Oregon Hoops History

Historical Quiz

2012-02-07T09:18:00.000-08:00

Think you know Oregon small school history? Take this short quiz and find out. You can cheat if you want, but what fun is that?

This quiz uses 1919 as the start date for Oregon high school basketball. State tournament is defined as the final site, i.e. Baker City. Substate or district playoffs do not count in the context of this quiz. This quiz also is about the smallest classification in Oregon. All of the teams used in this quiz were in the smallest classification at one point, though some are not today.

Correct answers are worth 1 point, incorrect answers are worth 0. After you are done with the quiz, you will be taken to a results page. You can click on the "Email Me" link to send in your score or use it to ask a question or learn more about the questions.

Good Luck!

More on Ward Collinsworth

2011-10-27T22:36:00.000-07:00

In 1953, Echo dominated the entire state enroute to a 30-0 season and a state championship. LeWard Collinsworth was a vital member of that team, the school and the entire community. We named him to our 3rd Team All-Decade Team for the 1950's.

Not long ago, I connected with Dale Fife, board member of the Echo Historical Museum. who provided supplemental information on Collinsworth and the teams he led in the early 1950's.

Fife writes, "Ward was born in Emmett, Idaho and moved to Echo about 1943. He excelled in basketball, football and baseball."

Indeed, during Echo's magical run during the 1952-53 school year, Collinsworth helped lead the Cougars to a Cayuse League football championship and a spot in an Eastern Oregon playoff game against Wallowa. the winner earned a spot in the state quarterfinals. Wallowa prevailed 19-12 enroute to the state championship game.

Collinsworth was named to the All-Cayuse League and earned a spot in the East/West Shrine Game as a halfback.

When basketball started, the Cougars wanted to build on a 5th place finish in 1952. Echo dominated everyone it encountered, piling up a 68 points per game average while giving up just 37 to its opponents. Collinsworth was one of four players to average double figures during the season with a 13.2 average.

In the 8-game state championship drive, Collingsworth increased his average to 17 per game and finished on the First-Team All-State Tournament team.

That summer, Collinsworth was named MVP of the East/West Shrine Game, witnessed by nearly 8,000 people in Pendleton. He returned a punt 40 yards for the first touchdown of the game and the East prevailed 19-0.

According to Fife, "after graduating from Echo, Ward went to Washington State on a football scholarship. He transferred to Oregon Institute of Technology where he played basketball and ran track. He joined the military and played on the Army's basketball team.

"He had four kids and raised a couple of foster children as a journeyman electrician."

Collinsworth passed away in 2010 and left a lasting legacy in Echo as an athlete and leader.

In the words of Fife, "Since 1953, Echo has fielded many teams and had a few that excelled, but none have ever matched what this group of boys did that magical year of 1953. The team, the school, and the people of the town became one and the focus was on the team, the boys, the school and victory!"

1950's All-Decade Third Team

2011-09-11T20:26:00.000-07:00

For the first time since we started the All-Decade team project, we have added a third team. The 1950’s was a decade dominated by centers. The early part of the decade featured the narrow key which allowed centers to park themselves three feet from the rim. Many of the highest scoring players in Oregon’s history played during this era, including the third team center.

1950’s 3rd Team All-Decade

The 1950's 3rd team has had many different looks as the research has continued and more has been learned about the players of this era. So much has changed that two players listed on the third team were originally slotted for the 1st team. The selection of these teams isn't scientific or complex. Only a few methods are used including state tournament appearances, all state tournament teams, and some scoring statistics available from the era.

Occasionally, someone will email with a player to consider. They'll supply information and anecdotes, stats and awards and make a compelling case for a player to earn mention on one of the teams. Having never seen any of these young men play, there is no way a true representation can be made. I hope you'll enjoy learning about this era and certainly, if there are others worth mentioning, please do email them to hoops1a@hotmail.com.

Forwards

Roger Dokken – Malin – Dokken and teammate Norm Oliva were linchpins to Malin’s run to the state tournament in 1955 and 1956. Malin made consecutive state championship game appearances and finished the two-year run with a 51-6 over record. As a junior in 1955, Dokken was a consistent scorer and defender for the Mustangs of Klamath County. He scored 10 points in Malin’s opening round state tournament win over Enterprise and matched the total the next night against Powers in the semifinals. Malin’s 53-48 win over the Cruisers pushed the Mustangs into the championship game against Knappa in their first ever state tourney appearance. In the final, Knappa prevailed when Logger reserve Tim Bagley “connected on a rebound shot with three seconds left” to give Knappa the 46-45 victory. At the conclusion of the tournament, Dokken, despite scoring less than 10 points per game, was named to the All-Tournament Second team. The Mustangs returned to the state tournament in 1956 with four of their five starters returning including Dokken, center Norm Oliva and guard Ray Johnson. Oliva and Johnson were both All-Tournament 1st Team members in 1955. Sporting a 25-1 record, the Mustangs were favored to win the title but Knappa and Bob Hunt were back in the mix as was a strong Elkton team. Dokken tallied seven points in the opener, a 77-64 win over Sisters while Johnson and Oliva each scored 25. In a semifinal win over Elgin, Dokken had his best scoring game of his two-year run at the tournament with 22 points leading Malin to the 69-67 win and into their second-straight state championship game. Against Echo in the championship, Malin pulled away for an 80-57 win with Dokken scoring 12 and was one of five Malin players in double figures. At the conclusion of the tournament, Dokken was named All-Tournament 1st Team despite once again not finishing in the top-10 in scoring at the tournament. The All-Tournament team was selected regardless of position so Dokken was voted one of the top-5 players in the entire tournament. With no rebounding or assist statistics, we can only assume that Dokken’s all-around game shined throughout the tournament. Additionally, Malin became just the second team in “B” state tournament history to win the football state championship and basketball state championship in the same season. Pleasant Hill first accomplished the feat in 1947.

Ward Collingsworth – Echo – Collingsworth helped lead Echo to back-to-back state tournaments in 1952 and 1953. The 1953 Cougar team won the state championship in dominating fashion, cruising to a 30-0 record and winning each game at the state tournament by double figures. Collingsworth and Echo entered the 1952 tournament at 25-1 and faced Sublimity, champions of District 2 in round 1. Echo fell 61-58 despite 17 from Collingsworth. He chipped in 17 the following day in a 73-39 drubbing of Culver and then 16 in the consolation finals. Echo took home the consolation trophy after a 50-41 win over Wallowa. Collingsworth’s 50 points made him the second leading scorer in the tournament behind Knappa’s Max Kelly. He was named All-Tournament 2nd Team after the tournament. With the entire team returning for the 1953 campaign, Echo was primed for a strong season. Echo ran roughshod over their competition and fought off a pesky Mt. Vernon squad in the District 7 playoff series to enter the state tournament 27-0. It appeared everyone else was playing for second. In the opener against Drain, Collingsworth coolly chipped in 16 to lead four Echo players in double figures to advance to the semifinals against Chiloquin, who was 22-2 on the season. Collingsworth and Echo jumped to a seven point lead after the first quarter and led by 10 at the half. The lead grew to 20 and Echo pulled out the win to advance to the championship. Collingsworth again led the scoring, this time putting up 19 for his highest scoring total in five games at the state tournament. In the finals, the Cougars overwhelmed Elgin in the first half, racing to a 30-16 lead. The lead maintained in double-figures before a 22-11 fourth quarter provided the final margin, a 67-42 victory for Echo. Collingsworth again led the Cougars in scoring, this time with 21 to lead four players in double figures. Collingsworth led the tournament in scoring and was named All-Tournament 1st Team after the tournament. The victory capped a brilliant two-year run for Echo. The five players and coach George DeLap finished their two-year run with a record of 57-2 and a state championship. Ward Colllingsworth capped off a brilliant senior season by leading the East Shrine Football team to a victory in the annual East/West Shrine Game that summer. He returned a punt 40 yards for a touchdown and was named Most Outstanding Player of the game.

Center

Joe Mann – Irrigon – Mann never made a state tournament and was the definition of a one-man team. Mann stood 6-7 and he nearly carried his Irrigon team to the state tournament. His senior year, 1956, was the final year of the narrow key and Mann took full advantage of his height. Mann posted one of the all-time great seasons in 1955-1956 with 719 points in 21 games, good for 34 points per game average on the year. He twice scored 53 points in one game, once as a junior and once as a senior. The first 53 point game came in a 61-59 loss to Ione and only one other player from Irrigon scored in the game when Dale Shingledecker put in six points in the loss. Later that year, Irrigon advanced to the District 7 championship series vs. Prairie City. Mann scored 43 points in Irrigon’s game 1 victory. Prairie City went on to win the final two games and earn the state berth. Mann finished his high school career with 1,859 points which ranks him 29th all-time in Oregon High School history. (Editor’s note: I have been in contact with Joe Mann for an interview and I hope to speak with him soon.)

Guards

Norm Evans – Stanfield – A 6-0 guard, Norm Evans paced Stanfield into the 1958 tournament. The home town Tigers, competing just 25 miles from home at the tournament in Pendleton entered the tournament with a 24-1 record and #3 ranking. They also captured the football state championship in the fall and Evans played a key role in that title as well. Evans scored 18 in Stanfield’s 52-42 opening victory over Talent, despite playing the entire second half with four fouls. In the semifinals Stanfield met Jefferson. Evans, in front of a large rooting section, poured in 28 points, including several 30-footers according to the dispatches from Pendleton. The Tigers were unable to overcome Alan Nyman and Phil Hochspeier, who combined for 35 of Jefferson’s 54 points. In the third place game Evans led connected on shots “from outside, from inside, and from the free-throw line in preserving, time and again, a slender Stanfield lead” enroute to 26 points in a 58-55 win over Yoncalla. Evans finished the tournament as the leading scorer with a 24.0 points per game average. He was voted All Tournament 1st team at the conclusion of the tournament.

Phil Estergaard – Harrisburg – Known as the “one-man stall” by teammate and fellow backcourt mate Merlin “Red” Crabb, Phil Estergaard was light years ahead of his peers with the ball in his hands. Crabb says Estergaard was one of the first players in the area, small school or large, who could dribble the ball behind his back. Crabb says that if the Eagles were in the lead late in the game, they would simply give the ball to Estergaard, spread out and watch as he dribbled out the clock. Led by Estergaard, center Terry Woods and Crabb, Harrisburg was a force in the 1950’s. They entered the 1954 state tournament at 19-2, fresh off a victory over a strong Coburg team in the District 3 championship game. Estergaard was named to the all-district team, but seemed to take more of a backseat role in terms of scoring on the team. Harrisburg at 19-2, Talent at 20-1 and Ione at 23-0 figured to be the favorites in the 1954 tourney but Knappa, led by freshman Bob Hunt was a known commodity and preparing to hit their stride at the state level. Powers at 22-3 rounded a highly competitive field. The Eagles opened against Heppner and quickly showed why they were a favorite. The big three of Estergaard, Crabb and Woods scored 50 of Harrisburg’s 69 points in the dominant 69-50 win. Estergaard chipped in 11 in the victory. Estergaard increased his totals in the semifinals, a 42-40 win over Powers. One of only two players in double figures, Estergaard helped lead the Eagles to the state title game against Ione and high scoring guard Duane Baker. Harrisburg countered Ione’s one-man scoring with five players in double figures, led by Estergaard who led Harrisburg with 19. The Eagles prevailed over Ione 69-63 despite 24 from Baker. After the tournament, Estergaard earned All-Tournament 2nd Team honors. And, with the “Big Three” back in ’55, Harrisburg would again be a force. After spending a summer with his friends Red Crabb and Terry Woods riding bikes to gyms throughout the area, Estergaard and the rest of the Eagles stormed through the 1955 season and finished the regular season at 23-4 and District 3 champions. Estergaard was second on the team in scoring with 12.2 points per game during the season, but once the state tournament hit, he once again took his game to another level. Knappa (23-2), Malin (21-4) and Heppner (21-2) figured to be the other favorites in the 1955 tournament. Harrisburg put the rest of the tournament on notice with a dominating performance in the tournament opener. The Eagles poured in 81 points and swamped Prairie City 81-40. All 10 players scored for Harrisburg in the rout, Estergaard chipping in 12 in the easy win. The victory set up a monumental showdown in the semifinals with Knappa and Bob “Pudgy” Hunt. The Loggers needed all 24 of Hunt’s points in the 56-51 overtime victory. Harrisburg led late in the game but a late turnover proved costly which allowed Knappa to tie the score and force overtime. In OT, Knappa surged ahead and played a stall game and won the right to enter the championship. Estergaard led the Eagles with 16 in the losing effort. Wanting to finish their careers on a high note, Estergaard, Woods, Crabb and the rest of the Eagles jumped all over Powers in the 3rd place game and coasted to another easy victory. Harrisburg bolted to a 32-13 halftime lead and cruised to a 70-40 win to capture third place. After the tournament, Estgaard earned All-Tournament 1st Team honors and finished as the 4th leading scorer in the tournament at 14 points per game. Estergaard would later go on to “make more money than all of us” as a sheep farmer according to Crabb who also reports that the pair still live near each other and talk frequently.

To read about other All-Decade Teams:

1920's All Decade Team
1930's All Decade Team - Honorable Mention - 2nd Team - 1st Team
1940's All Decade Team - Honorable Mention - 2nd Team - 1st Team
1950's All Decade Team - Honorable Mention

1950's Honorable Mention Team Announced

2011-07-06T07:34:00.000-07:00

Small school basketball was thriving in the 1950’s. The 1940’s had wrought many changes to Oregon high school basketball including the introduction of the first Class “B” tournament. Nationally, the turbulent and volatile 1940’s had given way to the prosperous 1950’s where the United States enjoyed unprecedented power worldwide.

The country could finally return to a sense of normalcy that seemingly had been lost since the turn of the century. WWI gave way to the Depression which gave way to WWII. When the US had pulled through, the country was a force.
The decades before had been turbulent for small schools in Oregon. The wars and depressions had decimated many rural communities. Consequently, schools consolidated with neighboring schools and many towns lost their identities. Many towns disappeared all together.

Many of the top teams of the 1950’s remain in existence today. Powers, Knappa, Elkton and Echo are all surviving. Teams like Knappa, Harrisburg, Jefferson and Grant Union now compete in higher classifications. Others like Malin and Star of the Sea have closed or consolidated.

Four of Oregon’s top-100 scorers competed during this decade and all four found places on the all-decade team. Three of the four were centers and the fourth, a smooth forward, hailed from a coastal private school in the basketball hotbed of Astoria.

1950’s Honorable Mention All-Decade Team

The Honorable Mention team from the 1950’s lists five centers among the honorees. With no three-point shot and the narrow key it made sense for teams to get the ball into their centers for close shots. Being able to park a tall player right under the basket was a distinct advantage for teams who had a center with any height. The honorable mention team is littered with high scoring centers.

Norm Oliva – Malin – Oliva teamed with Ray Johnson and Roger Dokken to lead Malin to back-to-back championship game appearances in 1955 and 1956. The 6-3 Oliva battled the legendary Bob “Pudgy” Hunt from the center position in the championship game of the 1955 tournament and put up 13 points in a one-point loss to the Loggers. Oliva finished the tournament with 45 points and All-Tournament 1st Team honors and was the 3rd leading scorer in the tournament. In ’56, Malin returned the core of Dokken, Johnson and Oliva and reeled off three-straight wins to capture their only state championship. Oliva was dominant, scoring 25 in the opener against Sisters and 21 in the 80-67 championship game win over Echo. Oliva was selected All-Tournament 1st Team after averaging 20 points per game in Malin’s championship run.

Alva Conlee – Grant Union – Conlee makes the list after leading the 1951 state tournament in scoring. Grant Union lost their opener 45-41 to Wallowa as Conlee was held to just six points. But in the next two games, Conlee tallied 35 and 22 to help Grant Union to the 1951 Consolation trophy and a fourth place finish. Conlee was selected to the All Tournament 2nd team after the tournament, despite leading the tourney in scoring.

