Girls+Basketball

The first game of girls basketball in 1975

Summary** On November 29, 1976, the Belleville West girls’ basketball team made its debut as a varsity sport winning its first game against Alton. This page includes a brief history of the girls’ basketball team. It also has an overview of each head coach. This page also contains a detailed win-loss record for the Lady Maroons. The Belleville West girls’ basketball team has hooped their way into our hearts. Girls’ basketball was recognized by IHSA as an official sport in the winter of 1975-1976. It still exists in 2010, and the program has grown to encompass three teams. There is a Varsity team, a JV team, and a Freshman team. There are now multiple coaches for each team. Larry Betz was the coach of girls’ basketball at West from 1976 to 2000. The program grew in the number of games, and there is now a JV team as well as the original Varsity Team. The nickname Lady Maroons was also developed during Larry Betz’s time as coach. He then retired after coaching the Lady Maroons for 24 years. Today, the Belleville West girls’ basketball teams have assistant coaches as well as a head coach. In the 2000-2001 season, Fritz Holcomb, a social studies teacher, took over the post of head coach. From 2003-2004, Rick Stevenson was the head coach. The next year, Bob Keefe became the new head coach. Clayton Fisher, a science teacher, took over the team in 2006 and is still coaching today in 2010. The girls were coached by Larry Betz through 24 seasons, from 1975-2000. In the girls first season, they won 7 games and lost 4. In winter of 1976-1977, the girls won 8 games and lost 6. The next season, the girls won 15 games and lost 9. This was also the first season that the girls’ basketball team went to regionals, sectionals, and super-sectionals. The team also qualified for state finals that season. From 1978-1979, the number of games lost exceeded the number won by two and the final season summary was 10-12. Larry Betz led the girls to regionals and sectionals again in the winter of 1979-1980. That year the team had 23 wins and only 4 losses. From 1980-1981, the girls’ basketball team participated in regionals and sectionals again and had 26 wins and just 2 losses. The next season the girls’ basketball team made it to regionals and sectionals once more and had 20 wins and 9 losses. The 1982-1983 season’s tallies were 22 wins and 4 losses and the girls attended regionals in that season. The girls went to regionals again in the winter of 1983-1984 and they had 17 victories and 10 defeats. In the 1984-1985 season, the West girls’ basketball team competed in both regionals and sectionals. That season the team experienced 20 wins and 9 losses. From 1985-1986, the girls went to regionals and won 17 games and lost 10. In the next season, the girls made it to regionals again and had 22 victories and 6 defeats. From 1987-1988, the girls tallied up 17 wins and 9 losses. In the winter of 1988-89, the team won 21 games and lost 6. The next year, West’s girls’ basketball team won 23 games and lost 3. In the winter of 1990-1991, the team attended regionals again and were almost undefeated with 28 victories and 1 loss. From 1991-1992, the girls’ basketball team won 15 games and lost 14. The next year, the team had 10 wins and 13 losses. The girls won 11 games and lost 14 in the winter of 1993-1994. The 1994-1995 season’s tallies came to 14 wins and 9 losses. From 1995-1996, the girls’ basketball team had 12 wins and 11 losses. The next year, Coach Betz led the girls through 16 victories and 10 defeats. In the winter of 1997-1998, West’s girls’ basketball team had a disappointing season with only 11 wins and 15 losses. In Coach Betz’s last two seasons with the Belleville West’s girls’ basketball team, the team had 17 victories and 13 defeats. In the winter of 2000-2001, Fritz Holcomb became the new coach. In that year, the team finished the season with an 11-17 record. He was also the coach from 2002-2003. From 2003-2004, the Lady Maroons were coached by Rick Stevenson and the team had 12 wins and 15 losses. In the winter of 2004-2005, Coach Bob Keefe led the girls through 20 victories and 6 defeats. The next year the Lady Maroons had 10 wins and 16 losses. From 2006-2007, Coach Clayton Fisher became the head coach and the team had 4 wins and 20 losses. The next year the team had 13 wins and 14 losses. From 2008-2009, the Lady Maroons had a phenomenal year with 27 victories and only 4 defeats.
 * Girls Basketball
 * History**
 * Coaches**
 * Win-Loss Records**

In 1991, the Varsity girls' basketball team won 28 out of 29 games Girls fight over the ball during a 1986 game
 * 1) 42 assists #10 in a slamdunk

Waiting for the rebound in a 1976 game