Girls basketball: Avon Lake's 1994 state championship team still inspiring younger players

AVON LAKE — Sometimes a championship is more than just a championship. When Avon Lake capped its perfect girls basketball season with a thrilling state championship victory in 1994, the Shoregals might not have known they were carrying the flag for Lorain County girls basketball at the time, but 30 years later the foundation they set helped push the game forward. "Everywhere I went there were kids playing basketball (after the championship)," said Amy Manco, who coached the Shoregals from 1992 to 2008. "Shoregals shirts everywhere. It was pretty easy to have an open gym and have a lot of people to show up. And the team right now, this was a heck of a ballgame today." Manco and with many other players and families from the 1994 team were honored at halftime of Saturday's game against Olmsted Falls, then helped cheer the current Shoregals to a 39-35 win against the defending state runners-up, who had won 52 consecutive Southwestern Conference regular-season games. "We don't have this big of a crowd normally so especially with them bringing the energy I felt we had to do it for them," Avon Lake senior Marisa Summerfield said. "It was really cool how everyone in Avon Lake came together to put this ceremony on. It shows you how great of a community Avon Lake is when we all come together. We're hoping this can be inspirational for us to go far in the playoffs." The 1994 team had depth, balance and college-level talent led by Megan Chawansky and Stacey Fifer. Chawansky, a three-time All-Ohioan and the Division II Player of the Year, started for four years at Northwestern while Fifer played for Wright State before transferring to Union College. The team went 27-0 in 1994, fresh off a 23-3 season that ended in the state semifinals. Then came Fifer's game-winning shot to cap a crazy final seconds of a 41-39 win over Roger Bacon in the championship game. "I was reading all the articles last night and saw how the game went," Avon Lake junior Bre Jones said. "Then meeting them and seeing who was in the articles, that was really cool. And then at halftime when they gave the play by play, I had chills. That was really cool." Saturday was the first time the 1994 team had reunited since it was inducted into the Avon Lake Sports Hall of Fame in 1999. "I'm watching my players show up with their families, they have kids in high school and college, and it's just amazing," Manco said. "It's very heartwarming and a little bit thrilling. A couple of the kids when we walked in the gym just now told me they just got chills. It's fun to hear those comments about how excited they are to be back here. Even though the 1994 team remains the only girls basketball state championship in Lorain County, others have come close recently. Midview had its own thrilling run last year that ended with a 61-57 loss to Cincinnati Princeton in the state semifinals. Elyria Catholic has made numerous trips to the regional tournament during the past decade, resulting in state semifinal appearances in 2011, 2018 and 2020 — the last of which was canceled because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Prior to the Shoregals' two trips in 1993 and 1994, the only other team to reach the state semifinals was Elyria in 1979. "It's an inspiring thing for our girls," Avon Lake coach Paul Appel said. "It's pretty special to know that the only state championship for girls basketball in Lorain County was done by girls who walked in the same halls as them. It's inspiring and we really appreciate their support and we want to be able to support them, too." Contact Chris Sweeney at (440) 329-7135 or ctsports@chroniclet.com and follow him @CSweeney1686 on X.