Max Kelly – Knappa – Max Kelly manned the center position for Knappa in 1951 and 1952. Kelly was the linchpin for the 1952 team that rebounded from a difficult 1951 tournament when the Loggers were eliminated in two straight games. Kelly starred for the Loggers in 1952 when Knappa played their way to a state championship game berth against Rogue River. Kelly was the leading scorer in the tournament and voted All-Tournament 1st Team afterwards. The Loggers lost 61-50 to a strong Rogue River team but Kelly did his part with 20 points in the loss. The night before the senior tallied 23 against St. Boniface in a 49-40 win. Kelly finished with 1,044 points in his career at Knappa.

Phil Hochspeier – Jefferson – Hochspeier, a 6-3 “string bean type” according to the Oregonian appeared in the three-straight tournaments for the Lions. As a sophomore in 1956, Hochspeier tallied 30 points in Jefferson’s two losses, including 22 off the bench in a consolation loss to Sisters 72-64. As a junior, Hochspeier and Jefferson entered the tournament with a 21-2 record. The Lions opened the tournament with a 44-34 win over Malin with Hochspeier tallying 12 points. Next Jefferson met the Elks of Elkton, who were 23-0 and on the way to the state title. The first half was close, but Elkton pulled away in the second half. Hochspeier finished the game with 16 but Elkton prevailed 63-43. In the third place game Jefferson defeated Sisters 57-44 behind Hochspeier’s 26 points and 14 rebounds. Hochspeier was named All-Tournament 1st Team after the tournament. As a senior in 1958, Jefferson rolled into Pendleton with a 21-3 record. Led by Hochspeier’s 18 points per game, Jefferson and coach Oral Lee figured to be a team to beat. The ’58 tournament was a competitive field, with three unbeaten teams in Enterprise, Talent and Sisters. Stanfield had the hometown crowd in their favor while Star of the Sea had do-everything forward Greg Moore. Jefferson won their first two games behind Hochspeier and guard Alan Nyman. Hochspeier hit for 26 in the opening round win over Sisters and followed it up with 14 in a low-scoring semifinal win against Evans and Stanfield. In the championship, Moore and Star of the Sea bottled up Hochspeier and held him to just one point. Certainly it was a bitter pill after eight games at the state tournament for Hochspeier, who would finish his state tournament career with 125 points and a 13 points per game average.

Terry Woods – Harrisburg – Woods teamed with a pair of stellar guards for a brilliant two-year run for the Eagles of Harrisburg. As an All-Tournament 2nd team selection in 1954, Woods finished with over 40 points in Harrisburg’s three state tournament games, including 13 against Ione in a 69-62 championship game victory over Ione in 1954. Woods returned for his senior year in 1955 with Harrisburg a favorite to repeat as champion. The Eagles entered the ’55 state tournament at Willamette University with a 23-4 record. They ripped Prairie City 81-40 in their opener, with Woods pouring in 24 points. Harrisburg next met Knappa in the semifinals, led by their high scoring center Bob Hunt. Woods did his part by scoring 14 points but ultimately Knappa prevailed 56-51 in overtime with Hunt scoring 25 to lead the way. Harrisburg took out the frustrations of being eliminated from state championship consideration the next afternoon against Powers, hammering the Cruisers 70-40. Woods shined in the contest with 24 points. Woods finished the 1955 tournament as the 2nd leading scorer with a 20.7 points per game average and an All-Tournament 1st Team Selection.

Jim Boulter – Rogue River – As a sophomore reserve in 1950, Boulter played in each of Rogue River’s three games at the state tournament as the Chieftains cruised to a state title. Rogue River came into the tournament 18-2 and defeated Condon (52-20), Drain (41-33) and finally Alsea in the championship 38-34. After losing out to Phoenix in the 1951 District 5 Tournament, Rogue River returned to the state tournament in 1952. The Chieftains were a balanced scoring team with three players on the All-State tournament team but it was the 6-4 Boulter who led the charge. He scored 11 in the opener against Powers, a 43-42 win and followed up with nine against Mapleton in the semifinals. The Chieftains held off the Sailors 46-42 to advance to their second state championship game in three years. Against Max Kelly and Knappa, Boulter did the bulk of his scoring as he poured in 23 points to help lead the Chieftains to a 61-50 victory and the state championship. Boulter finished the tournament with a 14.3 points per game average good for 5th in the tournament. He was named All-Tournament 1st Team at the conclusion of the tournament.

Ritchie Perkins – Knappa – Guard Ritchie Perkins was at the start when Knappa rose to dominate the 1950’s. The Loggers made seven straight trips to the state tournament in the 1950’s and Perkins was there for the first three. A reserve as a sophomore in 1951, Perkins scored six points in Knappa’s two losses at the tournament. As a junior, Perkins started at guard and teamed with Max Kelly to lead Knappa to their first state title game appearance. Perkins scored 19 points in the Loggers 73-62 win over Culver in the opener. Kelly dominated the semifinal game with St. Boniface with 23 points while Perkins scored three points and provided defense and ballhandling. With the state championship on the line against Rogue River, Perkins responded with 17 points but it wasn’t enough as the Chieftains, led by Boulter’s 23 points, outscored Knappa 61-50. Perkins was named All-Tournament 2nd Team after the tournament. Now a senior in 1952, Perkins led an inexperienced group back to the state tournament. Perkins led the Loggers in scoring for the tournament with a 14.6 points per game average. He was named All-Tournament 1st team at the conclusion of the tournament as Knappa finished with sixth place trophy.

Duane Baker – Ione – A high scoring guard from Ione, Baker was Ione’s leading scorer in the 1954 tournament. Baker led Ione into the state championship while averaging 19.7 points per game. No other Ione player averaged double figures during the state tournament. Ione entered the tournament unbeaten at 23-0 and cruised past Santiam in their opener 65-50. Baker scored 26 in the contest. In a low-scoring semifinal against Elgin, Baker had just nine points but the Cardinals prevailed 48-45. The victory set up a Harrisburg and Ione final. Baker carried Ione with 24 points but Harrisburg, led by Terry Woods, Phil Estergaard and DeWayne Crabb, had too much depth and claimed the state title with a 69-62 win. After the tournament, Baker was named All-Tournament 1st Team and was the second leading scorer n the tournament.

Others:

Larry Pryse – Prairie City – Pryse led the Panthers to the Consolation Trophy in 1950, including a tournament high 26 points against Monmouth in the consolation finals. Named to the 1950 All-Tournament team.

Earl Winnebarger – Prairie City – Winnebarger led the 1950 state tournament in scoring from his forward slot for the Panthers. Finished the 1950 state tournament as the leading scorer with 54 points including 20 in the consolation victory over Monmouth. Named to the 1950 All-Tournament team.

Ronald Moore – Elkton – Moore scored 50 points in the first two games of the 1956 state tournament for the Elks, including 30 in Elkton’s 84-67 win over Brownsville in the consolation game. Quieted against Sisters in the consolation final, Moore scored eight points as the Elks captured 4th place.

Evor Kumpula – Knappa – A 4-year state tournament participant for Knappa, Kumpula averaged double figures as a freshman in 1951. He only appeared in Knappa’s opener vs. Culver in 1952 as a sophomore before earning back playing time as a junior. As a junior in 1953, Kumpula helped lead Knappa into the consolation finals vs. Keppner. By his senior year, Kumpula was among the best players in the state and capped a solid senior year with All-Tournament 1st Team honors at the 1954 tournament. He put up 22 in an opening round loss to Powers and helped the Loggers capture the fourth place trophy with 21 points in a 53-49 win over Talent in the consolation finals.

Wallowa Wins Eastern Oregon Championship

2011-06-01T21:42:00.000-07:00

Those who follow small school basketball can recite the names. The programs that have been around for decades. Generations.

Names like Elkton and Powers come quickly to mind. Others might recall Knappa’s dominance in the 50’s and 60’s and Mohawk more recently.

Wallowa high school, perhaps somewhat anonymously, has also etched its name as one of the top programs in state history. They currently rank tied for third all-time in history with 17 trips to the state tournament, trailing only Powers (24) and Elkton (20).
Unlike the other more traditional powerhouses, Wallowa earned trips to the state tournament during the single-class tournament format of the 1920’s where rivals included larger schools in nearby cities. Powers, Elkton, Knappa and Mohawk all benefitted from some form of classification. Not so with Wallowa. Three of their 17 trips to the state tournament came during the David vs. Goliath era of the 1920’s.

This meant Wallowa had to get through Baker, La Grande, Ontario and Union at the district tournament just to advance.

It was 86 years ago when Wallowa first earned a trip to the state tournament when they captured the 1925 Eastern Oregon championship by defeating Joseph 10-8 in the district finals at Union.

The future of Wallowa basketball was in grade school that year watching games and counting down the time until they could join the high school team and lead them back to Salem.

Led by 8th graders Glen Crawford and Vandon Sarrett and 7th grader Roy Johnston, the Wallowa grade school team of 1925 won most of their games against eastern Oregon foes, including a decisive win over arch-rivals and Eastern Oregon powerhouse Joseph. In their 34-6 win over Joseph in Wallowa, Sarrett and Crawford combined for 29 points.

The following year Crawford became the starting center for the high school team. Sarrett came off the bench early in the season but was inserted into the starting line-up later in the year. The freshman even drained a game-winning shot against La Grande late in the season. Crawford had immediate success at center playing alongside high scoring forward Bill Henderson. The Savages, as they were still known at this point according to the Wallowa Sun, were inconsistent throughout the season but still managed to enter the district tournament.

By then Vandon Sarrett and Glen Crawford were anchored in the starting lineup and established as future stars of Wallowa basketball. The two freshmen helped lead Wallowa into the semifinals of the district tournament before losing at the hands of Joseph.

For the 1927 season, Wallowa adopted the now familiar nickname, the “Cougars” according to the Waloha, the Wallowa high school yearbook. “Realizing the need for a fighting name for their teams, the Wallowa High school has adopted the name “Cougar. This seems to be a very good name for their teams as they send out some very fighting teams.” [1]

The 1927 Cougar team had just one senior and a host of young players including sophomores Crawford and Sarrett and Ray Johnston, a star in the making as a freshman. Rarely did freshmen arrive in high school and immediately earn playing time on the high school team, but Wallowa had three in the span of two years in Crawford, Sarrett and Johnston. Wallowa won 7 of their final nine games and entered the 1927 District 1 tournament as a team on the rise.

They drew La Grande in the first round of the tournament at Union High School and avenged two regular season losses to the Union County seaters with a 23-17 win. They then knocked off the home team Union in the second round to earn a date with Joseph in the quarterfinals.

Joseph was the class of Eastern Oregon basketball. They won District 1 championships in 1922 and 1923 and had finished second each of the past three years. Despite an enrollment roughly half the size of Wallowa, Joseph was the king of Eastern Oregon basketball.

For the second straight season Joseph defeated Wallowa in the district tournament. Fortunately for the Cougars, the District 1 tournament was a double elimination tournament and a single loss didn’t eliminate a team from the championship. Wallowa was still alive to capture the crown but had no margin for error.

La Grande, after the first round loss to Wallowa had cruised through the consolation bracket with easy wins over North Powder (39-14) and Prairie City (51-25) to reach the semifinals against the Cougars. La Grande pulled away for a 40-26 victory over Wallowa and went on to defeat Baker and Joseph to capture their first District 1 crown. But as the Wallowa high school yearbook noted in its end of the season wrap up, “more can be expected from this team next year as eight of the nine men will be
back on the squad.” [2]

Wallowa returned the core trio of Sarrett, Crawford and Johnston for the 1928 season and senior forward Jack Lloyd, “a fast and dangerous forward when in the scoring territory.” [3]

The four proved to be formidable quartet in Eastern Oregon and at the conclusion of the 1928 season all four were named to the All-Eastern Oregon team.

The editors of the Waloha were correct in summing up the 1927 season and predicting success for the 1928 squad. Led by coach Charles Dawson, the Cougars bolted to a 6-0 record in January to start the season. The six wins included a pair of wins over defending district champions La Grande.

The Cougars entered February on a roll but so did their arch rivals Joseph. Joseph defeated Wallowa 21-16 win in front of a packed house in Joseph. Three weeks later, Wallowa got revenge on their home floor with a 33-24 win that gave Wallowa the regular season championship. The title of league champion was more honorary than important as both teams still made the district 1 tournament at Union.

Wallowa opened the District 1 Tournament in Union with a 34-24 win over Prairie City and cruised to a 38-22 win over Ontario in the second round. Coach Dawson used the occasion of a 16-point second half lead against Ontario to rest Lloyd, Sarrett and guard Cecil Posey.

The win put Wallowa into the quarterfinals against Baker Friday night. Baker upset Joseph in round two and was always a threat to win the district championship. Against Wallowa, Baker “played consistent ball both in guarding and passing, but Wallowa had greater stamina and out-endured their opponents.” Wallowa emerged from the game with a two-point win 19-17. [4]

The victory over Baker put Wallowa in the lead in the tournament. They were the only team without a loss and had proven they could beat anyone in the district. The win put Wallowa into the “semifinals” with three other teams, each with one loss. Union, who lost in the first round of the tournament rallied with two straight wins to match-up with Baker in one semifinal.

After losing in round two to Wallowa, Ontario defeated Joseph to earn a rematch with the Cougars in the other semifinal.

In the first game Baker defeated Union and knocked the home team from the tournament.
Wallowa was essentially guaranteed a spot in the finals because a loss to Ontario wouldn’t eliminate them from the tournament. A win would pit them against Baker for the title while a loss meant Ontario and Baker would play with the winner taking on Wallowa.

Ontario surprised the Cougars in their semifinal game by jumping to an early lead. The Wallowa boys seemed “loggy and dead on their feet and Ontario was playing over its head, the combination taking Wallowa by surprise.” [5]

Wallowa staged a late rally but came up short and lost 22-21. It meant Wallowa would play the winner of the Baker and Ontario game Monday night for the District 1 championship. Baker defeated Ontario setting up a Baker and Wallowa championship game.

More than 1,500 crammed into the Union High School gymnasium, many of whom were from Wallowa to see the Cougars take on Baker for the District 1 championship. They yelled throughout the game but the young Cougars were “jerky and nervous” to start the game and “could not seem to get started.” They were held scoreless for the first four minutes of the game before Dawson used a timeout. The timeout seemed to calm the nerves and “when they went back, the boys were steadied and more confident and carried the fight from then on to the end.” [6]

Wallowa came away with a 26-22 victory to earn their second district title in five years.

“Jubilation ran riot in Wallowa Monday night when the telephone wires flashed the report of the Wallowa victory. Home-stayers staged an impromptu celebration that showed the high enthusiasm and keen delight that the victory had occasioned.” [7]

The district championship was only a part of the excitement. There were celebrations in town, a 24 hour train ride to Salem, and visits to both Oregon Agricultural College (later Oregon State University) and the University of Oregon on the trip.

They played good basketball while in Salem too. Despite the large court, long trade ride and massive crowd, the small town from Wallowa county took the game right to Marshfield, their first round opponent. The boys from Coos Bay held a slim 13-11 lead at halftime but neither team seemed to be in control. Marshfield began to pull away in the third quarter and increased their lead to 10 by the end of the quarter.

Marshfield looked to “ease through for an easy victory” but “Coach Charley Dawson’s boys then got under way” and trimmed the lead to four thanks to three successive baskets. Marshfield answered with their leader, a guard named Liljeberg who scored two “neat tosses” to help quell the rally. [8] Marshfield escaped with a 27-24 victory.

Wallowa met University High, champions of District 6 in the consolation round. Located on the campus of the University of Oregon, University High defeated “A” schools up and down the Willamette Valley, from Corvallis to Albany to Salem to Springfield to capture the District 6 championship.

But Wallowa high, with an enrollment of 129, “piled up a lead in the first half that the University high boys couldn’t overcome” and won 31-25. [9]

The win over University placed Wallowa high into the semifinals of the consolation tournament with basketball powerhouses Salem and Astoria. Wallowa faced Tillamook and the Cougars seemed tired after the furious pace of the University game and fell 27-9 to Tillamook who finished the season with a 23-3 record.

The loss to Tillamook eliminated Wallowa from the tournament. Before the long train ride back to the eastside, the team visited Eugene and Corvallis. The trip home gave Crawford, Sarrett and Johnston time to reflect on their season but also a chance to gear up for another championship run in 1929. With three Eastern Oregon All-Stars returning for the 1929, they surely realized the mighty Cougars would be the team to beat in Eastern Oregon.

