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 What a ride!   The 1997 edition of the Taylorville Lady Tornadoes played in front of sold out crowds,  beat mighty Chicago Marshall on our home court, signed more autographs than the Chicago Bulls, and completed the regular season undefeated.   These young ladies sparked the imagination of their rabid fans, feared no team,  played a pressure defense that seemed to turn every game into myriad of fast break lay-ups and scrambles for loose balls.  The fans not only filled the Taylorville Gym for every home game, but Redbird Arena had never seen a crowd so large and so devoted at the ones these Lady Tornadoes  brought with them to the state finals in Normal. 

Coach Carol Wilson having completed her first two season as the lady Toprnadoes coach, with a combined 50 and 8 record, knew she had the makings of a superior basketball team when the season began in 1996. She had returning starters senior, Erin Maxwell, and high scoring juniors, Allison Curtin, Lora Weber and Alexis Givens to build around.  She had experienced players in Jennifer Parks, Andrea Payne, Misty Enlow, Melissa Bilyeu , Heather Knecht and Suzanne Curtin all competing for playing time with newcomers, Lacy McFarland, Jenny Weber and Delanee Brown.