Submitted by Nicole Kelley
It’s been 25 years since the Lassen College Women’s Basketball Team marched into the state playoffs of the California Community College Athletic Association with a 32-1 record and second place ranking in the state and stunned College of the Sequoias, 76-71, to win the CCCAA State Championship.
The team’s only loss was at the hands of Golden Valley Conference rival, College of the Siskiyous, at home. The Lady Cougars met Siskiyous for a fourth time that season in the semifinals of the state tournament, beating them 93-78.
Coached by Gary Kloppenburg, the team was starting making waves in 1990-91, going 26-6, and losing in quadruple overtime to Santa Rosa Community College in the regional finals. With four returning starters; Cherie Hogg, Tiffany Shaw, Tiffany Richardson and Nicole Kelley, who all happened to be all guards, Kloppenburg recruited three post players; Shaw’s teammate from Reno High School, Melissa Batchelder, Molly Dahl and Stacy Williams. He added two more guards, Margie Tilbrook and Meg Carney.
Kloppenburg, who’s father is Bob Kloppenburg, a defensive mechanic who spent much of his career as an assistant in the NBA, put his father’s strategies to work and built a defensive machine that would wear down opponents and favor and feed a run-and gun offense. Kloppenburg stressed defense, spending the first two weeks of season conditioning his players with drills, proving to them their defense would create the offense.
The team started the season strong, winning every pre-season tournament. Lassen continued to gel and soon, their dominance was becoming known throughout northern California. The Reno Gazette published a story on the front page of the Sports section of the undefeated women’s baskeball team from a small community college in a quiet California town tucked away in the Sierra Nevada’s. The week later the team suffered their first and only loss. Unfazed, Lassen regrouped and set their sights on the CCCAA state playoffs. They breezed through the rest of their regular season, and regionals, and prepared for the quarterfinal of the state playoffs. Led by Hogg, a standout from Australia, Lassen dismantled El Camino College, 90-72, dominated Siskiyous, and then battled against Sequoias. Sequoias was a large as the trees in the community they lived but Lassen wore them down with their tenacious defense and run and gun offense, bringing Lassen College Athletics their first ever state basketball title.
The team will be honored on February 11th at halftime of the Lady Cougars matchup against College of the Siskiyous. Game time is 4 pm. The public is encouraged to attend and welcome several members of the team back home.