[1] "Basket Ball Team." Waloha. Wallowa: Wallowa High School, 1927. 44-45. Print.
[2] Ibid
[3] Ibid
[4] "Wallowa Quint Wins E.O. Title." Wallowa Sun 8 Mar. 1928: 1+. Print
[5] Ibid
[6] Ibid
[7] Ibid
[8] "University High Loses." Eugene Register Guard 15 Mar. 1928, Final Home Edition ed.: 1+. Print.
[9] “State Basketball Tournament at Salem, Oregon.” Waloha. Wallowa: Wallowa High School, 1928. 47-49. Print.

Oregon's Original Scoring Champion

2011-04-25T22:04:00.000-07:00

She was easily the highest scoring player in the area. Her prodigious scoring was known throughout the league and region. She was 5-11 with a relentless work ethic, college coaches had to have been lining up to offer scholarships.

But nobody called.

Nobody called with a scholarship after Minney scored 50 points in the county championship game, singlehandedly outscoring the opposition. Nobody called with an offer despite a 57 points per game average as a sophomore.

No coaches visited after opposing team protested her playing for the Vida boys’ team in the playoffs as a freshman. “We’ll put boys in our girl lineups,” a captain of a Vida opponent cracked when told of Minney playing on the boys’ team. [1]

Unfortunately for Gladys Minney, she grew up 70 years too early. Before Facebook, YouTube, recruiting services and AAU basketball. She was just a country girl who loved to shoot baskets. Gladys Minney would never play in college. In rural Lane County in the early 1930’s, women’s college basketball wasn’t even an option.

Gladys Minney started on Vida high school’s county championship team as a seventh grader in 1928. There were only seven girls in the school, just 10 students total and without Minney and close friend and fellow 7th grader Vivian Thomson, there might not have been a Vida girls basketball team in 1928.

Vida, a tiny school located in rural Lane County, barely had enough students in the school to field a basketball team. For years the task for the girls on the Vida basketball team was simple, pass to Gladys Minney and get out of the way. More often than not, Minney obliged and filled the stat column with so many points the opposition was helpless to stop her.

Her scoring totals read like an Oregon winter forecast. 32, 35, 41, 42, 48, 50. Occasionally, her totals reached spring levels like the 56 she put up against St. Mary’s or the 63 against Coburg. She is once reputed to have scored 104 against Santa Clara, a point total that reportedly put her into Ripley’s Believe it or Not.

In February of 1930, the Eugene Register Guard said of Minney, “the star forward sinks baskets faster than most girls can burn biscuits, and she won’t be guarded.” [2]

For girls in Oregon high school basketball in the late 20’s and early 30’s, there was no state tournament. In many cases, there weren’t even county tournaments. So in some respect, the girls of Lane County were special and had the unique opportunity to show their abilities to a broader audience.

Gladys Minney drew supporters to the Lane County tournament better than any boy player ever could. They were drawn to this girl who played with such aggression and ability it was almost too much to believe.

Gladys learned at the foot of her brother, Art, who was four years older. He taught Gladys how to effectively play and make close-in shots with either hand. Art had a stellar career for Vida and led the Vida boys team to the 1929 County Championship game against Pleasant Hill.

Gladys Minney’s career for the Vida high school team began in 1928 as a 7th grader when
she played the “running center” in the old 6-player games of girls’ basketball.

The 1928 team was led by Metola Allen, daughter of Charles “Warhorse” Allen, star running back for Amos Alonzo Stagg in the 1890’s. Metola played a forward position and scored 64 points in Vida’s 72-32 Lane County Championship victory over defending champion Thurston. Gladys was scoreless in the championship game but played the entire game and gained valuable experience.

Another 7th grader, Vivian Thomson played for the championship team at guard. Vivian and Gladys formed a formidable duo that would lead Vida in their homemade purple and gold uniforms for years to come.

Gladys didn’t wait long to announce that the 1929 team was her team. She dropped 73 on Santa Clara in a preseason game as Vida dominated 100-10.

She led Vida into the 1929 county tournament and continued her scoring output. 43 against Walker, 35 against Mohawk and 42 against Thurston to lead Vida into their second straight tournament championship game, this time against Lorane.

Meanwhile, Art and the Vida boys were also putting on a good show. The Minney’s had the county wrapped around their fingers. According to the Register Guard, “800 people managed to crowd into the YMCA gymnasium Saturday evening.” Everyone in attendance was “focused on the Minney family of Vida.” [3]

With 120 points in three games, Gladys Minney took the floor against Lorane in the championship game and put her stamp on the 1929 county championship tournament.
With fans packed into the YMCA gym, Minney delighted the crowd with 50 points in Vida’s 58-36 win over Lorane.

Both Gladys and Art earned All-County First Team mention after the tournament.

Now a veteran as a high school freshman in 1930, Gladys Minney continued to dominate the girls of Lane County. Vida entered the county tournament in February and appeared to be the leading contender to capture their third straight Lane County Championship.

Vida cruised in their first two games, defeating Santa Clara 53-3 and Pleasant Hill 46-18 to gain entry into the county championship. Minney poured in 23 points it he first half against Pleasant Hill and even though her opponent, Matthews, did all she could to stop her, “Minney was too tall and did just about as she pleased when she got the ball.” [4]

Friday morning, in a boys game against Creswell, Vida star forward Ennis Groff wrenched his knee after a high jump forcing him to the sideline. The Vida boys had entered the tournament as a favorite to win the championship but Groff’s injury put their title claims in jeopardy.

To compensate for the loss of one of his best players, Vida boys’ coach Lyon Lawrence hatched the idea of replacing Groff with Gladys Minney. News of the bold coaching move spread and soon the Lane County tournament had a swirling firestorm.

“Gladys Minney may show boys real accuracy” reads a front page story in the Eugene Register Guard. [5] News reached Bend and the Bend Bulletin posted a small piece about the brewing controversy.

The Register Guard proclaimed Minneys’ scoring prowess, noting the “phenomenal girl forward of the Vida girls’ team will play in his [Groff’s] place and according to Lyon Lawrence, ‘the team will hardly notice the difference.” [6]

Gladys’ parents gave permission for their freshman daughter to play on the Vida boys’ varsity team but other teams vehemently protested the inclusion of a girl on the boys’ team. The controversy spread and Lawrence, compelled by the growing sentiment from teams around the league didn’t allow Gladys to play for the boys’ team. The Vida boys put up a good fight but St. Mary’s stalled with the lead in the fourth quarter and went on to win 21-13.

With the notion of playing for the boys’ team an afterthought, Minney and Vida could now refocus on capturing their third straight Lane County championship. Standing in their way was an underrated but scrappy Mohawk club. Once again, a Vida team was at the center of a controversy.

“In most of the fans’ opinions, Vida made a strategic error when Gladys Minney, star forward, was substituted at center. Minney is sure of many baskets when she is in her forward berth and that is what Vida needed to win the game.” [7]

Mohawk played a “fast and furious game” aided by “the fast little Healy, guard of the Mohawks” who was a star of the game. Mohawk’s 27-24 victory ended Vida’s two-year run as champions of Lane County. Most surprisingly, Minney tallied just 12 points in the game.

Devastated, the Vida girls retreated to their locker room in tears. Their two-year reign as queens of Lane County was over.

Robin Alexander, a McKenzie River fishing guide who has written a screenplay about Minney’s life talked to relatives of Gladys. They say she talked about her life and basketball career frequently. Her son Steve told Alexander that officials from out of town had come to watch Gladys play to make sure she was playing by the rules. They had never seen a girl play so skillfully and were likely suspicious of her age. The controversy of joining the boys team surely brought more attention from league and state officials.

Gladys speculated that Lawrence was spooked by the officials poking around his team and didn’t want to risk further trouble. To alleviate the pressure, she thought, he switched her to center and Vida lost. [8]

Once again, Minney was named to the All-County First Team at the conclusion of the tournament.

Minney entered the 1931 season as a sophomore but with three years of experience at the varsity level. Teammate and close friend Vivian Thomson matched the experience and provided an experienced core that would help lead a young Vida team that season. Minney’s younger sister Thelma joined the team that year as the running center but the team was inexperienced in most positions.

Vida let Minney carry the load on most nights and the high scoring forward usually obliged. Late in the season Minney scored 63 points in a 68-28 victory over Coburg.

With Minney draining shots from all over the floor, Vida was always a threat to win the county championship. She started the 1931 tournament off with a bang; scoring 41 points in a 47-21 win over Creswell. She followed with a 56 point outing to pace Vida to a 71-7 win over St. Mary’s. The Register Guard joked, “Gladys Minney let down and only scored 56 points in this game.” [9]

In the semifinals, Oakridge slowed Minney and kept the game close. Oakridge grabbed the lead in the third quarter and the game seesawed back and forth in the final quarter. Vida countered and surged into the lead late in the fourth and held on for a 36-34 victory. Minney tallied 32 points in the contest, her lowest total in months.

A record crowd made its way out for the 1931 Lane County championship tilts. Vida was shooting for their third championship in four years, this time battling Crow for the crown. Crow boasted their own scoring sensation, Iris Fitch, who came into the championship game averaging over 22 points per game, including 26 in their semifinal win over Siuslaw.

The game was a back and forth affair, with neither team seizing control. Fitch and Minney dueled from the forward spot and the two kept the crowd entertained throughout the game.

The teams were deadlocked at 42 with seconds remaining before Crow looped in the game-winning basket and went on to capture the 44-42 victory. The two forwards each tallied 36 points in the game but it was Fitch’s Crow team who had the last laugh. It was the second straight county championship game defeat for Vida.

Both Fitch and Minney were named to the All County First Team at the conclusion of the tournament.

Though only a sophomore, Gladys Minney’s high school basketball career had come to an end.

The association governing high school athletics was attempting to seize control of Oregon’s growing high school sports world. In the late 1920’s and early 1930’s Oregon had hundreds of schools, many of them rural and difficult to reach. Efforts were made to unify all the schools under one umbrella. Too often schools and their leagues operated under their own rules and guidelines and the association wanted to ensure that everyone was playing under similar rules.

One of the key points the association was attempting to control was eligibility, specifically preventing players from playing high school sports beyond the usual four years. In the late 30’s, all the Portland schools refused to abide by the state association’s “ninth term rule” and were barred from competing in post season play.

The Eugene Register Guard doesn’t elaborate on the end of Minney’s career or cover any potential scandals over Minney not being allowed to participate as a junior and senior. Minney was an observer at the 1933 Lane County Tournament for what would have been her senior year.

Eugene Register Guard columnist Roy Craft wrote, “One of the most interested spectators at the “B” league tournament is Gladys Minney, ex-Vida star and probably the greatest girl athlete ever developed in the county. “ [10]

Basketball would have been a welcome diversion for the Minney household because that year her father, Frank died of a staph infection after a five month hospitalization.

Frank was an avid supporter of the Vida teams and attended nearly every Vida game. He was notorious for driving his kids all over Lane County in a 1928 Chevrolet sedan. According to Alexander’s research, he would drive the sedan all over rural Lane County, including the McKenzie Highway which was a gravel road at the time, to gyms and schools over the area. The old Thurston gym which is now the Thurston Grange was a 40 minute drive from the family farm.

Frank’s passing was difficult for the Minney family. With her father gone and the depression strangling the family finances, options for Gladys were limited. There would be no college basketball for the high-scoring forward. There wouldn’t even be college. Money was too scarce and it wasn’t feasible.

Minney was instead, “forced to retire to her memories of glory while the men athletes her age are just getting started.” [11]

Minney married Tom Minor at a young age and played club basketball after high school. She became an avid fisherwoman and outdoorswoman as an adult. She spent over 22 years managing the City Variety and Sporting Goods Store in Eugene.

According to Alexander, Minney remained a fan of the game of basketball and even attended games at Sutherlin high school. On occasion she would speak to the Sutherlin team and became close to the team and players. [12]

It would be overstating it to say the unceremonious conclusion of Minney’s high school basketball career was a tragedy. The death of her father was a tragedy. The other things served as salt in the gaping wound.

Rules are rules and they need to be followed. I would certainly never suggest that schools circumvent the rules for their own gain. But it is disappointing that basketball fans of that era missed out on two full years of Gladys Minney tossing in baskets with machine-gun rapidity.

[1] "Boys Protest as Girl Is Put on Hoop Team." Bend Bulletin 31 Jan. 1931: 5. Print.
[2] "In Regard to Sports." Eugene Register Guard 31 Jan. 1931: 10. Print.
[3] "The Minney’s Star." Eugene Register Guard 16 Feb. 1929: 1. Print.
[4] "Basketball Meet Nears Big Climax." Eugene Register Guard 31 Jan. 1930: 1. Print.
[5] "Gladys Minney May Show Boys Real Accuracy." Eugene Register Guard 31 Jan. 1930: 1. Print.
[6] Ibid
[7] "Vida Girls Team Defeated in Fast Game Friday Night." Eugene Register Guard 8 Feb. 1930: 8. Print.
[8] Alexander, Robin. “Broken Dreams.” Eugene: N.P. Date Unknown
[9] "Vida Girls Win." Eugene Register Guard 20 Feb. 1931: 5. Print.
[10] Craft, Roy. "High Climber." Eugene Register Guard 16 Feb. 1933: 6. Print.
[11] Ibid
[12] Alexander, Robin

What to Wear

2011-04-08T08:40:00.000-07:00

I’ve never cared much for clothing. Yes, I am in favor of wearing clothes, I've just never been fond of trying to be in style or even matching. When it comes to what to wear, I depend upon my wife to put me in something that matches and is somewhat in style. In college I liked to wear shirts inside out because I thought it was cool and edgy. Turns out, it made me look homeless. Ditto for the khaki pants I cut into shorts.

So it may come as a surprise that while researching history, clothing has become a fascination. Specifically, what the high school basketball teams wore. Having only black and white photos at our disposal it makes distinguishing one team from another is virtually impossible.

Some uniforms have character, some teams wore shiny suits with belts and fancy socks, and others wore sweaters as warm-ups. Some wore plain shirts with a number on the front.

Let’s take a look at some uniforms from the past.

This, from Tillamook high school in 1930 features a wheel of cheese with a slice missing. Given Tillamook’s mascot is the “Cheesemakers,” the cheese logo on the front is perfect. It is also extremely unique for uniforms of this era to feature pictures or “logos” of any kind.

Here we have Rainier High School from 1920. The uniforms featured striped shirts, belts and an “R” on the shorts.

Similar to Rainier, these uniforms for Franklin feature an “F” on the shorts and stripes on the tops. The stripes on Franklin’s uniforms go the full length of the jersey top as opposed to only halfway. Also like Rainier, all the players on Franklin's team have high socks which were the style of the early days.

You may never know this was Salem high schools 1920 state champions. Not even an “S” on the shorts like Rainier or an "F" like Franklin to differentiate them at all. The only way to tell them apart would be to see them in person and see the trim on the shorts and the color of the belts and socks. They are very likely the red and black that Salem wore for many years as the Vikings.

Here is early powerhouse Astoria. These uniforms are similar to most of the other uniforms of the era with a striped look however Astoria opted for an “A” on the front of their jersey top in an attempt to distinguish itself from other teams of the early days. This is the 1917 team.

Had they not put the “A” on the front, how would one tell if they were watching Astoria or Concordia High School? By the shorts of course.

From Dufur high school’s yearbook, here are the 1920 Rangers from Dufur high school. Like other teams, the Rangers feature a striped top, no doubt in the red they still wear today.

Eastern Oregon champions of 1923, Joseph opted for a stripe but changed to a diagonal stripe across the front.

The Baker Bulldogs added a small bit of flare to their 1927 uniforms by adding trim to the collar. The uniforms are very similar to most of the other uniforms of the time, but the added color to the collar sets them apart from most schools.

Early Lane County powerhouse Pleasant Hill was another early team that put a design on the front of their jerseys. They opted for a diamond shape with school initials “P” and “H” inside.

1934 Polk County Champions Airlie is pictured below in their white shooting sweaters with a large “A” on the left side. By the 1930’s, sock fashion changed to a shorter look as opposed to the knee high’s of the early 20’s.

