2016 Girls Basketball Sectional Champions
Starters: Point Guard- Mariah Morgan, Shooting Guard- Shelby Louden, Small Forward- Taylor Bayer, Power Forward Rachel Hopf, Center- Karissa Wollenmann
Coaches: Marty Niehaus, Tony Hasenour, Karrie Wolfe
Record: 18-9
Accomplishments: 2016 IHSAA Class 2A Sectional champions, 7 game win streak during season, Toby Yoho Holiday Tournament Champions
The girls put together a terrific season full of many high and low points. They faced adversity in a number of ways, but none as big as the sectional championship game against Mater Dei. Coach Marty Niehaus believes that the game for the title was "the most memorable game because it was very close and came down to the final seconds". In a season full of many ups and downs, this team utimately achieved their goal that Coach Niehaus says was simply to bring home a sectional title: "We had high expectations going into the season with a sectional championship being our number one goal". This Ranger team finished the regular season 15-8 and tore through the class 2A sectionals. In the first game of the tournament, the Rangers went up against the Mater Dei Wildcats and went down to the final seconds. The Lady Rangers narrowly escaped with a 37-36 victory and advanced to face the North Posey Vikings. The Viking proved to be yet another challenging obstacle on girls' path to a sectional championship. The Rangers never once showed any sign of giving up and when the final buzzer sounded, they were on top 49-47. Their valiant efforts from the first two games paid off and they easily defeated the South Spencer Rebels 54-36 in the sectional championship. In her final season, coach Marty Niehaus led the Rangers to victory and achieved their season goal. Taylor Bayer, who was a sophomore at the time of the victory says that despite the trials and tribulations of the season, she "never lost confidence in the team because of the bond that they all had". Overall, she says she believed the team stuck together exceptionally well and they never lost faith in one another.
After their excellent performance in sectionals, the Lady Rangers traveled to Paoli High School to face the Austin Eagles in the first round of the Class 2A regional. Austin proved to be just a little bit too much for Forest Park as they outlasted them 50-46. Coach Niehaus said that the Eagles "pulled a lot of stuff out on us that we did not see on tape" and that helped them to get the victory. Despite the regional loss, the Lady Rangers held their heads high because they knew that they had put together a successful season. Niehaus also says that the only time she really had to get mad at her players was when they did not work as hard as she wanted them to in practice, but that was not a frequent occurence. Though sectional was undoubtedly the most significant accomplishment for the Rangers, Coach Niehaus believes that "winning the Toby Yoho Holiday Tourney was also a big deal". These girls faced extraordinary competition throughout the year and stood together through it all. They never lost sight of their number one goal and were determined to bring home a sectional title. This team embodies the very characteristics that are visible in every student at Forest Park and they truly represent what it means to be a Forest Park Ranger.
Video of the girls' championship is shown below
Senior Karissa Wollenmann watches as her shot floats towards the hoop.
Senior Rachel Hopf drives past the defender to get the bucket.
Sophomore Lanette Blume pump fakes in an effort to get a shot off.