Campbellsport Girls Basketball 1999 State Team Comes Home to Connect with Current Cougars

On January 14, members of the 1999 Campbellsport girls’ basketball team came back for alumni night to talk to the current Cougars basketball team.
This meeting started the process of bonding the past, present, and future teams of the Cougars’ program together moving forward.
The 1999 team shared their memories, feelings, and journey of a glorious time in Campbellsport girls’ basketball history.
Here is a journey down memory lane to showcase the greatest team in program history and display a path for the current program to achieve greatness in the Campbellsport basketball community.

“Our mission started in the seventh grade as our goal was to play our last game at Madison,” said Kris Loehr (Wells). “It was our commitment to lifting weights, open gyms, and making the right choices on and off the court to meet our team goals.”
“That team was a culmination of three youth programs coming together from our local communities. When we finally got to high school, with local talent merged, everything clicked,” said Jenny Weisner (Ballwahn). “From the very first day of practice that season, we ended our practice huddle with the chant ‘State Champs,’ and being a junior, I really loved playing with the seniors. Being under their leadership allowed us to play with so much confidence and selflessness.”
“I feel the building blocks were set up during the two previous seasons with our team beating a top-five team at Waupun in the regionals in 1997 and then facing Port Washington in sectionals in 1998,” said Head Coach Tim Flood. “This group had their heart set on going to state, and they worked hard by being committed to practice, our weight lifting program, and to our team philosophy to make it happen.”
“I think a huge part of our success was trusting and believing in ourselves, teammates, and coaches after putting in hours of shooting, dribbling, defensive work, and conditioning outside of all the hours we practiced as a team,” said Jessica Anders. “We knew we had the skills, and we knew we could count on each other on the court.”
“It was a process during our high school careers with our freshman year winning nine games, then having ten wins our sophomore year with a regional win, and then continuing with junior year by winning 14 games, including being regional champs, which had us building to the state tournament run in our senior year,” said Wells.
Campbellsport 1999 State Runner-up Roster with Stats (All-Time Season and Career Ranks)
Head Coach: Tim Flood
“Coach Flood believed in each of us players individually, projecting confidence in our abilities, and I never felt that level of support and confidence before from a coach, which is the reason we started to believe in ourselves as players,” said Jess Thull (Brundage). “We had a true belief in one another on the team because of the culture which was started by Coach and then unconditional love of our team had for each other which grew into something bigger than ourselves.”
“The one thing that made us successful would hands down be Coach Flood’s leadership and coaching style,” said Weisner. “We just loved each other and wanted to win together with that being a testament to the culture Coach Flood created.”
“Coach Flood did an amazing job with that team and knew what was possible with the team coming together at the right time and with terrific senior leadership,” said KFIZ Sports Director Chuck Freimund.
Assistant Coaches: Becky Simonson and Ashlie Schuhart
#4 Jess Thull (8.1 ppg, 4.6 rpg, 1.6 apg, 1.3 spg, Honorable Mention All-Conference)
“Jess rounded out the starting lineup with her ability to lead the team in scoring on any given night,” said Loehr.
#5 Kim Kertscher (1.5 ppg)
“Kim was a junior off the bench providing solid ball handling,” said Loehr.
#10 Melissa Ketter
“Melissa, another junior off the bench providing solid play for us,” said Loehr.
#00 Shannon Ebert
#12 Kellie Hall
#15 Becky Schanen
“Becky, Kellie, Shannon, and Amy were excellent teammates on the team,” said Loehr.
#20 Jenny Wiesner (13.6 ppg, 6.4 rpg, 2.7 apg, 1.3 spg, 1st Team All-Conference, 367 points scored - third most in a season, 73 assists - tenth most in a season, 960 career points - third most in program history, 139 career steals - ninth most in program history, 489 career rebounds - fourth most in program history)
“Jenny was a junior forward who often led the team in rebounding and scoring,” said Loehr.
#24 Lisa Immel (8.3 ppg, 5.5 rpg, 2.5 apg, 1.6 spg, Honorable Mention All-Conference, 94 assists - third most in a season, 172 career assists - seventh most in program history)
“Lisa always drew the most difficult defensive assignment with being a steady scorer and rebounder,” said Loehr.