Amity is shown here in their matching warm-up suits. Taken in 1938 the little school from Yamhill County surely stood out with their sharp warm-ups and consistent look.

Here is the only boys' team in Oregon state history to reach the state tournament with a female coach. The Thurston “Pansies” featured future major league baseball hurler Howard Fox and were led by Genevieve Beaman into the state tournament in 1938. Standing to coach Beaman’s right is Howard Fox. It appears Thurston has their name on the front of the uniform, in an arched pattern. The trip to state was the school’s first ever trip and the community was so thrilled, they rallied together to outfit the team in new uniforms for the tournament.

1940 Lane County champions Lowell leave little doubt as to who they are. One of the few teams to actually attach the school name to the front of the jersey, Lowell opts to stand out in this way. The Devils wore red, black and white, a common combination so they went with the team name on the front of the jersey.

Here we have Westport’s 1941 state championship team and their flashy warm-ups. Head coach Ted Stensland completes the dapper look with a three-piece suit.

40 years before Nike and the University of Oregon created unique uniform combinations; the coastal high school of Giribaldi was already leading the way. Featuring short-sleeved uniform tops and stripes along the shoulders, the Wolves had to have one of the most unique uniform looks in the state.

Here are some early 1960’s examples from Eastern Oregon. Wallowa high school in 1962 had no text on the front of their jerseys opting instead for just numbers.

For the 1966 team they added “Wallowa” to the front with large block letters underneath.

For the 1968 team, Wallowa went back to the blank jerseys with just a number on the front.

Girls in Oregon enjoyed incredible access to high school sports. Here are a few shots of girls teams in throughout the years.

Muddy Creek high school in Eastern Oregon is shown here in 1911. These uniforms look more like Sunday dresses than basketball uniforms.

By the mid-30’s, girls basketball uniforms had progressed to the point they challenged and surpassed many of their male counterparts. How revolutionary these uniforms must have been in the 1930's! Scandalous even? Several years ago Oregonian writer Rachel Bachman wrote an article about women's basketball in the early days and clearly the girls loved their game and weren't afraid of competition.

Here is Oakridge high school going with an interesting design of “OHS” on the front of their uniforms.

Little Vida high school was able to attach their names to the front of the jersey.

As was tiny Santa Clara high school in 1936.

Which era would you have liked to play in? The 1920's with belts, high socks and striped shirts? The anonymous 1930's school names were rarely found on uniforms? Maybe the 1960's when teams everywhere were putting their names on uniforms.

Maybe you'd prefer to play in today's world, with shorts hanging past your knees. Dresses as my grandfather used to call them.

Whatever your style and preference, chances are it has been done in the nearly 100 years of high school basketball in Oregon.

Rebirth of Siletz Valley

2011-03-03T08:34:00.000-08:00

I have avoided wading into the debate regarding charter schools vs. public schools, private schools vs. public schools, consolidation and all the other issues that dog our small schools these days.

I have opinions. But this blog is about celebrating our history and celebrating the young men who have competed for their towns throughout the past century.

But I am in favor of opportunity. Give the kids a chance to play. Give them a ball and a court or field and get out of the way. Some kids just need opportunities.

That's why I like this story about Siletz Valley from the Baker City Herald. Written by Jayson Jacoby, it talks about the history of Siletz Valley high school and explains their 36 year absence from the state playoffs.

It's kind of hard to make the playoffs when you don't even have a school. Siletz Valley didn't even have a school for 24 of those 36 years. Now, thanks to some help from the Confederated Tribe of Siletz, Siletz Valley is on the verge of a state championship berth.

To think, six years ago, Siletz Valley High School was dead.

Six years later, they are just 32 minutes away from a state championship berth.

Check out the article here

Home of the Columbia Christian Knights

2011-02-21T12:48:00.000-08:00

I practically grew up in this gym. This gym is far from the nicest gym in the state. It’s not the worst either, but it isn’t that nice. It’s cavernous, cold when empty, steaming hot when full and full of idiosyncrasies that visitors and opponents would call defects.

Lest you think I’m being harsh, those who have played in this gym understand what I’m saying. Those who have played in this gym and called it their home for any length of time, know the special place this place can have in your heart.

Because of my attachment to this gym, I feel I am allowed to say whatever I want about the gym at Columbia Christian.

To outsiders, it's far from perfect. But for those who have called this gym home for any amount of time, it's a great place to play.

I’ve spent thousands of hours in this gym as a spectator, player, coach and ball-boy. My memories of the gym date back many years and I feel like I know everything about it.

I know the rims are more forgiving than a priest on Sunday, allowing even the worst miss a chance at finding pay dirt. I know there is dead spot about three-feet away from the sideline opposite the home bench. Many an opponent driving hard on a fast break has lost his dribble on this spot.

I know before they painted over the windows an afternoon game with the sun shining was treacherous for those passing through the glare. Trying to catch a pass in that glare on the move is more futile than trying to make sense of the lyrics to Pearl Jam’s Yellow Ledbetter. Just don’t do it.

Because the acoustics are so bad (or good), even the smallest crowd of 50 people can be deafening.

But the memories.

I remember being a 4th grader and participating as a candle-bearer in Columbia’s annual Homecoming festivities when my older sister was a princess.

I remember as a 6th grader playing the 7th graders in a game during an all-school assembly and having them wipe the floor with us. Many of us ended in tears.

I remember watching dozens, possibly hundreds, of volleyball games with my sisters flying all over the court, my aunt stalking the sideline as the coach and my mother dutifully keeping notes as an assistant coach.

I remember sitting on the bench with my mother, now the head volleyball coach, as she led the Knights to their first-ever state tournament appearance. She claimed she couldn’t coach. But she could teach and she taught that team to believe, to focus and play hard.

I remember my junior year, losing one of the best point guards in school history to a broken wrist because he slipped on a wet spot caused by a leaky roof. We almost lost his back-up a week or two later from the same wet spot.

I remember rushing the floor when our girls team, just three years old at the time, won their first ever game in 1996. I remember the opponent but I’ll spare their feelings.

I remember escorting my future wife when she was a princess during homecoming. I remember my mother chastising us for chewing gum during the ceremony. I pleaded for mercy. She was so beautiful and I was so nervous, what was I supposed to do? She still is.

I remember fearing that my oldest sons’ hearing was irreparably damaged the first time Mychal Delancy caught an alley-oop pass and jammed it on a team full of hopeless defenders. Deafening does not adequately describe the sound inside that gym.

I remember close losses, blowout wins, the pride of breaking out new uniforms, the fun, the friendships and the rivalries, both friendly and less friendly.

I never thought about the gym until I became much older. Right now the thought of running up and down that floor is both exhausting and exhilarating.

For those unfamiliar with the gym, it is on the campus of Columbia Christian high school but the Knights shared it until recently with Cascade College. Cascade has since closed but the gym remains green and many remnants still remain from the Cascade Thunderbird days.

Prior to that, the gym was home to the Columbia Christian College Clippers, until it closed in the early-90’s.

To my knowledge, the high school has used the gym since it opened in the mid-60’s.

Columbia Christian added some features to make the gym more of a home gym, including purchasing padded chairs with the school’s name and logo on them. They hung up the 2010 state championship bracket and added a trophy case in the lobby to show off some of the history. Like many trophy cases, it’s over-flowing and holds only a fraction of the hardware the nights have collected throughout the years.

The locker rooms and weight room underwent a renovation in the late 90’s and are really sharp, despite the lack of Columbia Christian's primary colors of gold and black. I would guess that the visitor locker room at the Columbia Christian gymnasium is probably the best in the state.

I don't believe the gym at Columbia Christian is named. I know that I will not be the only one who believes the gym should be named for Jim Flint, longtime head coach of the Knights and one of the most successful coaches in 1A basketball history.

Every trip to the state tournament final site in Columbia Christian’s history has come with Jim Flint at the helm. First in 1969, then in 1997 and all nine subsequent trips.

Coach Flint Court suits this gym perfectly.

My photography skills are not strong and my camera is equally weak but below are some photos I was able to capture.

Home locker room:

Looking from behind the home bench. Main gym entrance is the door in the middle of the photo:

2010 State Championship bracket in the lobby:

Mid-court opposite side of the benches:

Visitor locker room:

Newly created and donated trophy case in the lobby. Trophy case was donated by a parent of a former player:

Home of the Mohawk Indians

2011-02-18T09:42:00.000-08:00

The Mohawk gym is one of the crown jewels of small school basketball gyms. The modern facility is spacious, well lit and a nightmare for visitors to play in. It’s very similar to Country Christian’s gym in terms of layout and design.

Mohawk, located in Marcola, is a perennial state contender and when the Indians were winning four titles in seven years, the gym was deafening.

One of the best things about the Mohawk Gym is the game day atmosphere starting with the packed house the home team usually brings out. The fans are vocal, supportive and intimidating to an unprepared visiting team. Combine that with the NBA style player introductions and it makes for a terrific atmosphere.

Sarah passed along the photo and had this to say about the Mohawk gym, “The atmosphere just seeps tradition and Mohawk pride. One of the most hospitable gyms I have ever visited. Classy team, players, AD, and coaching staff.”

The gym does scream Mohawk pride and tradition. From the boisterous crowd, black and orange everywhere you look and the history of Mohawk basketball display out in the lobby, the Indians definitely take pride in their school, town and team.

Thanks, Sarah for passing along the photo. If anyone has any more information on the Mohawk gym such as capacity, year it was built or official name of the building, please feel free to leave the information in the comments section.

Lane County Organizers Think Big in '51

2011-02-06T14:01:00.000-08:00

By 1951 the Lane County tournament was in its 27th year and had become a big deal in Eugene and the surrounding communities. The early 1930’s saw large crowds at University of Oregon’s McArthur Court and the event continued to grow in the 40’s and early 50’s.

The tournament was so large and so popular; tournament organizers in 1951 invited a special guest to attend the event as a getaway from the trials of his job.

Tournament organizers, along with Eugene’s Junior Chamber of Commerce invited President Harry Truman to the 1951 tournament for a chance to relax and get away from the day-to-day grind of work.

Alas, President Truman was unable to attend the tournament citing “other commitments” as the prevailing reason he would be unable to make it to the event.

Truman’s secretary, Matthew Connelly typed a note that appeared in the February 26 edition of the Eugene Register Guard. [1]

Truman appreciated the “friendly thought…and it [gave] him pleasure to extend best wishes for a successful event.” [2]

The tournament proceeded despite Truman’s absence.

You can’t fault the folks behind the Lane County Tournament for thinking big. They felt they had a great product and felt everyone should be invited.

I’m sure had Truman been in Oregon during the week of February 26, he no doubt would have stopped by McArthur Court to catch some sizzling B League basketball.

[1] "B League Tourney Opens Tuesday." Eugene Register Guard 26 Feb. 1951, City ed.: 1. Google Search Archives. Web. 6 Feb. 2011. .

[2] Ibid

Home of the Spray Eagles

2011-01-24T12:51:00.000-08:00

Reader Buck passes along more photos, this time of the Spray high school gym, one of the all-time classics that I have received to date. Spray, consistently one of the smallest schools in the state in terms of enrollment, also happens to consistently be one of the best in the state.

Coached by Garey Fischer, the Eagles of Spray have been one of the top programs in Eastern Oregon despite the tiny enrollment.
Spray has three trips to state in the last seven years under Fischer and everyone in district 7 of Eastern Oregon knows that to get to Baker, you have to get through Spray. Fischer and Spray are currently in a bit of a rebuilding phase after a terrific run, but coach Fischer is optimistic about the future, particularly a large eighth grade class that has a number of boys in it.

I’ve never been to the gym in Spray, but looking at it one could only assume that it’s a tough place to play when the Eagles are rolling, hitting threes and playing their traditional lock tight defense. It’s a small gym but full of character, starting with the curved roof and wood paneling behind the backboards.

Buck’s camera let him down a little as some of the photos are a bit, blurry but you can still get the idea of the gym Spray has.

It’s a small gymnasium, with just a couple of rows of seating on either side. The stage at the end is converted into extra seating with folding chairs but all in all,
it’s a very intimate setting to watch a game. The floor itself is beautiful, with very few extra lines other than the basketball markings and the volleyball court. The dotted red line running near the out of bounds line are restraining lines. Defenders have to stay behind this line when a team is inbounding the ball because of the lack of space along the sides.

In true small-school fashion, there is very little space beyond the out of bounds lines. I can only imagine what this gym would sound like with a packed house and the
Spray Eagles shooting three-pointers from every angle and flying around on defense. I can imagine it, but I wouldn’t want to have to go there and win.

Other features that strike me are the tiny looking side hoops that hang down from the curved roof. The dark wood paneling on the walls on the baseline is interesting and provides a darker shooting background than a white wall.

I am not sure when the gym in Spray was built but based on some of the features, first and foremost, the round roof, leads me to believe that it was the 1950’s. It is a smaller version of the Edwards Elementary Gym used by CS Lewis in Newberg. However, as you can see from this article about Haines, curved roof’s were popular in the early 30’s as well. If anyone familiar with the town and the gym have more information, please feel free to email at hoops1a@hotmail.com

Spray was founded by stock man John Fremont Spray who settled there in 1900. The town was platted that year and Spray became the postmaster. It wasn’t until 1958 that the town incorporated. The town lies along highway 19 and the majestic John Day River in Wheeler County. The population has held fairly steady with around 160 inhabitants.

Here are few other photos that came from www.smalltownoregon.com

Happy 119th Birthday Basketball!

2011-01-20T11:29:00.000-08:00

On this day in 1892, the first basketball game was played at a YMCA Gymnasium in Springfield, Mass. Featuring nine players on each side, the game ended with a 1-0 score. The only basket come from 25 feet away into a peach basket nailed to an elevated track in the gymnasium.

Dr. James Naismith, the inventor of the game, used a soccer ball in the first game because he didn't have the time or money to design a new ball. The time of the game was about 30 minutes and it was about halfway through the contest that William R. Chase tossed in a long basket to score the first official basket in the game of basketball.

The basket would be worth three points in today's NBA game.

Many of Naismith's original rules are still in place today. He listed just 13 original rules, including rules on goaltending (#8), fouls (#5), and how to determine the winner (#13). Other rules have changed or gone away entirely.

Check out the original list of rules here.

Naismith was in the Physical Education department at Springfield College in Springfield, Massachusetts and created the game to try to keep his students busy during a rainy day.

119 years later, the game continues to keep the kids active on rainy days.

So again, happy birthday basketball!

Eugene Register Guard Talks X's and O's

2011-01-12T12:58:00.000-08:00

In researching in the Eugene Register Guard over the weekend, I came across some interesting articles from 1930 breaking down some of the action on the court. The Guard featured a recurring column regarding some of the X’s and O’s of basketball. In this article, the writer Sol Metzger, breaks down a dribble hand off action, complete with graphics and discussion about how the play is run.

He explains, “when you see a basketball player, the first through the defense, shake his pesky opponent and break back to the foul line to take the pass from his teammate, look for this move to occur…”[1]

Metzger goes on to explain the specifics of the play.

“One of his teammates, noting him in action, also breaks down court, usually from the opposite side. Call this one No. 2”[2]

Metzger notes that No. 2’s defensive man, whom he calls “B”, will “not be asleep” rather “he likewise will break with No. 2, trying to keep on his basket side.”[3]

Now the final action is described. Metzger notes, “No. 2 rushes close by No. 1 and takes a short pass. He may even be handed the ball. B cannot follow, as to do so would cause him to collide with No. 1. That is illegal.”[4]

Metzger points out that “the presence of No. 1 on this spot with the ball is perfectly legal even though he blocks B from covering No. 2” who is then able to “dribble to the basket for a short shot.”[5]

I found this article really interesting. From the graphics to the quaint language describing a dribble hand-off, it struck me as something worth sharing. It also shows just how little basketball has changed in 80 years. Teams at every level still run dribble hand offs hoping to “block B from covering No. 2” with the final goal of seeing a teammate “dribble to the basket for a short shot.”

It’s a simple game. Always has been, always will be.

