Blast from the Past: 2005 Girls' Basketball

When asked to name a few memorable basketball teams in Grafton history, former High School Athletic Director Jim Bergenholtz responded with only one female squad:  2005 Grafton High School girls' basketball team.

This team was able to compile a 14-6 record before finally being defeated in the district semifinals.

Current Athletic Director Karrah Ellis was coach at the time, and she gave the club high praise, claiming "they were an excellent group and a pleasure to coach." 

The Grafton girls hadn't always been a powerhouse, according to co-captain Cat Hart. "2003 or 2004 was the first year the GHS girls had an over .500 record in years!" she said.

Most of the girls from the 2005 Grafton High School girls' basketball team grew up together, on and off the court.

"There was a solid group of us that had played together in various camps and clinics run around town," team member Danielle Flavin said. In fact, many of these girls were also part of the first middle school team ever assembled in Grafton.

 "Most of us have played together since maybe the 5th grade. Emily Matys, Sue Papazian, Danielle Flavin, Crystal Coonan and myself had been playing together for a while," said Cat Hart.

"At the beginning of the season we set personal goals as well as team goals that we hung in our lockers to keep us motivated," Flavin said. Hart stated that "in 2005 we definitely wanted a winning record and to make it to the districts. We accomplished both of those."

They were successful on the court for a lot of reasons. Flavin thought that they had "a leg up on many of their opponents" because of the work they did to "improve our skills and fundamentals." Coach Ellis emphasized the team's hard working mentality when speaking of the group.

According to Flavin, "Cat Hart and Sue Papazian had been playing together since they were extremely young. The two of them they were able to develop a great inside/outside game."

Hart described the team dynamic. "I was the point guard and scorer, Sue and Crystal were the 'big guys' and rebounders, Dani Flavin was the 3-point shooter, and Nicole Atchue was the wildcard."

Co-captain Emily Matys thought the team had great depth. "I often felt as though some of the underclassmen were the ones who stepped up and carried us to a victory or helped us to complete that last drill with enthusiasm."

All of the girls spoke extremely positively about Coach Ellis as well. "We were fortunate to have a great coach on and off of the court,'' Mays said. "Although Coach Ellis was tough, she certainly had a softer side. She was always there, through injuries and homework, winning games and losing them."

Flavin believes that Ellis' "knowledge of the game and constant advice and ability to diagnose individual strengths and weaknesses helped us to acknowledge where improvement was needed."

Flavin was proud of the fan response for some of their biggest games. "The intensity of the crowd was beyond words,'' she said. The team even "had boys in the top row of the bleachers with letters painted on their chest spelling out G-R-A-F-T-O-N." 

The girls most certainly enjoyed accomplishing their goals together. Hart even said that she wishes she "could go back to high school to do it all over again."