County Hall of Fame Class of 2022: 1982 Arlington girls basketball
Published 1:00 pm Sunday, September 25, 2022
1982 Arlington girls basketball
Inducted as: Team
The Eagles were an unheralded team that embarked on a remarkable postseason run to claim the 1982 AA state championship.
Arlington, coached by Donna Torpey and led by the likes of junior center Brenda Souther, senior forward Lisa Carlson and sophomore forward Lori Carlson, had a modest 11-6 record during the regular season, earning the league’s fourth and final berth to the district tournament. The Eagles finished second at district to advance to regionals, then beat Fife 54-38 to advance to state for the first time in school history.
At state Arlington beat Clarkston 47-32 in the quarterfinals to set up a semifinal meeting with undefeated Olympia. The Eagles stunned the tournament favorites 58-49 to earn a berth in the championship game, with Torpey quoted saying: “As a team we played better. … Individually, they’re probably better, but we just played better as a team.”
The Eagles went on to face Prairie for the state title, and with Souther in foul trouble senior guard Jerri Ann Miears scored 21 points as Arlington prevailed 46-38. Arlington went 7-0 in the postseason.