1. Metzger, Sol. “Offense Tricky on Cut Back.” The Eugene Register Guard: Alton F. Baker. 3 Feb. 1930. Web. 10 Jan. 2011
2. Ibid
3. Ibid
4. Ibid
5. Ibid

Wallowa Claims 1925 Eastern Oregon Crown

2011-01-05T12:51:00.000-08:00

Throughout the 90 year history of the Oregon State basketball tournament, Wallowa has been one of the most successful programs in small school history. Even when the state was one giant classification in the 1920’s and early 30’s, Wallowa still managed to knock off bigger schools in the area like Baker and La Grande to earn trips to the state tournament. While Wallowa’s enrollment in the 1920’s was higher than it is today, it was still about the quarter of the size of Baker and La Grande.

In 1925, Wallowa’s enrollment was 124, which is larger than many schools in District 1 but four times smaller than bigger schools like La Grande and Baker, two schools who would stand in Wallowa’s way if it was to travel to Salem and the state basketball tournament.

Anyone who watched the gridiron during the fall of 1924 would have learned that Wallowa was going to be a force in Eastern Oregon. When Wallowa thumped Enterprise 45-7 in the final football game of the year to cap an unbeaten season, the precedent had been set for a successful sports campaign.

Wallowa wasn’t satisfied with being just Eastern Oregon champs in football as calls were made to play against Eugene high school, probable champions of Western Oregon. Sadly, the newspapers at the time never mentioned if the game came to fruition and what happened.

Thanks to some nifty math, the Wallowa Sun determined that no team in the state of Oregon could make a better claim to the state championship in football than Wallowa.
“Wallowa beat La Grande 12 to 0. La Grande and Pendleton tied 0 to 0. This makes Wallowa 12 points better than Pendleton. Pendleton defeated The Dalles 26 to 7, a margin of 19. This makes Wallowa’s margin over The Dalles 31 points. The Dalles won over Albany 31 to 0, giving Wallowa a lead of 62 points on comparative scores. Hillsboro defeated Albany 12 to 0, which gives Wallowa a margin of 50 over the Western Oregon claimant.” [1]

Clever mathematics aside, it was clear that Wallowa was going to be a tough team to take out on the hardwood.

Wallowa returned a solid core from their 1924 team that lost in the first round of the district basketball tournament to Union. The contest was close throughout and even tied late in the fourth quarter at 31, but Union “looped through two baskets that put the game on ice for them.” [2]

After establishing their dominance on the football field, Wallowa’s star athletes switched gears to the hardwood.

Led by Coach James Eaman, Wallowa worked tediously to prepare for the grueling basketball season. Eaman built his team around senior Tony Greer, a two-year stalwart at center and Captain Leon Baird, a guard.

Two of Wallowa’s first three games were with La Grande, defending champions of District 1 and early favorites to repeat in 1925. La Grande had knocked off Joseph in the 1924 District 1 Tournament and ended Jo-High’s two-year reign as Eastern Oregon champs.

Undaunted, Wallowa took the two games from La Grande, including the season opener on the road in La Grande where the Savages, as they were called in the Wallowa Sun, held La Grande without a field goal in the second half of a 13-9 win.
One weekend after handling Union 37-20, Wallowa returned home to face La Grande. La Grande led for most of the game though it was close. La Grande led 21-20 in the fourth quarter before Wallowa closed the game with a 6-1 run to come away with a 26-22 victory.

With two victories over the defending champions already to their credit, Wallowa had staked their claim as the class of District 1. Certainly Joseph and Baker would factor into the equation by the end of the season, but the Savages had started with a flourish.

Next, Wallowa faced a two-game series with Baker, traditionally one of the strongest teams in Eastern Oregon. According to the Wallowa yearbook, the Waloha, “Baker carried a formidable reputation and many Wallowa fans predicted that Wallowa might be beaten.” [3]

The confident Wallowa team proceeded to take two straight from the boys from Baker County. The home town Savages broke open a tie game at halftime with a 13-3 second half to pull out a 21-11 victory. Wallowa proved the first game wasn’t a fluke the following week when they traveled to Baker and scratched out a 13-6 victory to move their record to 5-0 on the season.

Before their final four games against Joseph and Enterprise, Wallowa first dispatched of Union at Union, 28-12 in a “slow and uninteresting” game. [4] The outcome was never in doubt though the Unionites were said to have put up a good fight in defeat.

Sporting a 6-0 record and no doubt full of confidence, the team had the most challenging stretch of the schedule yet to play. The last four games of the season were to be with Joseph and Enterprise, two of the best teams in the District.

Enterprise was noted for its defensive prowess, having held La Grande to a 13-8 score earlier in the season. Led by a veteran team with a slew of returning players, both Joseph and Enterprise were sure to provide a stiff challenge for the Savages.
Joseph, winners of district titles in 1922 and 1923, proved to be every bit the team as Wallowa. They broke open a 6-3 halftime game in the second half while Wallowa went frigid from the field. Joseph responded with a flurry of offensive production, led by forward Estes, who “came through with an avalanche of shots from every angle” in the fourth quarter. [5]

The showdown of the two premier small-schools in Eastern Oregon produced a decidedly lopsided result, a 26-9 win for Joseph. Many considered Joseph the team to beat in Eastern Oregon and their 17-point drubbing over Wallowa certainly added to those beliefs.

The following night, the Enterprise stalwarts fought Wallowa tooth and nail and through three quarters looked poised to send Wallowa to defeat on their own floor. They were also looking to pin the second defeat on Wallowa in as a many nights. But seniors Tony Greer and Bill Henderson scored six points and Wallowa erupted for 16 points in the fourth quarter to pull away for a 35-20 victory and a split on the road trip.

The return game between Joseph and Wallowa was played the following week at Wallowa. A packed house saw a close game throughout as the stars shined for their respective teams. The Savages led 11-9 at halftime behind four points each for Greer and Henderson, two from Oliver and a free throw from Baird. In the third quarter, both teams came out firing and Joseph forged into the lead as Mathews poured in six of his game high 10 points in the quarter. Greer and Henderson did their parts to keep Wallowa close, combining for six points of their own.

Clinging to a 19-17 lead at the end of three quarters, Joseph tightened their defense in the fourth quarter. The last quarter “was played very poorly by both sides, the checking being so close that neither side was able to score…many times missing the backboard entirely.” [6]

Neither team found the basket in the fourth quarter and Joseph claimed their second victory over Wallowa. Winners of two of the last three District 1 championships, Joseph was now in the driver’s seat heading into the Sub-District Tournament at La Grande.

To complete the season, Wallowa ventured up to Enterprise and prevailed in double overtime on a Tony Greer shot from the middle of the floor with around 40 seconds left. The game was not without controversy however as with a few minutes left in the game, the referee blew his whistle for Wallowa to make a substitution. The Enterprise fans and players thought the game was over and people began to leave their seats and surround the Enterprise players to congratulate them on the victory. Many in the crowd began to leave and some even made it all the way out the doors and into the brisk night.

The referees cleared the floor and Oliver returned to center and won the tip to Greer who dribbled down and made the basket to force over time. [7]

Wallowa entered the sub-district tournament at La Grande with an 8-2 record. The tournament featured Wallowa and Union Counties. Four teams from the two counties would enter the District 1 Tournament at Union the following weekend. Meanwhile, over in Baker, the schools of Baker County played for a trip to districts with the top two teams advancing. The schools in Grant County and Malheur Counties battled for one spot apiece.

In the tournament at La Grande, Wallowa, Joseph, Enterprise and La Grande all advanced to the district tournament at Union. In Baker, Muddy Creek and the host Baker advanced, while Prairie City (Grant County) and Vale (Malheur County) earned berths in the Union meet.

Wallowa ventured to Union to take on the best of Eastern Oregon for the 1925 District 1 Tournament. Wallowa drew Muddy Creek in the opener and used an 18-0 second quarter to break the contest open and coasted for a 46-11 victory.

Later that night, Wallowa met La Grande in a crucial game of the tournament. A victory over their old nemesis would make the road to Salem easier, while a loss would have thrown Wallowa into the loser’s bracket. Even though Wallowa had defeated La Grande three times, once in football and twice in basketball, “Wallowa was classed way below La Grande by the La Grande Observer.”[8]

Wallowa showed its mettle in holding La Grande to just five points in the contest. La Grande made three free throws and just one shot from the field, while Wallowa rang the bell for 17 points. According to the Sun, “this was the greatest defense the local team has showed in the last three years and their 17-5 victory was well earned.” [9]

The frenetic defensive intensity Wallowa unleashed against La Grande nearly cost them dearly in their third game against Enterprise. Bill Henderson proved his mettle in the third quarter, notching two crucial baskets for Wallowa as they eased to a four-point victory 14-10 over the county-seaters.

Meanwhile, archrival Joseph was also making her way through the bracket, dispatching Prairie City, Baker and Vale to reach a Saturday evening matchup against the winner of the Baker and Wallowa game.

Wallowa, after the rugged win over La Grande, overcame a slow offensive output and sluggish shooting to hold off Enterprise 14-10 in their third game. The four-point victory over Enterprise eliminated Enterprise from contention and left just three teams standing, Wallowa, Joseph and Baker.

Wallowa faced Baker for the right to challenge Joseph for the District 1 crown. Joseph had already defeated Baker meaning a Wallowa victory would have eliminated Baker and set up a championship game between the two premier small schools in Eastern Oregon. Baker nixed that plan, stifling Wallowa’s offense schemes and pulling out a 16-7 victory. Baker completely dominated Wallowa and led 12-0 at halftime.

The loss did not eliminate Wallowa; they would now be forced to play Monday night against the winner of the Joseph and Baker game Saturday night. Joseph was in the catbird seat, having drawn the bye Saturday afternoon and still undefeated in the tournament. Baker and Wallowa both had one defeat to their name so one more loss ended the season.

Baker and Joseph were to meet for the right to play Wallowa. Despite the loss, Wallowa was still in the championship flight by virtue of their first three wins. The Baker and Joseph game never happened because for some reason, Baker forfeited the game to Joseph. No explanation was given in the Wallowa Sun or the Waloha but it meant the two finest small schools in Eastern Oregon would meet for the District 1 crown.

Joseph was essentially making their third appearance in the district championship game in four years, having defeated Enterprise at Enterprise in 1922 and La Grande at Enterprise in 1923 at the end of the regular season. However, these were not championship games of a District Tournament but rather a playoff game to break a deadlock in the standings.

The big night came and the packed house at Union was at a fever pitch. Joseph and Wallowa battled to a near standstill in the championship tilt. Joseph went in at halftime up 4-2 and maintained the two point advantage after three, 6-4. Estes scored for Joseph but a field goal each from Oliver, Johnson and Greer gave the Savages a 10-8 lead with three minutes to play in the fourth quarter.

During the final three minutes, Joseph desperately attempted to even the score but Wallowa’s strong defense kept them at bay. In the end, Joseph could not equalize the game and Wallowa found itself the winner of the district crown and coveted trip to the state capital and a shot at a state title.

The town of Wallowa celebrated their boys just like the citizens of Joseph two years before. There were rallies, dinners and speeches and the boys of Wallowa high school were treated like royalty for a few days. As is often the case when a cross-state trip was in the offing, the issue of finances loomed large. But the townspeople and school assisted with the financial burden and raised nearly $300 for the trip.

The town flocked to the train station on Monday, March 10th to see the boys off to Salem. It was a long and tiresome journey and the team pulled into the station in Salem at noon on Thursday, the day they were to meet Salem high school in the first round game.

Salem was favored to win the tournament and Wallowa “entered the game in very poor shape. Everyone was sick with an epidemic of flu which was aggravated by the change of altitude and climate.” [10]

Nevertheless, Wallowa hung tough with Salem during the first quarter. But eventually the strain of racing up and down the huge Willamette University floor began to wear the Savages down.

Salem led 14-6 at halftime but Wallowa lost Henderson who succumbed to the flu and Rinker substituted. Salem continued to expand the lead and pulled away for a 25-10 victory. Greer led Wallowa with six points in the game.

Salem went on to dominate the rest of the tournament, beating Astoria by 10 in the next round and McMinnville by 27 in the semifinals.

Wallowa coach Eaman was happy with his team and believes that had Salem ventured out east, the result might have been different. Eaman was “confident that Wallowa could have held the Salem team if it played on a local floor with the team in regular shape and that either Joseph or Baker compared favorably to Salem.”[11]

For Wallowa, the trip to the state tournament was the first of many. In the next 85 years, Wallowa would make 16 trips to the state tournament final site, good enough for fourth all-time in Oregon small school basketball history. They have three state championships to their names and hundreds of boys have suited up for Wallowa and worn the black and orange of Wallowa proudly.

The Cougars, as they are called now, nearly claimed their fourth state championship trophy at the 2010 state tournament in Baker, advancing all the way to the finals before losing a close championship game tilt.

Not much has changed in over 85 years of Wallowa high school basketball. Still among the state’s elite.

[1] “Wallowa Football Team Makes Claim to State Title,” Wallowa Sun, December 5, 1924, Page 1.
[2] “Play to Finals of Tournament; High School Quintet Wins Three, Loses to La Grande,” Enterprise Journal, March 4, 1924, Page 1
[3] “Basketball Season,” Wallowa High School Waloha, 1925, Page 49
[4] Ibid
[5] “Basket Ball team Wins from Enterprise, Union, but Loses to Joseph,” Wallowa Sun, February 13, 1925, Page 1.
[6] “Joseph Basketball Team wins 17-19 in Exciting Game at Gym Thursday,” Wallowa Sun, February 20, 1925, Page 1.
[7] “Wallowa Wins Close Game from Enterprise by 28-26 Score Friday,” Wallowa Sun, February 27, 1925, Page 1
[8] “Basketball Season,” Wallowa High School Waloha, 1925, Page 50
[9] “Basketball Team Wins District Championship at Union,” Wallowa Sun, March 13, 1925, Page 2
[10] “Basketball Team Meets Defeat by 10-25 Score by Salem at Tournament,” Wallowa Sun, March
[11] Ibid.

Gym Photography Project Checklist

2010-12-17T11:15:00.000-08:00

The Gym Photography Project is one of my favorite projects that we have going on here. I love to see the gyms from around the state. The more I see, the more I realize how unique each one is. Each gym has a story to tell. Maybe it’s a team that went 25-0 and cruised to a state championship. Maybe one of the all-time greats learned the game there and was a hometown hero for four years.

Maybe the gym is tiny, old and falling apart. Perhaps it sparkles with the latest technology and amenities. Or more likely, it’s just a hunk of wood, brick and mortar designed and built for hundreds of boys and girls to run around in on Friday nights, representing their towns and schools to the best of their abilities.

The purpose of the Gym Photography project is not to compare gyms per se. It isn’t to make one school feel superior or another inferior.

The way I see it, the gyms are like our towns. Different. Unique. Small. Large.

That’s what I happen to love about 1A basketball and what I love about the Gym Photography Project.

I hope it is with this understanding that people make a point to snap a few photos of their gyms this winter. Take a few pictures, send them along and tell us what you like about the gym. Tell us what makes it unique, fun or a challenging place to play.

If you know any history of the gym, send it along. If you know someone who might know about the history of the gym, send it along. The Gym Photography Project is about sharing with the state the places our sons and daughters, brothers and sisters and friends play the game of basketball.

Nothing more, nothing less.

Below is a list of the 1A Districts, courtesy of the OSAA. We have photos of several schools but we are also missing quite a few. Click on the name of the school to see their gyms.

Thanks to all who have submitted photos!

District 1 – The Valley 10 League

City Christian
Columbia Christian
Damascus Christian
Life Christian
North Clackamas Christian
Open Door Christian Academy
Portland Lutheran
Portland Waldorf
Southwest Christian

District 2 – Casco League

C.S. Lewis Academy - Thanks Sarah
Country Christian - Thanks Sarah!
Falls City - Thanks Sarah!
Jewell - Photo and Article coming soon!
Mid-Valley Christian Academy
Oregon School For The Deaf - Thanks Jeremy!
Perrydale - Thanks Sarah!
St. Paul - Thanks Sarah
Willamette Christian
Willamette Valley Christian - Photo and Article coming soon!

