Georgetown won two tournaments, the District 14-5A title, and the Region II-5A crown. The Georgetown Lady Eagles, seasoned by 13 games against state-ranked teams, took No. 1 Alief Elsik to the wire in the state semifinals before losing, 55-59..

   Mindful of all the tradition, Georgetown looked forward to “Celebrating the Past, Present, and Future” in 1997. With only three returning letter winners (Stridde, Ooten, and Claire Swinbank), the 1997 Lady Eagles were one of the least experienced but most athletic teams in the recent history of the program. Christina Edgar and Erin Hall joined the above, and they won the Georgetown Thanksgiving Tournament and placed third in the Arlington Classic and Lindale Hoop Heaven before winning yet another district title. Georgetown lost to A&M Consolidated, 45-50, in the area round of the playoffs.

   The 1998 season was more of the same for the “Leaders of the Pack”. With three returning starters (Ooten, Hall, and Swinbank) and six returning letter winners, the athletically-gifted Lady Eagles went 27-7 before losing in the regional semifinals to Longview, 52-57. Before that, the team went 10-0 in District 14-5A, won the Georgetown Thanksgiving Tournament for the sixth consecutive year, and beat Tomball and Cy-Falls in the playoffs.

   “Taking None from Nobody” in 1999, the Georgetown Lady Eagles with two returning starters (Dionne Brown and Anna Hartzell), senior Deah Breithaupt, and sophomores Jennifer Doherty and Paige Prince, played one of the toughest preseason schedules in the history of the program. After winning the Georgetown Thanksgiving Tournament, Georgetown traveled to Missouri for a tournament. The team won district and defeated Cy-Fair in area before falling to Klein in the regional quarterfinals. The team ended the season at 20-14.

   In 2000, Georgetown was “In It to Win It”, and winning they did as they amassed a 26-7 record. The team won the Georgetown Thanksgiving Tournament and the prestigious 32-team Las Vegas Holiday Classic. Georgetown won another district championship before falling to Spring Westfield, 50-53, in area.

   With just two returning starters (Doherty and Prince), the 2001 Lady Eagles were intent on “Burying the Competition”. The team was loaded with youth. Returning letter winners, sophomores Erica Kovach and Cayce Turner, added experience to the program. New varsity sophomore players Tori Alloway, Megan Gooch, Calli Ebeling, and Stephanie Sullivan, and junior Amanda Hall, brought athleticism and a winning junior varsity basketball tradition. The youthful Lady Eagles came in second in the Georgetown Thanksgiving Tournament, losing in overtime by two points to Corpus Christi Carroll. They played in the San Antonio Northside Invitational, losing in overtime in the championship to San Antonio Taft. The Lady Eagles went to Florida and participated in the Naples Holiday Shoot-Out. They beat the host team, Barron Collier, and lost to two-time Pennsylvania state champion and Naples Shoot-Out champion Cheltenhem in overtime. The Lady Eagles went on to be District 13-5A Co-Champions. They lost to The Woodlands by one point in area play and ended the season 26-7.

   Without a senior on the team, in 2002 Georgetown returned three starters (Alloway, Kovach, and Turner) and seven letter winners (Ebeling, Rickita Fisher, Gooch, Christy Hubbard, DeAnna Knox, Hanna Pool, and Stephanie Sullivan) on a team that had “Money in the Bank”. The young team went 28-5, defeating St. Michael’s Academy in the finals to the Georgetown Thanksgiving Tournament, winning consolation at the Kroger Holiday Classic, in Pickerington, OH, and winning District 13-5A with a perfect 10-0 record. They defeated Klein Forrest, 63-60, and lost to Spring Westfield, 36-43, in the regional quarterfinals.

