A New banner is dedicated to the Lady Raider Basketball Team

A Surprise Visit for Montgomery Coach Weaver The 1990-1991 Montgomery Lady Raider Basketball Team and Coaches pose for a photo at the start of the Dedication of a new Lady Raider Basketball Banner. Front row, left to right; Shani (Van Why Groover), Tami (Kroft) Guyer, Liz Bower, Back row, left to right; Assistant Head Coach Mark Poeth, Dayna (Dougherty) Becoski, Gretchen (Holtzapple) Ramsey, Head Coach Craig Weaver, Paula Ulrich, Stacey (Fremberg) Neill, Christine (Pauling) Moore, Lisa (Wetzel) Strouse
MONTGOMERY – On Saturday January 15th, at 7:15 p.m, a dedication of a new banner by a former girls basketball team was held at the Montgomery Athletic Sports Complex prior to the start of the Montgomery vs. Bloomsburg Girls Varsity Basketball game. Gary (Yogi) Yocum Jr., Athletic Booster Club President, organized the event, and presented to the assembled crowd in the gymnasium a synopsis of the accomplishments of the 1990-1991 Lady Raider Basketball Team and Lady Raider Coaches.
The girls (of 20 years ago), who were able to attend, assembled in a back room, keeping their arrival a surprise from Head Coach Craig Weaver. They and their Assistant Head Coach Mark Poeth walked out onto the basketball court with the new banner, and awaited the arrival of Weaver. He entered from a side door with his current girls team. When he spotted the group at center court, he was shocked. After a short reunion, with hugs and handshakes, the dedication went on as planned.
The dedication ceremony’s opening remarks honored the 20th Anniversary of the 1990-91 Lady Raider Basketball team and the season they enjoyed. The team finished their season with a 30-2 record, still the most wins by a Montgomery basketball team girls, or boys. Their season ended a game short of reaching the PIAA State Championship game in Hershey as they lost 30-38 to the eventual State Champion Pottsville Nativity.
Yocum went on to say that, “The success of this team was a direct result of the team being loyal, reliable, honest, sincere, confident, and cooperative. Each member knew her role on the team and had a team spirit that was an eagerness to sacrifice personal interests or glory for the welfare of all. The team came 1st. The team also represented Montgomery on the floor in a manner that was second to none.”
The following are some of the team’s other accomplishments which included: Winning the Warrior Run X-mas Tournament for the 2nd year in a row, Winning the Mid-Penn Conference for the 5th year in row, Qualified for District playoffs for the 7th year in a row, Seeded #1 for District playoffs for the 2nd straight year, Won the District 4, Class A Championship, (a 1st for the girls program), Recorded 27 consecutive wins, and Lead Lycoming County in scoring and team defense.
The team included the following members: Head Coach Mr. Craig Weaver, Assistant Coach Mark Poeth
Seniors, Tami (Kroft) Guyer and Paula Ulrich; Juniors, Dayna (Dougherty) Becoski, Nicole (Dougherty) Bender, Stacy (Fremberg) Neill, Gretchen (Holtzapple) Ramsey, Christine (Pauling) Moore, Jean (Styer) Goley, Shani (Van Why) Groover, and Brandi (Wertz) Meyer; Sophomores, Liz Bower, Brooke (Parkyn) Wood, Lisa Satteson, Lisa (Wetzel) Strouse, and Gina (Yanni) Brelsford.
Paula Ulrich & Lisa Wetzel scored over 1,000 points in their careers. Dayna Dougherty, Tami Croft, Stacy Fremberg, and Christine Pauling all finished their careers with 500 plus points.
When asked to give a closing thought about the banner dedication, Yogi replied, “Did you see the shirts the girls were wearing? On the front, it reads ‘Lady Raider Basketball’, and on the back “Simply the Best” 30-2.