#32 Kris Loehr (11.3 ppg, 3.7 rpg, 3.1 apg, 1.6 spg, 1st Team All-Conference, 305 points - fifth most in a season, 83 assists - seventh most in a season, 985 career points - second most in program history, 250 career assists - second most in program history, 181 career steals - fourth most in program history)
“Kris provided excellent ball handling, scoring, passing, and leadership,” said Freimund.
#35 Erin Murphy
“Erin was a senior with a great attitude and a team player,” said Loehr.
#40 Melissa Rettler (2.2 ppg, 2.4 rpg)
“Melissa was our six-foot sophomore, who provided a solid defensive presence inside off the bench,” said Loehr.
#42 Jess Anders (3.9 ppg, 2.1 rpg)
“Jess was a senior coming off the bench as a defender and was money as a mid-range shooter,” said Loehr.
#50 Erin O’Laughlin (4.2 ppg, 2.4 rpg, 2.4 apg, 1 spg, Honorable Menton All-Conference, 142 career assists - ninth most in program history)
“Erin could hit the three and lead the team in scoring when called upon,” said Loehr.
Team Season Stats (Rank in Program History)
Points Scored: 1446 (2nd)
Points Per Game: 53.6 (5th)
Free throws made: 321 (1st)
Free throw Percentage: 64.2 (2nd)
Assists: 418 (1st)
“Regardless of your role, everyone came out and worked their butts off in practice by embracing their roles in each game with the result being we celebrated and cried together as a cohesive team,” said Thull. “I realized years later this type of experience in high school sports was unique because it is difficult to appreciate the whole is more than the sum of all its parts.”
“My most vivid memories came from practices, team meals, and the time we spent together outside the gym with our great chemistry and genuinely enjoyed being around each other,” said Lisa Immel. “Looking back, it is what high school sports should be about with communities rallying around their local teams by creating a sense of pride and unity that extends far beyond the game.”
“Kris Loehr (Wells) was an all-time great at Campbellsport with basketball skills but more importantly her on- and off-court leadership,” said Freimund. “Erin, Jess, Jenny, and Lisa all were important pieces of that team’s success during a special season.”
Campbellsport started their season with a 7-0 record and finished the regular season with an 18-2 record, with their only two losses coming to fellow Flyway Conference powerhouse NFDL by a total of 12 points with one game in overtime.
“I had the best seat in the house for our whole magical season as a reserve player, and I’m still proud of what we did together as a team but also for the community and school,” said Erin Murphy. “This group of special women have accomplished a lot as moms, coaches, medical professionals, educators, and executives, but our first big achievement was being a part of this team.”
WIAA Tournament Run-Division 2
Regionals:
1st Round - Beat Kewaskum 63-44 at Campbellsport
2nd Round - Beat Mayville 41-38 at Kewaskum
Regional Final - Beat Waupun 48-46 in OT at Mayville
Sectionals:
Sectional Semifinal - Beat Port Washington 65-62 in OT at Slinger
“We were able to conquer Port Washington after losing to them in the sectional during the 1998 season,” said Wells.
Sectional Final - Beat Waterford 41-29 at Whitefish Bay
State at the Fieldhouse in Madison
“A memory that stands out is walking onto the Fieldhouse floor for the first time after attending previous state tournaments as a group, which felt like such a huge accomplishment,” said Anders. “Winning the semifinal game and making it to the championship game was icing on the cake.”
State Semifinal - Beat Two Rivers 41-33
State Final - Lost to McFarland 61-57
The Cougars finished their magical season with a 24-3 record.
“This Campbellsport team was one of the three greatest girls’ Flyway teams (the late 1990s NFDL and current Laconia teams being the other two) in the past 30 years,” said Freimund. “They were kids with amazing leadership skills with their team having great community support by packing the gyms.”
“I loved coaching high school with each team being special for different reasons but the 1999 team made it amazing and memorable with the excitement of winning by going to state,” said Flood. “The closeness of the team, the support of the parents, school, and the Campbellsport community made it such an exceptional experience.”