KSHSAA and KBCA Hall of Famer Coach Shane Cordell treasures the memories of the historic Little River girls basketball program, which swept 91 consecutive games and won four consecutive Class 1A state championships (1995-1998). He was fortunate to share those championships with his daughters Betsy and Cassie.
Righthanded Amy Prose and lefthanded Amber Prose played for four Little River state champions. Amy Prose and Amber Prose rallied the Redskins to their fourth consecutive championship with a 44-43 overtime victory over Baileyville. Abbi Burdick, Betsy Cordell, Sherri Hewitt and Hilarie Raleigh played for three state champions.
Little River finished its four-year run with a 107-3 record and extended its winning streak to 91 games before Pretty Prairie downed the Redskins, 56-36 (Jan. 16, 1998). Little River's streak was featured in the video, "91 to History – The Streak," produced by Kipp Cordell of the Mutual Telephone Company.
Little River defeated Class 5A state champion McPherson and 2A state champion Moundridge and other 5A and 4A teams. Little River won a 74-72 overtime game against Centralia in the 1997 state finals when Amy Prose hit a clutch 3-pointer to reach overtime. The Redskins overcame an 18-point deficit against Moundridge to keep the streak alive in 1997.
Class 1A basketball in the late 1990s was loaded with high-quality players. Centralia's Miklannet Tennel played for an NJCAA champion at Cloud County. Centralia's Kristen Rethman (Kansas State) and Pretty Prairie's Carly Stucky (Wyoming) played Division 1 basketball. Stucky played for a national champion at Hastings (Neb.) College.
Little River's 1995-96 team won its games by an average of 41 points per game. The Redskins set a state record with 104 points and scored a record of 269 points in three state tournament games.
Cordell was a flawless motivator who discovered the Redskins matched his coaching acumen. Cordell's philosophy was to develop players into quality parents who learned about sacrificing for a team effort.
"The 1995-96 team is one of the better teams that played in Kansas," said Cordell, who owned a 604-225 record at Little River. "They could've competed with any team. Our 1995-96 team could've won an all-class state tournament."
Eleven of the players returned in 1995-1996 to repeat a state championship with a second consecutive unbeaten record.
"It was a once-in-a-lifetime thing as a coach," Cordell said. "I realize that more as I look back. No one had ever done what they did. That group of girls in that era made Kansas basketball history."
This was a group of girls who loved to play basketball.
"I have never been around males or females in my coaching years who were as intense and mentally tough as these girls were," Cordell said. "It was a very unique bunch of young women who were driven."
Kansas State University standout Nicky Ramage led the Redskins to a brink of a state championship her first two seasons. During Ramage's junior year, Cordell was blessed with freshmen sensations Amy and Amber Prose, who played like energizer bunnies.
The Redskins had enough depth to make practices very intense during Ramage's last two seasons.
"If you really wanted a treat, you had to come to practice because it was a war," Cordell said. "There were bodies on the floor. They were very vocal. These girls communicated. That was so different with most teams. They were chest bumpers. They encouraged and pushed each other."
For two years, Cordell played two-platoon basketball, switching lineups every four minutes. When the 4-minute stretch was close, the next group sprinted to the scorer's table. The Redskins' intensity was unmatched during those two seasons.
"We ran in a different set of girls and they all knew their roles. Our attack style of play could completely wear our opponents out. When our girls accepted this, and it was unselfish on their part, they made state history."
During its reign, Little River played a fast-break style keyed by aggressive full-court and run-and-jump pressure. The Redskins' signature was that everyone shared the basketball.
"We had one saying that we used – there was nothing more beautiful in basketball than a great pass," Cordell said. "These were some of the greatest passing teams that I ever coached. They were very unselfish."
Cordell said that era of girls who played over the course for four years were a unique group that adhered to a team concept. What made them special was their ability to be mentally tough as a team.
Cordell recalled two times when the Redskins were involved in history-making moments.
The first one occurred in 1996 when state champions Little River, Moundridge and McPherson were paired in the 1996 Mid-America Classic at McPherson. The Redskins downed the 5A Bullpups, who captured state titles in 1997 and 1998. Moundridge won 2A state titles in 1996, 1997 and 1998.
"That was an era that changed girls basketball in Kansas," Cordell said. "We went out and played quality teams and that made it special. When we played that championship game, they shut the doors at McPherson. It was standing room only. It was an electric atmosphere."
The second occasion occurred when Little River and Claflin's Jackie Stiles collided during a 1996 regional championship before an overall capacity crowd. Stiles was the state's all-time leading scorer when she graduated. She holds state tournament records for most points in a state tournament game (53) and points in an overall tournament (120). Her greatest high-school game came when she scored 53 points against constant double-teams.
"It was an amazing atmosphere," Cordell said. "It was our best basketball team at Little River playing against one of the great basketball players in Kansas history. It was one of the wildest games I've ever coached."
Amber Prose recalled Stiles as the best player she ever faced.
"No one ever successfully guarded Jackie Stiles. She was one of the best shooters to ever play the game. She was unbelievable," Prose said. "Playing Claflin was like a state championship."
Stiles said, "That was definitely the best game because of the caliber of competition. Little River made it so hard to get my points. I had two Proses face-guarding me and a third player was ready if I got around them."
Stiles believes Little River is one of the best teams that's ever played girls basketball in Kansas.
"It was so special to have so many great Class 1A teams to play together as the same time," Stiles said. "I'm biased, but it's never going to be the same. We helped gain respect for Kansas girls basketball. That era helped create other great players like Laurie Koehn and Nicole Ohlde. They saw the opportunities. I'm so happy to be part of that. It pushed me to be better. It was a special time for girls basketball."
Stiles said she gained great respect for how great Little River was during its four-year run.
"Wow, a 1A school that had talent and an incredible coach," Stiles said. "Nicky Ramage was a tremendous athlete. There was no stopping her. It gives you appreciation for what they did. I would've put my money on Little River against any team in the state."
Cordell achieved success in other sports. He played on state football title teams at Little River (1970, 1971) and later coached his alma mater (1981, 1996, 1999) to state football championships. Cordell was a member of two runner-up boys state basketball teams at Little River. Cordell led the Little River girls to 1979 indoor and outdoor track and field state championships.
In 29 years, he amassed a football record of 204-94 and was named the 8-Man Coach of the year in 1997. In 34 years as the girls head basketball coach, Cordell's teams made 14 trips to the state tournament and played in five championship games.
We are grateful to partner with WIN for KC, an organization with the mission to empower the lives of girls and women by advocating and promoting the lifetime value of sports through opportunities for participation and leadership development. WIN for KC and the KSHSAA believe involvement in activities and sports lay the ground work for supporting well-rounded citizens in our communities and beyond. For more on WIN for KC visit: https://www.sportkc.org/win-for-kc