Bonham, Texas -- When you look back at the final scores of the 1976 Bonhi Warriorettes basketball team in district competition, they didn't just beat teams -- it looks like they ran 'em off the court.

 

In an era when Bonham's district consisted of Richardson-Berkner, South Grand Prairie, Gainesville and Seagoville, the game was over as soon as the Warriorettes' bus pulled up.

According to the 1976 BHS Coushatta, Bonham beat Gainesville 85-19, they beat South Grand Prairie 75-23, and I'm not sure they even let Seagoville get off their bus, winning 95-5.

The only district team that could give the Warriorettes a game was Richardson-Berkner, but Bonham won that district matchup handily, 57-35.

And the Bonham JV girls swept district as well. The girls basketball program was on fire and the person who lit the match was head coach Mike Reece.

Mike Reece addresses the team he led to a district title in 1976.

Winning didn't come easy for this team. Bonham was a relative newcomer to girls basketball at the varsity level and hadn't even established a junior high girls basketball program to teach fundamentals. To make matters worse, the young and inexperienced varsity Warriorettes found themselves in a district with the Duncanville Pantherettes, one of the premier girls basketball programs in the nation.

"For their pre-game warm-up, they would have girls do cartwheels and come down into the splits while dribbling the basketball," recalled Joan Leslie Jackson, a co-captain of the '76 Warriorettes. "Others would spin the ball on one finger and then pass it on to the next girl to do her fancy trick. It was like watching the Harlem Globetrotters!"

The Warriorettes also begin watching the UIL State Championship Tournament every year, thanks to Reece. At a time when girls sports received very little support, he found ways to motivate a team that was beginning to gel. One thing that helped was that schools in Windom, Gober and Bailey consolidated, and Bonham's athletic program was buoyed by student-athletes who were well-schooled in basketball.

By the time the 1975-76 season rolled around, Reece set three goals for his team: win an early-season tournament, average 50 points a game and win district. The Warriorettes accomplished all three goals.

On Saturday, April 25, 2026, the '76 Warriorettes were back in Bonham to celebrate the 50th anniversary of a team that dominated district competition.

(L-R) Kerri Reece Sepcic - mascot, Diane Vest Sanders, Vickie Davis Coplin (co-captain), Kathy Jones Thomas, Coach Mike Reece, Joan Leslie Jackson (co-captain), Janet Leslie Reynolds, Sherry Lockaby Edwards and Kathy Towery. Also attending but not included in the photo was Pat Reece, Coach Reece’s wife.

There was talk about basketball, but a lot can happen in 50 years. Conversations on this day centered around families, friends, careers and lives well lived. But it was still obvious that the discipline and dedication that Coach Reese instilled in this team continued to guide them long after the cheering had faded away.

Janet Leslie takes her turn to tell about the highlights of the past 50 years.

And smack dab in the middle of their table was a district championship trophy, perhaps a little tarnished with age, but still a powerful reminder of what a coach with a vision and a team with heart can accomplish when they truly commit to a goal.

The 1976 District Champion Bonhi Warriorettes: Melba Baker, Michelle Conley, Vickie Davis (co-captain), Kathy Jones, Janet Leslie, Joan Leslie (co-captain), Sherry Lockaby, Judy Roberts, Lorrie Spivey, Karen Swindell, Cathy Towery, Becky Vest and Diane Vest