’94 Lady Tigers inducted into Missouri Sports Hall of Fame

Twenty-five years after winning Republic’s first girls state championship, the 1994 Republic Lady Tigers are also Hall of Famers. The Missouri Sports Hall of Fame has inducted the ‘94 team on the silver anniversary of its championship. Republic finished the year with a 31-1 record––the best record of any girls state champion that year.
“Their will to win was unbelievable, but not only the will to win. Everybody likes to win, but this team had a deal where they hated to lose,” remembers coach Dave McQuerter. “There were many games during that season that we were behind going into the fourth quarter in some big games, and they just found it within themselves to come on.”
Two of those Lady Tigers ended up on the all-state team: Cindy Wise (1st Team) and Vicky Smith (2nd Team). Melissa McGill, Tori Mooney-ham and Ashley Fry were also starters on that team.
Even though the Lady Tigers were state runners-up in 1993, they were not expected to repeat their accomplishments. Central Ozark Conference coaches picked the Lady Tigers to finish third at the start of the season.
“I guess they underestimated the young kids I had coming up in the junior class, which was just one of the greatest classes in the history of Republic,” McQuerter said. “Their willingness to do whatever it took to win was incredible.” Every member of the team, along with McQuerter and assistant coach Mike Thorne, attended the induction ceremony in Springfield. Two traveled from outside Missouri, including Krista
Dake. “It kind of punctuates how special that team really was. In the moment, of course, you feel that amazingness of what it’s like to have such a great season and to win the state championship. But to be honored
25 years later really underscores the accomplishment and how special all those ladies were to work so hard and become such a great team,” Dake said.
Republic won the state championship over Chillicothe in a blowout, 66-43. But for Glenna Mooneyham Lander, an even more memorable win came in the state quarterfinals against Marshfield.
“Marshfield was our rival and we knew that it would be a tough game. But we had a goal in mind and we
came out ready to play ball,” she said. Republic blew out Marshfield to advance to the final four for a second straight season, setting up the championship that landed the ‘94 team in the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame.
The members of the 1994 Lady Tigers are Krista Dake, Brandy Dipper, Stacey Evans, Ashley Fry, Nikki Harrington, Amber Kile, Melissa McGill, Glenna Mooneyham, Tori Mooneyham, Julie Sanders, Vicki Smith and Cindy Wise.