   “The Difference in Playing and Playing Well…70-30” was the creed of the 2003 Lady Eagles. The team returned all five starters (Alloway, Ebeling, Gooch, Hubbard, and Kovach) and four letter winners (Fisher, Knox, Pool, and Turner) along with sophomores Emily Richardson, Leah Starr and freshman Jennifer Thomas. The team lost Turner to a knee injury before the season started and Gooch two games into the season. She did not return until January 3, 2003, some 20 games later. Georgetown defeated rival Austin Westlake,   51-31, before losing in overtime to USA Today #3 nationally-ranked Fort Smith Northside, AR, 64-65, in the finals of the Georgetown Thanksgiving Tournament. Next, they played five games in less than 44 hours in the prestigious Air Force Rotary Lone Star Invitational in San Antonio, going 2-3, losing to nationally-ranked Germantown Academy, PA, 38-48, and Riverdale Baptist, MD, 36-48, before falling at the buzzer to Houston Madison, 51-52. The Lady Eagles went 3-1 at The Nike Tournament of Champions in Phoenix, AZ, losing to nationally-ranked Oakridge, TN, 43-57, and defeating nationally-ranked Oakland Catholic, PA, 50-48, and nationally-ranked Collins Hill, GA, 58-47, and Cibola in Yuma, AZ, 55-49. Georgetown went 14-0 in District 14-5A before defeating Spring Westfield, 50-39, in Area and Cy-Fair, 44-35, in the regional quarterfinals. At the Ferrell Center in Waco (which was 70 miles from Georgetown), Georgetown defeated Plano, 63-37, in the regional tournament semifinals and Rockwall, 45-42, in the finals. In the state tournament semifinals at the Erwin Center in Austin (which was 30 miles from Georgetown), Georgetown defeated Fort Bend Hightower, 50-34, before bowing out to Duncanville, 27-47, in the finals in front of over 10,000 fans. The Lady Eagles ended their season on the last day for any basketball team to play, March 1, with a record of 33-6.

   “Tradition Never Graduates” was the motto for the 2004 Lady Eagles. The team was forced to “reload” since they returned no starters and only four letter winners (Pool, Richardson, Starr, and Thomas). The team played a demanding schedule, beginning the year with Duncanville, the team that had bested Georgetown in the state finals the previous year. Georgetown lost to Duncanville, 38-56, and then went on to defeat San Antonio Taft, 46-42, in the finals of the Georgetown Thanksgiving Tournament. On a roll, Georgetown won all four games at the Lady Bulldog Holiday Classic in Las Vegas, NV, defeating then #9 nationally-ranked hosts Centennial, 64-52. The Lady Eagles ended District 14-5A in a 3-way tie for second with Stony Point and Westwood. They defeated Stony Point, 60-42, in the district playoff before defeating Copperas Cove, 37-34, in bi-district and falling to Cy-Fair, 68-36, in the area round of the state playoffs. Georgetown ended the season 24-10..

  
  In 2005, Georgetown was true to their motto, “Operating with Heart.” The team lined up and played the best competition in the nation, returning three starters (Kathryn Briggs, Jessica Ochoa, and Starr) and four letter winners (Briggs, Katie Dachowski, Ochoa, Starr, and Thomas). Others joining the team were Jessica Abernathy, Lauren Davis, Kristen Ibarra, Kelsey Kniffin, Shae Seagraves, and Devin Sewell. The Lady Eagles defeated Lubbock Estacado, 60-42, for third place in the Georgetown Thanksgiving Tournament and defeated nationally ranked Narbonne, CA, 49-36, and Plainview, 44-41, before falling to state-ranked Brock and Mansfield Summit in the San Antonio Lone Star Rotary Air Force Invitational. Next, the team traveled to New York where they defeated Manhassec, NY, and Mary Louis Academy, NY, before losing to the eventual national champions, Christ the King.  On a roll, the Lady Eagles returned home to rack up a 13-1 record and the District 15-5A championship. During district play, the team won five games by three points or less. The team defeated Temple in the area game, 58-43, before being defeated by Pflugerville, 32-43, in the regional quarterfinals. 

   In 2006, Georgetown added to the girls’ basketball legacy by “Building a BLUEprint for Success.” That success consisted of playing the toughest preseason and district schedule in the history of the program. Returning three starters (Briggs, Devin Sewell, and Thomas) and four additional letter winners (Abernathy, Davis, Kniffin, and Seagraves), Georgetown lost in overtime to Pflugerville Connally in the Georgetown Thanksgiving Tournament, 38-40, went 3-1 in Delaware’s Diamond State Classic, losing to Columbia Central, TN, 48-57, and then defeating St. John’s Vianney, NJ, 51-41, Boone, FL, 49-35, and Oxford, PA, 46-39. The team was District 15-5A tri-champions, which included two routes of Cedar Park, 52-32, and 55-39, a come-from-behind win on a last second putback by Devin Sewell to defeat Pflugerville, 50-49, and a 14-point last quarter comeback against McNeil, 53-51, behind Kathryn Briggs’ 15-point fourth quarter contribution. Georgetown defeated Westlake, 43-23, in bi-district, defeated the Woodlands, 54-40, in area, defeated Austin Bowie, 46-36, in regional quarterfinals, and lost to eventual state runner-up Rockwall, 34-43, in the regional semifinals.