District 3 – Mountain West League

Alsea
Eddyville Charter
Lowell
Mapleton
McKenzie
Mohawk - Photos and Article coming soon!
Siletz Valley
Triangle Lake

District 4 – Skyline League

Camas Valley
Elkton
New Hope Christian
Oak Hill / Lifegate Christian
Pacific
Powers
Umpqua Valley Christian

District 5 – Mountain Valley League

Butte Falls
Gilchrist
Hosanna Christian
North Lake
Paisley
Prospect Charter
Rogue Valley Adventist
The Triad

District 6 – Big Sky League

Arlington
Central Christian
Condon / Wheeler - Photos and article of Wheeler coming soon!
Dufur
Echo
Griswold
Horizon Christian (Hood River)
Ione
Nixyaawii
Sherman
South Wasco County

District 7 – Old Oregon League

Cove
Imbler
Joseph
Pine Eagle
Powder Valley
Wallowa

District 8 – High Desert League

Adrian - Thanks Angie!
Burnt River
Crane
Dayville / Monument
Harper
Huntington
Jordan Valley - Thanks Angie!
Long Creek
Mitchell - Thanks Buck!
Prairie City - Thanks Ryan!
Spray - Thanks Buck!
Ukiah

Peck Gymnasium - Oregon School for the Deaf

2010-12-15T13:28:00.000-08:00

Jeremy Brahm, volleyball coach at Oregon School for the Deaf, passes along photos of Oregon School for the Deaf’s Peck Gymnasium, named for William “Bill” Peck. Built in 1963, the gym recently underwent a floor renovation courtesy of a fundraising plan. The previous floor was the hard, rubberized material common during the 70’s and it was replaced with a beautiful wood floor.

The walls also underwent some changes as well as they added the new logo to the south wall.

Jeremy writes:

“Here are the photos of the Peck Gym at Oregon School for the Deaf in Salem. The Peck Gym last year had rubberized floors and the school had decided that too many students were getting injured and they completed their fund raising for a new floor during the 2009-2010 school year.

The new floor is all wood, with purple and white lines to match the school colors. The newly adopted school logo was painted on the North wall of the gymnasium as well. Most of our opponents, when they visited the gym for the first time this year said that they loved the look of it. I have to admit that the gym looks great on the inside and I was often sweeping the floor before matches and practices trying to keep it clean.

Because the gym is used by the entire school, high school through elementary school, padding is placed on the east wall to prevent kids from getting injured in basketball games with the climbing rocks jutting out from the wall. For volleyball matches we can pull out the bleachers from both walls, but we only do that for our matches with Washington School for the Deaf.

For basketball, we raise the scorer’s table to enable the statisticians and scoreboard operator a clean view of the court.

What will sound strange is that this gym can be incredibly loud. Yes, a deaf school with a loud gym, but it is the truth. I am the head coach for volleyball and helped out with a tiebreaking match this fall with two hearing teams. There were probably only 20-30 people in the stands and the girls on the court and the benches. I ran the scoreboard and there was one scorekeeper. She and I agreed during that match that it was incredibly loud, which with less than 80 people was amazing to me.

I told John Castrese the Athletic Director, who is deaf, that it was really loud. He looked at me and laughed. But it was loud with the sound just bouncing back and forth off the roof and walls. I try to make sure that I bring earplugs if I’m helping out during basketball games.”

The new floor and paint job at Oregon School for the Deaf looks fantastic. It is a very bright gymnasium and you can’t underestimate what a beautiful new floor can do for the look of a gym.

I like that it is still somewhat of a small gym and it has the stage on the end, but the new floor definitely gives the gym a serious upgrade.

Personally, I’m a big fan of simple gym floor design and in my opinion OSD hits it out of the park in that realm. They have stuck to simple lines and the traditional painted area. The “Home of the Panthers” on the baseline is another added feature that while kind of a small thing, is a nice touch for the current players and alums returning to watch games.

One thing that is interesting to me is the Oregon logo at midcourt which looks strikingly similar to the University of Oregon’s Mac Court. It might actually be the same font as University of Oregon’s. Knowing how particular the athletic department at the University of Oregon can be when it comes to their logos, fonts and images, I’m actually somewhat surprised that they permitted this. If there’s a back story to that, I’d love to know it.

Thanks to Jeremy for passing along the photos. His name and information were used with his permission.

Getting to Know Oregon

2010-12-04T21:26:00.000-08:00

While researching wagon train rides in Eastern Oregon, I came across this neat historical study from Oregonlive written in 2009. It tells the story of how a town in each of Oregon's counties got it's name.

Antelope, Island City, Bridal Veil and Sublimity are discussed and might be known to many. But what about Butcher Bill Meadow in Morrow County? How about a covered bridge named The Office in Lane County? Jumpoff Joe Creek in Josephine County? Or Whorehouse Meadow in Harney County?

It's a fascinating article and well worth your time to learn more about the history of some of Oregon's most fascinating features.

Getting to know Oregon

Scenes from 1935

2010-11-18T12:01:00.000-08:00

Mal Van Meer passed along these beautiful shots of the 1935 state tournament in Salem at Willamette University. This is one of the most interesting state tournaments in Oregon history because of the talent and future stars competing.

The 1935 state tournament included seven future players on Oregon's 1939 national champion Tall Firs squad. Laddie Gale (Oakridge), Robert Hardy (Ashland), Ted Sarpola, Wally Johansen, Bobby Anet (Astoria), John Dick (The Dalles) and Don Mabee (McMinnville)all appeared in the 1935 tournament. In addition, Astoria coach John Warren led Astoria to a 40-4 record and a state championship. Warren would join the University of Oregon program in 1936 as freshman basketball coach and would later coach the varsity.

In terms of star power, this tournament had it all. At least seven Division 1 basketball players under one roof!

I love looking into the crowd. I love how cramped they are and how so many are craning to catch even a glimpse of the action. Boys sitting cross-legged on the ground straining to keep their feet off the floor, many no doubt dreaming about their chance to compete on this same stage when they reach high school.

The heads popping up in the last rows in the balcony probably have the best view of all the action.

Anyone late to the game were undoubtedly left outside listening to the cheers from inside the gym. No place for late arrivers to go but outside.

Thanks to Mal for the photos. As usual, click on the photo to see a larger version.

Staying in Touch

2010-11-04T11:33:00.000-07:00

Quick reminder that there are a couple of ways to stay in touch and receive updates on postings other happenings.

First, you can subscribe via email on the right-hand side of this page. Just enter your email address and you'll receive an email with the text of the article in your email. It's quick and easy and best of all, your email will not be spammed. In fact, I'm not even sure how to check who has signed up for the email service.

I've signed up with all three of my email addresses and the process works pretty well. I haven't received any spam since signing up for the service and it's a pretty easy way to get updates.

If you are into Facebook, you can also find us there. Our profile is www.facebook.com/hoops1a.

Finally, if anyone is into good ol' fashioned email, email us at hoops1a@hotmail.com. Feel free to email with any questions, comments, story ideas and if you have them, complaints.

1940's Program of the Decade

2010-10-29T13:08:00.000-07:00

The state tournament now played in Baker City can trace its official roots back to the early 1940’s, when the first true small school state tournament was created. Prior to that, there was no classification and no delineation between schools with 2000 students and those with 20.

The move to add a “B” classification forever altered the landscape of small school basketball and instantly introduced dozens of new teams to state tournament level basketball. In the 1930’s, only 21 different schools made the state tournament. By the 40’s, the number nearly doubled to 37.

The shift made the state tournament a reality for hundreds of boys in small towns throughout Oregon.

The early part of the 40’s was still a tumultuous time in America. World War II was raging all over the world and the United States was only just beginning to emerge from the post-depression economy. Young men volunteered in droves to serve America overseas, while an equally impressive number of women picked up the slack in factories, farms and stores to keep the boys supplied. It was truly an amazing show of unity and resolve that would propel the United States to victory in WW II and push the country to the top of the international world.

While the nation waited on its heroes to return from battle, citizens tried to carry on with life. There were still fairs and parades. Movies and dances. Music and sports. But all was done with the somber reality that something much more important was happening elsewhere.

It was during this time that many small towns in Oregon got their first their first taste of a district tournament. Many more became familiar with the state tournament and a train ride to a big city with streets packed with cars and noise.

The addition of the “B” classification was an instantaneous boon for several programs that continue to thrive today. 31 schools made their first ever trip to the state tournament during the 1940’s. Many of those schools would go on to achieve success for decades to come. Others would fade into the history books. Victims of a dwindling economy, population decreases and ultimately, consolidation.

It is here that we will attempt to find the “Program of the Decade” for the 1940’s.

Arlington – The Honkers of Arlington had success in the first half of the 1940’s, qualifying for three trips between 1941 and 1945. The Honkers, led by
Vince Barrett captured district titles in 1941 and 1942, before the tournament was dropped from eight teams to four on account of the war. Coach Barrett led a team with two freshmen and one sophomore starter to the state tournament in 1943 and also built the Arlington football team into a formidable outfit during the early part of the decade.

With WWII raging, Barrett resigned his position as coach and athletic director to join the navy and less than a month after a leading Arlington to a fifth place finish in the 1942 state tournament, coach Barrett was stationed in Norfolk, Virginia preparing for training.

For two years, Arlington missed out on the state tournament as a new coach, Frank Adams took over and younger players moved in.

At the 1945 state tournament, Arlington drew the unenviable task of slowing down Reedsport and their high scoring center Clyde DeWitt. Reedsport cruised and Arlington came back the next night and lost a close game to Grant Union for third place. Arlington overachieved that year with a 17-13 record to reach the state tournament. Arthur Clough, younger brother of Buster Clough earned second team honors after the tournament as did Allen Smythe.

Arlington wouldn’t seriously threaten for another district championship for years. It was 1969 before they re-appeared on the state tournament scene. Their 12 state tournament berths ties them for seventh all time with Prairie City, Wasco County and Powder Valley.

Grant Union – Grant Union has five state trips to its name at the small school level and four of them came in the 40’s. Grant Union burst onto the scene in 1941 with a powerful team. Ahead of a game with Arlington, the Arlington Bulletin said about them, “reports are circulating through eastern Oregon state that this year Grant has the best team in the history of their school and expect to win their district championship easily and then go on and make a strong bid for the state B championship.” [1]

They didn’t have a stellar overall record, but Grant Union won the District 8 tournament with a 27-19 win over St. Francis on the Grant Union home floor to earn their first state tournament bid. They lost both games handily once they reached the state tournament but the groundwork was laid for a successful run through the mid-40’s.

After missing the tournament in the war shortened 1942 and 1943 seasons, Grant Union returned to the state tournament in 1944 after defeating Helix to earn the berth to state. Unfortunately for them, they drew Powers, who was steamrolling towards a state title. Grant Union provided little resistance to the Cruisers who won by 19 points.

1945 was a banner year for Grant Union, who clinched a berth in the state tournament by defeating Enterprise in a three-game series. Coached by Thomas Johnson, they were 23-3 heading into the state tournament, only to once again draw the eventual state champion in the first round. This time it was Clatskanie, champion of District 1 who prevailed with a 17-point win over Grant Union. They rebounded in the consolation game and outlasted Arlington 28-27. After the tournament, Glenn Eddy was named first team all tournament. Gordon Wilson was second in scoring to Clyde DeWitt with 24 points in the two games.

The Prospectors earned their final trip of the decade in 1947 after a 47-35 district championship victory over Athena in the District Tournament at Echo High School. But once they reached the state tournament they lost both their games, first to Star of the Sea (Astoria) and then a five point loss at the hands of Dayton in the consolation contest.

At the state level, Grant Union didn’t have the successes of some of its 1940’s counterparts. But every school in the eastern part of Oregon new that to get to the state tournament, they would invariably have to get through the Prospectors of Grant Union. Four trips in ten years easily proves that point.

Powers – Arguably the best small school basketball program in Oregon history, Powers got its start in the early 40’s. Powers had rarely challenged
for a state tournament berth prior to the creation of the “B” classification, often struggling to get past larger schools like North Bend, Marshfield and Myrtle Creek in their district. Twice prior to the “B” classification, Powers lost in the semifinals of the district tournament, once in 1926 and again in 1936.

Powers finally did break through in 1941, winning the Coos County championship and earning a berth in the District 5 Tournament. Reedsport took home the championship that year but for the next three years, Powers dominated the district.

Led by Sophomore Bob Bushnell, the Cruisers captured the 1942 district 5 crown with a 44-28 victory over Gardiner in the championship game. They withstood a stiff challenge from Reedsport in the semifinals to gain entry into the district final. Powers fell to eventual champion Butte Falls in the semifinals after barely outlasting Mohawk in the first round.

With much of the team back in 1943, Powers again had a solid record with many different weapons. Frank Grove led the team in scoring throughout the year, followed closely by Jack Bushnell. Once again, the Cruisers were undone by the eventual state champion, this time losing a one point game in overtime to Warrenton.

Powers finally broke through for a championship in 1944, cruising to a title behind five all-state tournament players. Interestingly, they nearly didn’t get out of the first round of the District 5 tournament, barely getting past Reedsport and their dominant sophomore center, Clyde Dewitt 30-26. It was Powers’ closest playoff game of the year enroute to the title. So dominant was Powers at the state tournament, the “Powers quint had many oldtimers mutter, ‘shades of 1937 and Bellfountain.’ So scintillating were these sharp-passing and seemingly tireless ballhawks that more than a few hoop citizens were convinced they could have held their own with any ‘A’ quint entry.” [2]

The Cruisers were beset by a series of down years in the seasons following the three-year run at state. It wasn’t until 1949 before Powers returned to the district tournament. There they lost in the first round to Riddle. However over the next 50 years, Powers became the standard for all small schools, excelling in football in the fall and basketball in the winter. Their 24 state tournament trips in their history ranks them #1 all-time.

Pleasant Hill – The Billies of Pleasant Hill enjoyed a string of success in the middle part of the 40’s, earning trips to three state tournaments in
four years. By the 1940’s Pleasant Hill had evolved from a team that once lost 74-2 to Thurston in 1938, to a bona-fide state championship contender. The breakthrough came in 1944 when the Billies swept through the Lane County tournament and held off a pesky Mohawk squad in the county championship game. They easily won their first two games at the District 3 Tournament, setting up a rematch with rivals Mohawk for the district crown. The Billies won by 10 to earn their second trip to state in school history. Heading into the tournament with a 25-5 record, Pleasant Hill slipped by Knappa by eight to reach the finals to face a juggernaut Powers team. The Cruisers jumped to a 15-0 lead and never looked back.

The Billies won their third straight Lane County championship in 1945 and won their second straight District 3 title the following weekend. Had the state tournament been an eight team tournament, the Billies would have qualified following the district title. With a pared down version, it meant they had to battle the District 4 champion for the trip to state. Reedsport and their dominant center, Clyde Dewitt prevailed and earned the trip to state.

They continued their dominance over their Lane County foes in 1946, cruising to a 59-44 championship win over St. Mary’s. The following weekend the captured the District 3 crown, their third in a row. With the state tournament now back to the regular eight team format, the victory over St. Mary’s was an automatic qualification to the state tournament.

However, once they reached the state tournament, they drew Reedsport again, led by Dewitt who was fresh off a dominating performance in the District 4 tournament, including a 46 point performance (and school scoring record) against Glendale in the Douglas County championship game.

The Billies and Braves were the two best teams in the state that year and their showdown at state proved it. Led by 1st Team All-State performers Chet Hutton and Don Kimball, the Billies took the Braves to overtime before falling by two, 47-45. Pleasant Hill breezed through the consolation bracket easily to capture the fourth place trophy.

A new team greeted Coach T.P. Otto for 1947, but the results were identical. An easy Lane County Tournament championship over Lowell followed by an equally easy District 3 championship over Alsea. The “B” tournament didn’t offer much of a test either until the championship tilt with eastern Oregon’s Union high school. Pleasant Hill trailed 9-2 after one quarter of play but rebounded in the middle quarters and seized control of the game by outscoring Union 27-16. Union fought back to cut the final margin to one but the Billies prevailed 33-32 to capture their first ever state championship.

The ride ended after the championship of 1947 and the Billies wouldn’t threaten the Lane County or District 3 foes for the rest of the decade.

