Joanie (Peetz) Menchhofer was a 1978 graduate of Jac-Cen-Del High School

before going on to earn an Associate's Degree in Agriculture from Purdue

University. But prior to life as a Boilermaker, Joan certainly made

history in the state of Indiana as a Lady Eagle.

 

Joanie played during the infancy of girls basketball, when organized play

was new to Indiana high schools and she was part of the first teams to

go through state tournaments sanctioned by the IHSAA. The first two

years of tournament play in 1976 and 1977 saw instant success for

Jac-Cen-Del. The Lady Eagles made back-to-back appearances in semi-state

championship games, dropping both title affairs to another perennial

power in Bloomfield. A year later, those early semi-state woes would be

put to rest. During the 1977-78 season, the Eagles went 14-0, often

defeating opponents by an average of 45 points en route to dominating

their way through the state tournament and making the program's

first-ever appearance in the state finals. On the morning of the State

finals, the Lady Eagles defeated Mooresville 50-42. That same night, the

Eagles would unfortunately be defeated by Warsaw 75-60. In what was only

the third State finals game, Joan scored 9 points, had 1 rebound and 3

assists.

 

Menchhofer was known for her tenacity on the court and could often be

found diving for the basketball, a job that made her an instant success

and a talent that allowed her to gel well with a dynamite lineup. She

proudly earned the "Floor Mat Award" for her senior season. She was

named to the ORVC All-Conference team alongside her teammates Rita

Foster, Kim Hermesch, and Chris Kappes. The Lady Eagles dominated the

court and finished three years of Varsity play with a 62-3 record.

 

Menchhofer had a long career at the Laughery Valley Ag Farm Store. 

She has 2 daughters of whom she was very proud. Erin is an agriculture Educator at South Ripley High School and Jenna is a Custom Apparel Specialist at Cobra-Puma Golf in San Diego, California.

 

Joanie passed away in February 2018 after a short battle with cancer. She

would have been honored to join her Lady Eagle teammates in the Ripley

County Basketball Hall of Fame but she and her fellow Jac-Cen-Del squad

can now fly high together as a permanent part of county history.