HURLEY -- Linda (Morzenti) Manzanares was on the last Hurley girls team to win a regional title in 1980.

Her daughter, Hailey, and her teammates will try to break Hurley's drought in Saturday's WIAA Division 3 regional final against Ladysmith at Park Falls.

Linda would love to see her daughter's team be the squad to end the streak. Hailey agreed it "would be awesome" to break the drought.

"It was a once-in-a-lifetime experience," Linda said. "I can't believe nobody's gotten there since then, but it was quite a trip."

The 1980 team wasn't supposed to get to sectionals or state. Hurley had three losses, unlike the current team, which is 22-0.

"I don't think we were expected to get out of Mellen in the regional," Linda said.

But they played good team basketball and beat some good teams along the way after playing a tough Lumberjack Conference schedule, she said.

Hurley knocked off unbeaten South Shore 44-42 on a shot by Jean Reed with 2 seconds left in the regional final and gave Prentice its first loss in the sectional semifinal, 47-46, in double overtime.

The Midgettes beat Osceola 51-45 in the sectional final to earn the trip to Madison for a state semifinal. Eventual state champion Lena won that game, 52-43.

"That was a fun ride that year," said Greg Rigoni, who kept book that season for Hurley. "A lot of excitement in the community, a lot of excitement in the school, a tremendous following in Madison.

"That 1980 team set a precedent that is still being measured by a lot of kids today."

The win over Prentice was the most exciting game of them all, he said.

"We weren't expected to get past that game," Linda said. "Jean Reed hit the shot at the buzzer. Now there was a shot. She could hit from anywhere."

Rigoni said, "They won it with defense. They came up with timely steals, clutch rebounding."

Defense was Linda's specialty. It has been Hailey's, too, Linda said.

"I couldn't be prouder because she is the exact kind of ballplayer I was," Linda said. "I wasn't a big scorer; I wasn't out there because of my offense. I was out there because of my defense."

In the win over Osceola, Hurley coach Harold Torro went to a box-and-one defense to shut down Osceola's Renee Renspe, who scored 13 points in the first half.

"We put Linda Morzenti on Renspe," Torro told the Daily Globe for a March 10, 1980 story. "Linda's our top defender and she shut Renspe off."

Hailey has heard the stories from her mother.

"She said they always knew what the other person was going to do, they were always in sync with the other team," Hailey said. "They were just real good, she said."

They were so in sync with each other, Linda said she knew once she got a rebound, she could send it down court and either Dawn Swartz or Gina (Giancola) Movrich would be waiting there.

Linda said that this year's squad is quicker, and is "physically stronger" than they ever were.

"You know 'Bigger, Faster, Stronger' the program that (Rigoni) puts on is true," Linda said. "They are bigger, faster and stronger."

This year, it's important Hurley hits shots, communicates and plays good defense to win, Hailey said.

"I'm proud of Hailey and the whole team," Linda said. "I truly believe they can win this regional and, hopefully, sectional. That's what we're looking at, get Hurley back down there again."

Linda said Hailey scorer more than Linda did, usually two to six points a game. Linda is proud to see that her daughter worked into a starting the spot the last half of this season.

If Hailey doesn't move her feet, Linda has Hailey's father, Joe, yell from the stands.

"And then she starts moving again," Linda said.

Perhaps right into the sectional tournament.