Laura Ogles burst onto the regional girls basketball scene as a sophomore during the 1980-81 season. A year earlier, Ogles watched as AC-S enjoyed a 29-3 season---a season which motivated Ogles to help continue the winning tradition. Her career begin with a bang---35 points in the season-opening win and hitting a 60-foot shot to help AC-S to a December win in 1980. From there the sky was the limit. The Lady Patriots went 20-6 that year and appeared poised for a regional title run the following year. Ogles earned All-District and All-Region honors and was team’s MVP as a sophomore. She was also Honorable Mention All-State.
Life took a tragic turn for Ogles the following November when her parents were killed in a car accident over Thanksgiving weekend. The accident seriously injured Ogles but would not deter her from pursuing her goals. After missing two months recurring, Ogles was back in the line-up by February earning All-Regional Tournament honors as AC-S finished as regional runner-up with a 20-10 record.
Ogles’ senior year at AC-S was nothing short of amazing. She led the Lady Patriots to a 28-3 record, the championship of the 16-team Owensboro Lady Classic, a number-one ranking in the state and a national ranking of 16th. Her individual numbers were impressive---to say the least.
Ogles finished the season shooting 74.4% from the floor---aided by a stretch in which she hit 44 of the 45 shots she attempted. She led AC-S in scoring, field goal percentage, rebounds, and free throw percentage. She was named to the All-District, All-South Central Kentucky and All-Region teams as well as be honored as a first team All-State player by the AP, UPI< Courier-Journal and Herald-Leader—making her AC-S’s first consensus All-State player. Ogles also was an All-Star for Kentucky in their annual series with Indiana.
In 1983, Ogles signed to play at Western Kentucky University----making her the first Lady Patriot to sign to play D-I college basketball. Her career on the Hill was outstanding. By the time she graduated in 1987, Ogles had played in 134 games out of a possible 135 games. Her 134 games played remains the most by any Lady Topper in the history of the program. Ogles earned Most Improved player award as a freshman for WKU and is second on the all-time WKU record for career free throw percentage. Her WKU teams went 105-30.
During her sophomore and junior seasons, Ogles helped lead the Lady Toppers to back-to-back appearances in the NCAA Women’s Final Four. Ogles—a four time letter winner at WKU---finished her time at WKU as a co-captain in 1987 but the honors continued. In 2007, Ogles was named to the 15 member WKU women’sAll-Time Centennial Team.