Wyandot Sports Hall of Fame

The 1981-82 Upper Sandusky girls basketball team went 22-4 and was the first team of any kind in school history to reach state, losing in the semifinals to state No. 1 Cincinnati Reading 49-36.

Reading held the ball for much of the game and finished with just three fouls in the game at St. John’s Arena. The game set a record for the largest attendance (5,985) for the girls state semifinals, with an estimate of 2,000 attending from Upper Sandusky.

The Rams that season won Northern Ohio League and district championships for the second straight season. The 1981 team, with only one senior, finished as regional runner-up with a 39-37 loss to Bishop Hartley after they routed Swanton by 22 points in the semifinal. In 1982, they defeated Lima Bath to win the regional championship. Upper Sandusky was 44-7 over those two seasons, with a 26-2 mark in the NOL.

Coach Andra Bell was the District 6 coach of the year, while Joelyn Shoup was named the player of the year. Shoup and Janet Schilling both were named to the first team in the NOL and District 6. Pam Swartz was named to the All-District 6 second team, and both she and Chris Smalley received All-NOL honorable mention. Other awards went to Smalley, captain; Schilling, best defensive player; Shoup, best offensive player; and Swartz, Knights of Columbus Sportsmanship Award.