Prep Flashback: Prolific scorer put Foster basketball on map

Athlete: Sherri Johnson, Foster, Class of 1987

Sport: Basketball, track and field

High-school rewind: Johnson was a prolific scorer who led the Bulldogs to back-to-back Class 1A state championships as a junior and senior, once scoring 69 points in a game. A blend of size (6 feet) and speed (state sprint champion), Johnson averaged 32.8 points, 12.5 rebounds at state as a senior. Her 50-point outburst in the 1987 quarterfinals remains a 1A tournament record.

After high school: Chris Gobrecht recruited Johnson to Washington, where she played just one season after falling behind academically. She later transferred to Highline Community College and played one season.

After athletics: Johnson had a daughter, Tameka, in 1990. She played recreational league basketball for a few years, but never returned to collegiate action.

Personal: Now 36, Johnson has three daughters — Tameka, 15; Kiev, 5; and Sania, 2 — and son Jacob, 1. She lives in Allentown, Ga., and is engaged.

Fast forward: High-school basketball seems like a lifetime ago for this busy mother of four, who also works as an operation specialist at a local bank.

But she has many fond memories of her playing days.

"I loved those high-school years," she said.

Johnson admits she wasn't academically prepared to handle classes at Washington.

"It was a different experience going from little Foster to big UW," she said.

Johnson attended Highline CC intending to improve her grades and played one season, but then had her first child and did not return to school.

She returned to Tukwila last year to attend the retirement party honoring former Foster coach Tim Parker.

"It was really nice seeing everyone," Johnson said.

Sandy Ringer