Union – For much of the later part of 1940’s, Union high school was the class of eastern Oregon. The Bobcats captured four straight District 8 crowns from 1947-1950. Prior to the 40’s, Union had little success at the district tournament level, always seeming to struggle against some of the bigger schools in Eastern Oregon like Baker and La Grande or in some cases, some of the more storied smaller school programs like Wallowa in the20’s.

The era was the pinnacle of sports for Union high school. They won three-straight track championships, won a state football title in 1949 after finishing 3rd in 1947 and also captured the 1949 baseball championship.

Union first earned a trip to state in 1943, behind a dominant playoff run that included a 52-30 win over Elgin in the District Tournament at John Day High School. They would capture the trip to the state tournament with a 44-31 win over District 7 champion Helix in the regional playoff. At an evenly matched state tournament, Union fell to eventual champion Warrenton 27-26 in the first round. In the third place game the following day, Union fell to Powers, a team that was poised to dominate the entire state the next year.

1947 began a run of dominance though Union nearly lost in the semifinals of the District 8 tournament, outlasting Umapine by just one point. They won a trip to state the following night with a 12-point win over Athena. Union won their first two games at the state tournament by a combined four points to reach the championship. They defeated Dayton in the opening round by three and Star of the Sea by one in the semi’s. The magical run ended in the finals with a one-point loss to Pleasant Hill, who was busy capping a stellar 22-2 campaign with the state championship.

The Bobcats repeated the District 8 champions in 1948. After dominating Girabaldi in their state tournament opener, Union once again lost a heartbreaker, this time to Monmouth 34-33. Union thrashed Umapine to bring home the third place trophy. After the tournament, Richard Baum was named MVP and received the most votes for the all-state tournament team.

1949 was the arguably the greatest year in Bobcats sports history. After capturing the state title in football with a 20-6 win over Banks, the boys took to the hardwood and earned their second state title of the school year. As in the previous two years at the state tournament, the games were close. After knocking off District 1 champion Warrenton by ten in the first round, Union dispatched a very strong Rogue River team in the semifinals, handling the Rogues their only loss of the season. The Bobcats defeated Alsea 50-40 for their first state championship and the perfect cap to a 28-3 season. Again, the boys weren’t done winning state titles. Many took the track in the spring and ran Union to the first of three-straight track championships. They were denied the clean sweep in baseball however, losing to Drain in the state championship game after defeating Mohawk in the first round.

It was the best year in sports history for Union and one of the greatest in all of Oregon state history.

Westport – The 1941 Westport Pirates capped off a three-year run of state tourney bids by bringing home the big prize in Salem that year. Led by three-
year starters Don Nelson and Lawrence Tuom, the Pirates survived a tough first-round game against Jacksonville, winning 30-28. It was Jacksonville’s only loss that season. The semi’s and championships were much easier, as the Pirates won both handily. They defeated Arlington 38-19 in the semis and then knocked off Corbett 52-34 in the finals.

After the tournament, Don Nelson was named to his third straight all-Tournament team (first team as a sophomore and senior) and Lawrence Tuom was named to his first. Lawrence Tuom led the 1939 state tournament in scoring as a sophomore, tallying 23 points in the two games.

Led by coach Theodore Stensland, the Westport Pirates were the class of the small schools on Oregon’s northern coast. Between 1933 and 1942, the Pirates won or shared every championship of Clatsop County.

Bolstered by a roster of height, the Pirates made four straight-state tournaments from 1939-1942. In 1940, the Pirates gained a berth in the state tournament after capturing the 8-team District 15 tournament at Linfield College. The 1940 tournament proved to be one of the most competitive state tournaments in history, with all four games at the tournament decided by four points or less. Unfortunately for Westport, they were on the losing end in both their games, first falling to Butte Falls 30-28 and then Helix 26-24 in the consolation game.

However the nucleus for Westport was set. Don Nelson and Lawrence Tuom entered the 1941 season as three year starters. Both had been key players on the 1939 and 1940 teams and both had made the all-state team as sophomores and juniors. Now as seniors, they were poised for run at the state championship in 1941.

Eight teams entered the 1941 tournament, including unbeaten Jacksonville, whom the Pirates drew in the first round. Nelson and Tuom both stood 6-1 and helped lead Westport to a tight 30-28 victory over Jacksonville in the first round. A championship showdown with Corbett and their dominant center seemed imminent. After dispatching Arlington by 19 in the semifinals, the Pirates and the Cardinals would indeed meet for the championship.

Westport cruised, winning by 18 to cap the three year run of success for Westport.
But the Pirates weren’t done. The 1942 version of the Pirates rolled early, knocking of Franklin in an early season game. A three-game mid season slump refocused Westport, who went on to win their final nine games to tie for the league title. The wins kept piling up in the postseason as the Pirates easily captured the district 1 crown for their fourth straight trip to the state tournament.

The Pirates prevailed in two close games to earn a place in the state finals opposite a 17-0 Butte Falls squad who had been to three state tournaments in the past four years. The Loggers pulled away for a 39-28 victory, denying Westport a second straight title. Melvin Tuom and Art Verment both earned first team all-state honors after the tournament.

Following the season, longtime coach Ted Stensland stepped down at Westport. In 14 years at the helm of the Pirate ship, he led Westport to nine Clatsop County League championships and four state tournament berths and state championship.

After the 1942 season, Westport continued to excel in the CCL. A measles outbreak in the region in 1943 decimated most squads and many games were forfeited and teams were unable to complete the season. Warrenton and Westport tied for the league title that season with Warrenton capturing the league championship in a playoff game.
In 1946, Westport won the CCL with an 8-0 record but couldn’t advance out of districts, giving way instead to Sacred Heart out of Tillamook.

Westport would never appear at the state tournament again despite the return of Stensland a few years after leaving. Stensland would once again step down as coach of the Pirates late in the 1940’s when his son, Don, moved into high school feeling it was unfair to the younger Stensland to play for his father.

[1]”Two Teams Tied for Lead in Wheat League,” Arlington Bulletin, Jan. 17, 1941, Page 1
[2] “Lopsided Wins End Tourney,” Salem Statesman Journal, Date Unknown

Early Three-Point Line

2010-10-15T15:47:00.000-07:00

Howard Hobson is one of the most hallowed names in Oregon basketball history. The leader of the Tall Firs and future coaching hall of famer was always at the cutting edge of basketball rules and adaptions.

He advocated for removing the center jump after all baskets, widening the key, instituting a shot clock and creating a three-point line.

Hobson organized a game between Columbia and Fordham at the Columbia gymnasium in 1945 with the three-point line and wider lane. Shots from beyond the 21-foot line were worth three points.

The photo below shows a player attempting a top of the key three-pointer. Actually, he's probably closer to the NBA three-point line than the college line.

The game went well and was won by Columbia 73-58 but observers of the game said the biggest problem with the new line was it deprived the game of "exciting lay-ups."

Foul Line

2010-10-05T11:14:00.001-07:00

Years ago, a friend of mine and a source of many great stories from Oregon's past, used to do an informal newsletter that he would send to a list of people. Titled the "Foul Line", the newsletter was a look at state records and numbers in football and basketball.

Mal Van Meer lives in Astoria and is a tireless researcher of Oregon high school sports. He loves to research the numbers aspect of history, records, winning streaks, coaching victories, rushing yards and the like.

Recently Mal posted on Oregon Prep Sports, his latest issue of the "Foul Line" dealing with football in Oregon.

Mal deals with some 11-man records, including a kicker from Marist nearing a state record for PAT's made in a career.

The 8-man information is full of information, including a piece on a dynamic freshman at Perrydale, Tell Cruickshank, who had back-to-back 300 yard rushing games!

It's a fun piece and I highly encourage you to check it out.

OSAA Score Center

2010-09-13T10:45:00.000-07:00

The OSAA recently modified the way it would handle state tournaments by adding a power ranking to it's playoff system. Similar to the BCS, it will tabulate rankings and then spit out what is supposed to be a balanced state tournament to presumably eliminate the two best teams meeting before the state finals.

The solution the OSAA implemented was the OSAA Score Center that will track scores from around the state and provide rankings based upon scores, rankings and opponents. It'll be interesting to see how it translates once the state tournament hits.

You can see the 1A football rankings here.

The Power Ranking system will be one of the many trends that I will be keeping my eye on in Oregon high school sports. The OSAA has been extremely active lately, keeping with it's tradition dating back to the 20's and 30's of tweaking the system to get it right.

Starting back in the 1920's with the creation of a state tournament for basketball to the 2010's with the implementation of a power ranking in all sports. The OSAA has always been active in responding to changes in interscholastic sports and those who participate in activities.

But more interesting to me however is the information that can be stored within the ScoreCenter. Particularly at the small school level, information is typically scarce. That's why I like that I can click on the team and see their schedule, their scores and in some cases, their roster.

This information is sorely lacking at the 1A level and I'm hopeful that the ScoreCenter will help this as more people add their data.

The people over at Oregon Prep Sports are at the leading edge of Oregon High School sports coverage in my opinion. They deserve a ton of credit for what they do for high school sports in Oregon. They provide articles, rankings, results, schedules and so much more.

I definitely encourage you to book mark that site and check it regularly, if not daily.

But it's good for the administrating body of interscholastic sports to house this information as well. Since they are the ones administering the programs and making decisions, they needed to be more proactive in storing information and giving it's constiuents a one-stop shop for scores and information on upcoming opponents.

Ejections

2010-09-10T10:01:00.000-07:00

The OSAA released it's list of schools that were "ejection free" in 2009-2010. In other words, the teams on the list did not have a single player or coach ejected in any sport in 2009-2010.

Take a look at how many small schools are on the list.

http://osaa.org/osaainfo/09-10EjectionFreeSchoolListAlpha.pdf

For sure, the small schools are not angels, but in general they seem to do a pretty good job of keeping their heads and just playing the game.

Just one of the many things that I like about the small classification.

Items from Lane County

2010-09-08T20:57:00.000-07:00

Recently I've discovered the Google News Archives. I can't recall exactly how I found them, but boy have they been fascinating and hazardous to my professional career. But I've spent the past two weeks or so studying the Lane County Tournaments of the early 1940's from McArthur Court on the Campus of the University of Oregon.

Mac Court was more commonly referred to as "The Igloo" during that time and it hosted the Lane County Tournament. A three-day extravaganze of championship level basketball, girls volleyball and a consolation tournament for all the "B" schools who didn't qualify for the championship flight of the district tournament.

It was wall-to-wall sports, from the early morning to the late evening, all for the smallest schools in Lane County, a vast county with literally dozens of small schools.

And the Eugene Register Guard was right there every step of the way providing coverage to the citizens of Lane County and beyond.

Their reporters provided detailed game reports and play-by-play, box scores and in some cases, photos.

Incredible, that during this time when war was raging all over the world, little Lowell high school winning their fourth straight county championship, earned front page billing. Right up there with Hitler, Stalin, Allies and war movements.

Here are some of the scenes and photos from the Register Guard in the early-40's.

Coburg's 1940 Lane County Runnerup

Lowell's 1940 Lane County Basketball Champs

Pleasnt Hill 1940 American Division champions. The Lane County "B" basketball league was divided into three divisions, American, National and Coastal. Here, the Pleasant Hill team is shown as the American Division champions

1941 Lane County Tournament all-stars

Thurston's Delano Fox looking to score against Lowell in the 1941 Lane County B league championship game won by Lowell.

Lowell's 1941 Lane County Champions

Mohawk's 1944 Lane County Runnerup

Pleasant Hill 1944 Lane County Champions

Oakridge 1941 Lane County Volleyball Champions

Pleasant Hill 1941 Lane County Volleyball Runnerup

Oakridge Wins Lane County...Volleyball Championship

2010-09-03T12:22:00.000-07:00

At Oregon Hoops History we don’t really talk about many other sports and I know we’ve never covered volleyball. But, we’re going to make an effort to post more often about a wider variety of historical subjects from the smaller schools.

Recently, while doing some research in the Eugene Register Guard, I came across an interesting volleyball tournament at MacArthur Court, then known as “The Igloo.”

In March of 1940, the Lane County Basketball tournament was staged at Mac Court. Organizers staged the basketball tournament to determine the two Lane County basketball teams who would enter the District Tournament at Junction City. In an effort to draw more people and broaden the base of fans, they also staged a Lane County volleyball tournament.

The tournament featured 13 volleyball teams from Lane County. The four teams advancing through to the semifinals were Pleasant Hill, Mohawk, Oakridge and Crow.

Rather than play to 15 or 25 as the game is played now, games were timed and there was a halftime. It meant there were some rather interesting scores. Oakridge defeated Mapleton 39-15. Crow annihilated Triangle Lake 44-14 and Pleasant Hill doubled up on Creswell 40-20.

Oakridge and Pleasant Hill met in the Lane County finals at Mac Court in the prelude to the championship basketball festivities.

Pleasant Hill surged to an early 14-9 lead before Shirley Reams served the Oakridge Lady Warriors into a 14-14 tie. Oakridge continued their rally and led 16-14 heading into halftime. Delores Guistina brought Pleasant Hill into a slim lead at 20-19 but Virginia Bordune countered with four points on serves to put Oakridge back in front 23-20.

The Warriors would not relinquish the lead and went on to capture the first official Lane County volleyball championship 33-24.

According to the Register Guard, Bette Orr led the Warriors with her “spiking and Tharon Rogers doing the ‘snubbing’ and setting. Virginia Bordune was the best servers for the winners with seven points.”

Around this time, participation and opportunities for girls to play sports began to dwindle. The war years made it tough on everyone and with so many of the men and boys overseas, the girls and women were charged with taking on more responsibility.

But for many years, girls had many opportunities to play sports, particularly basketball and volleyball. I often wonder about what the basketball looked like back in the early 30’s and 40’s and I certainly wonder what the volleyball looked like.
Did anyone jump serve or did they mostly serve underhand? Did they dive all over the floor like they do now? What about the attacks, were they quick and powerful like they are today?

My gut tells me the game was much slower than it is today. But my heart wants to believe that they played fast and aggressive just like the girls do today.

I’ll bet both are right. Sure the game might have been slower and less dynamic. But I’m positive the teams and players competed just as hard as their modern counterparts. The games meant just as much as they do now.

Below is a picture of the Oakridge Warriors championship volleyball team:

And their opponents in the finals, the Pleasant Hill Billies:

New Bleachers in Elkton - Updated!

2010-09-01T14:15:00.000-07:00

Thanks to "dcsportsguy2" on Oregonlive, I have some photos of the bleachers, via the installers blog. Check out the before and after photos and a write-up of the process of creating the bleachers here.

My favorite quote from NW School Equipment's blog:

"Clear vertical grain Douglas Fir with 4 coats of finish gives the bleachers the look of fine furniture."

My sentiments exactly. The bleachers look incredible. Simply beautiful.

Photo via http://nwschoolequipment.blogspot.com/

Visit NW School Equipment's website to see their capabilities and pictures of past projects. Kudos to both Elkton School District and NW School Equipment for coming up with a concept that worked for both parties and kept the tradition and history of that storied gymnasium alive for future generations.

New Bleachers in Elkton

2010-08-30T09:34:00.000-07:00

One of the most storied programs in Oregon small school basketball history has redone their bleachers, forgoing the more common plastic bleachers and opting to restore and reuse their current and historically significant bleachers.

Astoria historian Mal Van Meer passed along this article from Bob Welch from the Eugene Register Guard about Elkton's new, old bleachers in the Carl Grimsrud Gymnasium.

From the article:

Elkton wanted something that echoed the area’s fir-rooted history for its gym, which has the nostalgic feel of the one used in the movie “Hoosiers.”

Late last month, Elkton completed what designer Dean Gadda described as "the prettiest bank of bleachers ever built."

The bleachers were thick Douglas fir, a wood that is forever tied to the area and the school. Rather than replace the wood, Elkton and Gadda had them remilled at a mill near Gresham and returned, brand new. In addition to the remilled wood, Elkton and Gadda had them installed on modern bleacher frame which allowed them to be rolled in or out with just a push of the button.

The Elks now had "the best of both worlds: The convenience of modern technology and the continuance of historic roots."