   2007 saw the Lady Eagles “Reeling in the Competition”. The team sharpened their teeth on the hardest competition in the state and nation. Returning three starters (Briggs, Nutter, and Seagraves) and four additional letter winners (Kniffin, Erica McDaniel, Lorin Pereira, and Aubrey Sewell), the first four games of the season were a roller coaster. They lost to state-ranked Waco Midway and Marble Falls, and then to Dripping Springs before defeating then #1 state-ranked Bryan. They went 4-1, defeating San Antonio Warren in the silver-division of the Georgetown Thanksgiving Tournament, and 2-2 in the Deep South Classic in Atlanta, GA. The team was District 14-5 runnerup, which included two pivotal wins over Cedar Park, 49-45, and 53-49, and a come from behind win on a last second three pointer by Lorin Pereira to defeat McNeil, 44-43. Georgetown lost to Harker Heights, 43-49, in bi-district.

   In 2008, Georgetown returned three starters (Kniffin, Nutter, and Sewell) as well as three letterwinners (Atwood, McDaniel, and Pereira). Others joining the varsity were junior varsity championship members Jherica Binder, Kayla Burnett, Brittany Frasier, Katie Rudolph, and Tory Schlaht and freshmen players Brianna Bogard, Christina Kime, and Kathryn Tolbert. Each player helped to “Play Basketball the Georgetown Way--It’s Showtime”. The team won three out-of-four overtime games as well as winning the Sweet Sixteen Tournament in Monterey, CA, and runner-up at the Winnsboro Classic. Surprising everyone but themselves, they split with Pflugerville and defeated the rest of the district teams to win a District 14-5A co-championship. Next the Lady Eagles defeated Killeen Shoemaker, 39-33, in bi-district, and derailed top ten Conroe, 42-41, in area. Atwood hit a three-pointer to send the Spring Westfield game into overtime before losing in the quarterfinals, 52-57. Georgetown ended a marvelous season at 28-6.

    In 2009, Georgetown returned one starter (Atwood) as well as four letterwinners (Bogard, Burnett, Tolbert, and Crystal Wills). Others joining the varsity were undefeated junior varsity championship members Iesha Collins, Alexa Harpe, Kathryn Lawhon, Kjirsten Olson, Abbey Pennington, Natalie Polivka, and Jirah Rodriguez along with sophomore Amanda Bizzell from a district championship freshman team and freshmen Emily Johnson and Taylor Heine. Team members chose the 300 theme: “Give them nothing. Take from them everything…This is Georgetown”, and they played with a warrior-like mentality. Georgetown won the silver bracket of the Jack Frost Tournament and third in the Winnsboro Classic. Next the team traveled to Owensboro, KY, where they shocked the home team Owensboro Catholic, 73-46, and finally lost in the finals to Henderson Co., KY, 49-55. After graduating nine seniors and five players who are now playing in college, Georgetown opened District 16-5A on December 9, 2008, against a veteran Cedar Park team and won, 47-42. Georgetown went on to post a 13-1 record and be District 16-5A Co-Champions with Cedar Park. Next the Lady Eagles defeated Cy-Woods, 51-43, in bi-district before losing to Spring Westfield, 50-56, in area. Georgetown posted a 26-7 season mark.

    In 2010, the Lady Eagles decided on the theme: “With one lap to go” and sped off to a 31-4 season. Georgetown returned four starters (Atwood, Bogard, Pennington, and Wills) as well as five senior letterwinners (Harpe, Lawhon, Polivka, Rodriguez, and Olson) and one junior letterwinner (Bizzell), and one sophomore letterwinner (Johnson) as well as veteran senior managers and student trainer (Shelby Bouffard, Kensley Toungate, and Ryan Roe). Georgetown won second in both the gold bracket of the Georgetown Jack Frost Tournament, losing to Westbury Christian, 52-60, and in the Winnsboro Tournament, losing to the host school, 48-58 as well as third in the Nike Tournament of Champions in Phoenix, AZ, by defeating Chandler, AZ, 57-55 on an assist from Atwood to Pennington on the buzzer. That win revved up their engines and began an acceleration that led them deep into the state playoffs. The team went 14-0 in District 16-5A play while collectively all four teams posted an unprecedented 45-0 record and district championships at every level. Next in the state playoffs, Georgetown defeated Cy-Woods at Brenham in overtime, 57-53, Lufkin at A&M Consolidated, 49-42, and Cy-Falls at Hearne, 47-43, before losing to Bryan, 45-50, in the regional tournament on the Baylor University campus.