The team featured sisters who would be inducted into the Maine Basketball Hall of Fame and a coach who was enshrined in multiple halls of fame. It included a 5-foot-11 post player who could run the floor like a guard, a starting forward who had been the team manager for two years and a left-handed forward who was its best shooter.
Head coach Paul Vachon said the 1989 Cony High School girls basketball team was on a mission to re-capture the gold ball after losing to Portland in the 1988 Class A state championship game.
The Rams from Augusta achieved their goal, going 22-0 and trimming Portland 59-57 in the championship game inside a packed Bangor Auditorium.
Cony, which allowed only 48.5 points per game in four postseason games, has been voted Maine’s Greatest Girls Basketball Team of All Time by BDN readers.
The ’89 Rams edged Cony’s 1995 team to claim the title, earning 77.1 percent of the vote in “The Maine Event.” Along the way, they beat out the 2015 Washburn, 2015 Lawrence High of Fairfield, 1996 Orono, 1996 Cony and 1992 Lawrence teams.
Paul Vachon said Cony’s 1989 team was extremely motivated.
“We were really, really quick and played great team defense,” Vachon said.
A smothering, full-court press was triggered by sisters Marcie Lane and Meaghan Lane, guards whose quickness and tenacity forced a ton of turnovers leading to easy transition baskets. They later played together at the University of New Hampshire.
“Nobody wanted to bring the ball up against them,” said the former Becky Demos, now Rebecca Singleton, the fleet forward who often benefited from those turnovers.
“Our defense created our offense,” she said.
“I don’t know if anyone has ever had two guards on the same team as good as the Lane sisters. They could handle the ball, they could shoot and they were unselfish,” Husson University coach Kissy Walker said. “They were tenacious and very competitive. Teams had trouble handling their quickness.”
Marcie Lane (Schulenberg) was a Bangor Daily News All-Maine Schoolgirl first-team selection in 1989, Demos-Singleton earned second-team recognition and Meaghan Lane (Kolyszko) was a third-team pick.
Lefty Lisa Morang (Leighton) was the team’s best pure shooter and she could also rebound.
The fifth starter was Christine Tschamler (Cummings), who moved to Maine her freshman year and soon became close friends with Marcie Lane. She started as the team manager and eventually decided to play, earning a JV spot as a junior before becoming a varsity starter her senior year.
“She was an incredible athlete. She played soccer,” Marcie said. “I enjoyed hanging out with her.”
Tschamler was primarily a rebounder and a defender, but she played a pivotal role in the state title game by hitting the first two shots.
“They left me wide open,” she said.
“We passed the ball around for two minutes but nobody would take a shot,” Marcie recalled. “Then Christine hit those two shots so they had to go out and guard her.”
“That opened things up for us,” Demos Singleton said.
Marcie called her sister “the best defender I have ever played against.”
Meaghan Lane Kolyszko, who was a junior in 1989 and the only non-senior starter, said it was a joy playing with her sister.
“She took the pressure off me. Whenever they would try to trap me, I would just get the ball to Marcie. She wanted the ball,” Meaghan said.
Meaghan praised Vachon for his innovative coaching tactics.
“Sometimes he would bring guys in to practice against us. And I had to guard [assistant coach] Maureen Burchill,” she said of the Maine Sports Hall of Famer who owns the University of Southern Maine scoring record with 2,357 career points.
“He wanted us to be battle-tested,” Meaghan said. “He was a great motivator. He had us ready for every game, regardless of the opponent. We all understood our roles.”
Marcie emphasized that they were a team.
“Everybody contributed,” she said.
Marcie said having a post player who could run the floor like Demos-Singleton was a real asset.
“I always felt I was pretty fast but Becky would get a rebound, outlet a pass to me and then she’d beat me down the floor,” Marcie said.
Vachon said it was a smart team that easily adapted to any new tactic. The 3-point shot had just been implemented the year before and his team also used that as a weapon.
The players were dedicated and spent healthy portions of their summers playing together.
Vachon said Cony received valuable minutes from the late Chrisanne Burns along with sophomores Holly Washburn and Lisa Samson and senior Donna Gilbert.
There was also a special chemistry, a close-knit bond between the players.
“We all got along well,” said Cummings, who noted that they still stay in touch through social media.
The Bangor Auditorium, where the Eastern Maine Class A tournament and some state games were played, was special to them.
“Whenever I think of the Bangor Auditorium, it always brings a smile to my face,” Marcie said.
“The fans were so close to the floor. I’ll never forget them chanting Marcie’s name,” Meaghan said.