(Editor's note: MTN Sports is re-publishing the original stories from the #MTTop25, which launched in 2017 to profile some of the great girls basketball players in Montana history. Every Friday, we will unveil ‘all-decade teams’ that include athletes not profiled in the #MTTop25 countdown. Thus, players like Jill Barta, who graduated from Fairfield in 2014, and Shannon (Cate) Schweyen, who starred at Billings Central and Montana before ultimately coaching the Lady Griz, will not be featured on their respective decade teams. Those players will be featured in the top 25, regardless of era. Our intention is not to revise history, so we're not going to change the order in which the players were featured. However, some articles will include updates to reflect the latest developments in a player's career. This story was originally published on July 28, 2017.)
No. 25 – Kayla Lambert, Brockton; No. 24 – Bobbi Knudsen, Malta; No. 23 – Kati Burrows, Bozeman; No. 22 – Lexie Nelson, Butte; No. 21 – Mandy Close, Bozeman; No. 20 – Sara Tuomi, Billings Senior; No. 19 – Peyton Ferris, Twin Bridges; No. 18 – Skyla Sisco, Malta; No. 17 – Cheri Bratt, Kalispell Flathead; No. 16 – Mandi Carver, Dillon; No. 15 – Andrea Lalum, Bozeman; No 14 – Greta Koss, Malta; No. 13 – Katie Edwards, Denton/Lewistown; No. 12 – Cass Bauer, Hysham; No. 11 – Lisa McLeod, Great Falls CMR, and Jeanne McNulty, Whitehall.
The #MTTop25, a list looking back at some of the best female basketball players ever to grace the high school hardwood in Montana, began profiling athletes with No. 25 and will later unveil the No. 1 girls basketball player in Montana history.
Obviously, more than 25 great athletes have started their basketball careers in Montana, so we’re featuring honorable mention ‘all-decade’ teams every Friday. Players featured in the #MTTop25 will not be featured here – thus, Jill Barta was not included on the 2010-present all-decade team and Shannon Cate is not on the 1980-89 all-decade team.
All-decade teams: 2010-present; 2000-09; 1990-99.
1980-89 all-decade team
Marti Kinzler, Fairview
Kinzler scored more than 2,000 points in her career at Fairview, helping the Warriors to the 1984 Class B state championship. She continued her career at Montana, where the Lady Griz advanced to four NCAA Tournaments during her career. Kinzler was an all-conference player and finished her career making 38.9 percent of her 3-point attempts, the sixth-best career mark in program history.
Ann Lake, Missoula Big Sky
Lake won two Class AA state championships at Missoula Big Sky and was named the state’s Gatorade player of the year for her 1988 season. She had a standout career at Montana, thrice earning all-conference honors and being named the Big Sky Conference MVP for the 1992-93 season. Lake finished her career with 1,358 points (ninth-most in UM history) and 886 rebounds (second-most in UM history).
Sharla Muralt, Missoula Sentinel
Muralt was a three-sport star at Missoula Sentinel and played in three Class AA state basketball championship games. She continued her career in Missoula, signing to play with the Lady Griz when they were members of the Mountain West Conference. She was a two-time all-conference selection, scoring 1,157 career points, tied for 20th in UM’s all-time record book.
Kathie Roos, Helena Capital
Roos was inducted into the Helena Sports Hall of Fame for a standout career at Capital High. She was a two-time all-state basketball player, as well as an elite track and field athlete. Roos continued her basketball career at Montana State and is in the program’s top 10 of various career categories. She totaled 198 career steals (seventh-most in MSU history) and scored 1,018 career points (20th-most in MSU history).
Anna Wherry, Butte
Wherry, who was a three-sport star at Butte, was a two-time all-state basketball player for the Bulldogs. She became a four-year starter at Montana State and became one of the program’s best guards, recording 415 career assists (fifth-most in MSU history) and 237 career steals (third-most in MSU history). Wherry also made 104 career 3-pointers, which currently ranks as the ninth-most in MSU history.