The project should be shared with the rest of the state. If anyone near Elkton wants to take a few photos of the gym and the bleachers, they would make a wonderful addition to the Gym Photography Project.

State Tournament on the Move

2010-07-29T09:50:00.000-07:00

Another state tournament is on the move. We've chronicled the travels of the small school tournament before but the 1A state tournament will tip-off in Baker City for the 37th straight year in 2011. It is easily the longest streak in one location right now.

The OSAA Executive Board recently approved a move of the 3A state tournament from Salem to Coos Bay by a 9-1 margin. There had been growing sentiment to move the tournament from Salem's Willamette University to another facility. Tournament attendees frequently complained of poor parking, restroom facilities and limited seating.

According to the article, the move to Marshfield's gym will increase seating capacity from 2,444 to 3,200.

In the article, Santiam Christian coach Ron Sisler says,

"That will be a really good venue...They hold enough people (and) the smaller town atmosphere can't do anything but help in community support."

The move harkens back to the 60's when the Oregon class A-2 tournament was held at Marshfield high school.

The 2010 state championship game at Willamette University's Sparks Center featured two local teams in Horizon Christian and Dayton. Both schools have star players destined for college basketball which led to an increased interest in the game. The Sparks Center venue was not large enough to handle the number of people wanting to see the game and according to some in the forum section of Oregonlive, many people were unable to get into the packed and sweltering gym to see the marquee matchup.

The shift to Marshfield will allow for more seating but questions still remain. Travel time and safety will be an interesting concern. One of the issues people have with Baker City for the 1A tournament is the out of the way location in the extreme northeast corner of the state. It isn't convenient for people to get to. In addition, drivers on I-84 have to navigate two mountain passes in early March to get to Baker City.

That can be a dicey and potentially dangerous situation. For many to reach Coos Bay, they will have to travel over Highway 38, primarily a two lane, undivided highway through the coast range. Some from the south may come over highway 42 but the majority will likely travel 38.

I don't have any knowledge of 38 in early March, but anytime you have to travel a mountain pass, particularly in a bus, you are the mercy of mother nature.

Everything I've heard and read indicates that Coos Bay really wanted this tournament. The AD's and aministrators in the 3A classification voiced their concerns with Salem and helped create a change.

To help their cause, a smaller town, with a history for hosting this type of tournament, stepped up and offered to give the tournament a home. Had another town not stepped in and given the OSAA a viable place to move the tournament, the change might never have happened.

Travels with Terry

2010-07-21T13:02:00.000-07:00

Came across an interesting blog, for those interested in the outdoors or Oregon. Terry Richard does a blog known as "Travels with Terry" on Oregonlive and talks about various hiking excursions throughout Oregon.

His latest post is about Indian Springs Butte in the Strawberry Mountains.

Check out the link above for his posts on Oregon's beauty.

Oregon's Hoosiers on the Silver Screen

2010-06-21T15:28:00.000-07:00

Oregon filmaker Phil Bransom is tackling the Cinderella story of the Bellfountain Bells, state champions in 1937. The Bells, with an enrollment of just under 30 students, cruised to the state title over Portland powerhouses Franklin and Lincoln to capture the trophy.

The Bells shouldn't have been an unknown quantity after their third place finish in 1936 but it's clear the media wasn't buying the Bells. The media of the time referred to Bellfountain as "a wide spot in the road" or "someplace in Benton county." Both descriptions were apt and correct.

But they shouldn't have taken the Bells lightly on the floor. Bellfountain was 21-2 heading into the tournament including two wins over traditional powerhouse Salem, and wins over Corvallis and the Willamette University freshman. Bellfountain was a good team.

They showed it at the state tournament, blowing past their three opponents by 20, 18 and 26 points. Their closest game was the state championship against Lincoln, a 14-point blowout.

It's a great story and Bransom, a West Linn filmmaker will be adapting it to the big screen. No word yet as to when auditions will begin but members of the production team have scouted out locations for the Bellfountain home gym. I hope to win the job of Harrison Wallace, leading guard of the team and multiple time all-star.

It will be interesting to see how many young guys sign up to be players in the movie. Will the short shorts and skinny tops be a deterrent?

Check out Bransom's blog at: http://giantkillersthemovie.blogspot.com./

Facebookers can follow the progress here.

Gym Photography Project - Prairie City

2010-06-17T09:31:00.000-07:00

People in Prairie City are very likely to gush about the beauty of their town. They’ll tell you about their schools, business district, scenery, small town charm and historical significance. And they’d be right. They’ll also probably hesitate, lest you decide this staggeringly beautiful place at the foot of the Strawberry Mountains is your next residence.

A visit to Prairie City is a trip back in time and I count it as one of the many places in Oregon that I want to visit. Jefferson coach and reader of the blog, Heath Merriman visited Prairie City and reported back in his epic travelogue that Prairie City was “a beautiful little town. Its old-town buildings are well kept and it strikes me…as a great little community.” [1]

With roughly 1,100 citizens, Prairie City is the second largest city in Grant County behind John Day. Nestled at the foothills of the Strawberry Mountains at the end of a vast prairie, the town of Prairie City is among the most picturesque in all of Eastern Oregon.

Incorporated in 1891, Prairie City’s roots date back to the early 1860’s during the height of the gold mining days of the area that would become Grant County on a creek now called Dixie Creek. Settlers, frustrated with the dwindling gold strikes in existing mining locations, relocated and found gold along this creek, roughly 3.5 miles above the current location of Prairie.

As the gold began to dry out, the settlers moved towards the prairie and fertile John Day River bottom. Jobs switched from prospecting and gold mining to ranching, farming and logging.

The town was beset by fires and after three fires in 1884, 1887 and 1901, the business district moved to its current location. [2]

Education came before incorporation in Prairie City. The first schoolhouse was a small building outside of town that was used from 1876-1885. Around this time, a new school was built in town that was used until 1901 when it burned down. It was replaced with a large two story school that was used until 1910 when the present school was built. [3]

The Riverside School House is a bed and breakfast hotel in Prairie City and was built around the turn of the century though nobody knows for sure it’s exact date. Previously called the Winegar School, it was located about a mile west of where it currently stands. Currently, it is located on a working cattle ranch at the headwaters of the John Day River and was renamed the Riverside School. It was used until the 1960’s. [4]

Current Prairie City athletic director and 1995 grad Ryan Gerry was kind enough to pass along a slew of photos of the current home of the Panthers. A cavernous and spacious facility built in the early 80’s, there were several things that piqued my interest when viewing the photos of the Prairie City gym.

Gerry lists the capacity as 400 but I would suspect it’s because one side of the floor doesn’t have the traditional wood bleachers one usually sees in gyms. Rather it has smaller metal bleachers and I suspect that drops the capacity.

The balcony on the wood bleachers side would surely increase the capacity by several hundred if it was needed and desired. I’m thinking it would make for interesting standing room only seating if an overflow crowd descended upon the town. Perhaps for a substate game featuring Powder Valley and Prairie City with a trip to Baker City on the line?

Another thing that struck me about this gym, and truthfully, many of the gyms I’ve seen and continue to see, is the giant flag nailed to the wall. This is one of the very best things I have come to love about many of the gyms featured in the smallest classifications. The locker rooms might be cramped and smell like stale jockstraps. It’s probably harder to move around the gym lobby than a New York subway car during rush hour. The bleachers are probably decades old with thousands of scratches, dents and broken wood. But schools and athletic departments rarely scrimp on the United States flag. It is big and beautiful and a constant reminder to all who attend and play the game just how great a nation we live in. I love this about the Prairie City gym.

The third thing that struck me about the Panther gym is the midcourt logo. I’m partial to the center court logo being the school mascot or logo. Prairie City has gone another direction opting instead for a logo with the words “Panther Power” at midcourt. It’s definitely unique and not something I’ve seen too many of. It would be interesting to know if a class donated the money to have it done and if there is a backstory to the selection.

Finally, the last thing I noticed is the size of the lobby. Like the rest of the facility, it looks to be very spacious with plenty of room to maneuver through the crowd. It has a somewhat modern feel to it and is surrounded by trophy cases harkening back to past glory for Prairie City.

Prairie City’s gym is unique so far to the Gym Photography Project. I don’t believe that we’ve seen any other gyms built during the early 80’s and I believe that it looks to be one of the biggest facilities I’ve seen so far.

Currently, Prairie City is trying to build up their athletics program back to where they were in the 90’s when they made seven trips in eight years. In small, rural towns, the cycles are a bit more drastic but Gerry is confident the Panthers are building towards success. The Panthers captured the High Desert League consolation crown in 2009 and lost to eventual district champion Jordan Valley in the first round of the 2010 district tournament.

[1] Merriman, Heath. Aumsville to Baker City: A Backroad Journey to 1A Schools. July 13, 2009. May 28, 2010. http://oregonhoopshistory.blogspot.com/2009/07/aumsville-to-baker-city-backroad.html
[2] A Brief History of Prairie City. March 28, 2010
http://www.prairiecityoregon.com/prairie-city-oregon-history.html
[3] Ibid
[4] History of the School House. June 2, 2010. http://www.riversideschoolhouse.com/history.html

Gym Photography Project - Jordan Valley

2010-04-16T14:27:00.000-07:00

Jordan Valley is named for Michael Jordan. It could explain Jordan Valley’s strong tradition in basketball throughout the years.

Okay, it isn’t named for THAT Michael Jordan. Rather it was named for Michael Jordan the prospector; a member of a party of prospectors traveling the area in the 1860’s who settled along an isolated creek suitable for camping. Somehow party member Michael Jordan earned the naming rights and the town of Jordan Valley came to life.

For some reason, I have always been fascinated with Jordan Valley. It feels so lonely out there in eastern Oregon. An isolated outpost of cowboys and ranchers surrounded by forbidding mountains and intimidating terrain.

It was also the Jordan Valley Mustangs of the early 2000’s that helped pique my interest in small school basketball. I returned to Oregon in 2001 and took in my first state tournament since 1997 the following year in 2002.

I had never heard of Jordan Valley. Never seen it on a map nor ever given it second thought. But when I saw the map the tournament organizers put on the wall in the Baker City gymnasium lobby with all the towns labeled, I was instantly intrigued. Their location, combined with the fact that they were making their fifth straight state tournament trip in 2002 made them one of my favorite towns.

The city of Jordan Valley lies in a lush valley along Jordan Creek in Owyhee country. It is rugged and unforgiving land surrounded by the volcanic terrain of the high desert and numerous mountain peaks, capped with snow.

The aforementioned miners arrived with about 60 mules onto a creek in 1863. The place was suitable for camping but before unpacking his mule, one of the prospectors shoved his pan in the dirt and unearthed about 100 different colors. Other members of the party scrambled to put their pans in the ground and within an hour all members of the party had a dazzling display of rocks.

Within 12 days, the laws of the district were made and adopted, claims located, and the creek was named Jordan after Michael Jordan, one member of the party. A few years later, Jordan was scalped by the Indians on the banks of this same stream. [1]

During the 1890s and after, the need for low-wage but experienced shepherds in other parts of the “ION” region—southwestern Idaho, southeastern Oregon, northern Nevada—brought Basque herders from northern Spain to Harney and Malheur counties. These men encouraged younger brothers to come to the region to work, and many Basques eventually brought their wives and children. By the early 1900s, the former freight stop of Jordan Valley had become an outpost of Basque culture, with restaurants, fraternal lodges, and a large, stone-walled pelota, the Basques’ open-air handball court. [2]

Jordan Valley has steadily lost population over since the 1920’s and today counts a population of around 300 people. Many are local ranchers living on vast swaths of land outside the town. Beef is a major product for Jordan Valley along with grain, hay and sheep.

Jordan Valley currently ranks tied for 16th all-time in state tournament trips with 10. They are tied with Cove, Butte Falls and Athena/McEwen.

The creation of the “B” classification in 1974 made Jordan Valley an instant powerhouse at that level. The Mustang made three-straight trips to the state tournament from 1975-1977, culminating with their first-ever state championship in 1977.

It wasn’t until 1990 that Jordan Valley reappeared at the state tournament, when they captured third after losing to eventual state champion Condon in the semifinals.

Eight years later, the Mustangs began their run of six straight state tournament trips, one of only three schools to accomplish that feat in small school basketball history. The Mustangs captured the 2001 state championship and finished second in 2002.

The Mustangs have been tantalizingly close in the past seven years, advancing to within one win over Baker City four times.

Reader Angie has passed along photos taken by her daughter earlier this year.
According to Angie, in the early part of the 2000’s, a new gymnasium was built adjacent to the old gym.

The old gym, which is still used for a variety of events, had a ton of character and reminds me very much of a gym used in the 40’s and 50’s. The stage was located at center court as opposed to the end line and there is a retaining wall separating the fans and bleachers from the floor.

It’s hard to tell but it appears that there is a restraining line just inside the out of bounds line, similar to what is done at Adrian and very likely at other small school gyms throughout the state.

I love the beat up look of the floor, the retaining wall and bleachers. This gym has so much character and oozes tradition. I can imagine this gym on a Friday night in the late 90’s when Jordan Valley was building towards a state championship, packed to the rafters with townsfolk and ranchers, out of towners and visiting fans. Where would they all sit?

On the topic of seating, where did the teams sit? There is absolutely no room in the traditional seating spots for the teams to sit. They must have had to sit on the end lines. Anyone with any input on this, I would love to know!

One thing Angie notes about the photos is just how bright her daughter was able to make it look. She must have had a nice new camera because according to Angie, these photos are not indicative of how dark the gym is.

As Angie pointed out, the new gym was constructed sometime in the early part of the 2000’s. There is quite a bit more space and it is brighter facility. There doesn’t appear to be that much more seating from the photos but the angle and photos can be deceiving. There is a clear space for the benches in the new facility and the added space on the sidelines means there is no need for the famed “restraining line.”

Gone are the retaining wall and the stage and Jordan Valley now has a really nice, modern basketball facility.

Jordan Valley has definitely upgraded the gym to a more spacious facility. The new gym still has the charm of a small school gymnasium and it will definitely create it's own traditions and history as the years go by.

The school has already attempted to keep the past alive by posting the many bracket boards on the walls around the gyms. Brackets for state championships and district championships take up the majority of the space on the wall and speak to earlier times while inspiring current and future athletes to continually strive to add to the collection.

While researching Jordan Valley, I came across several great websites with infomation and photos. First, the city website has many terrific shots including a link to some archived photos.

And finally, think the old west is long gone? Think again, here is a story from Oregonlive regarding cattle barons operating in Eastern Oregon and terrorizing rural ranches.

The most interesting part of the story to me? The date. Not 1909. It was 100 years later, in 2009.

The Wild West lives on.

Bellfountain Voted Program of the 1930's

2010-04-15T22:08:00.000-07:00

It isn’t surprising that Bellfountain won the title of Program of the Decade for the 1930’s. Their historic championship in 1937 is the stuff of legend. The Bells were a juggernaut in 1937 and had to have been a favorite after finishing third in state in 1936 with a 22-3 record.

The 1937 state champions lost just two games that year and breezed to the state championship. Their closest game was the 14-point win over Lincoln in the state finals.

It is clear that sportswriters of the era didn’t take the Bells seriously, referring to Bellfountain as “someplace in Benton County” and “a widespot in the road.” What they should have seen was a basketball team full of players who were hard-working and had grown up playing together for years.

From elementary school recess to pickup games in the fading sunlight of a Willamette Valley summer to the maple floors of gymnasiums up and down the valley, the Bellfountain Bells logged countless hours of games together.

The Bells picked up Burton “Bill” Lemon’s team-oriented passing offense and quickly made it an artform. They dominated their opponents with a crisp passing and cutting system that frequently left the opposition breathless and hopeless to try to stop it.

Traveling to school for most of the players involved a two or three mile walk each way. Most were up hours before that to finish chores before beginning the walk to school. No team was more finely conditioned than the Bells in 1937.

The challengers to Bellfountain in the 1930’s vote were less heralded in the annals of Oregon basketball history but no less interesting.

Athena and Mill City tied for second in the poll which also isn’t surprising. The Athenians earned three trips to state in the decade and Mill City played for five straight District championships, winning two.

Neither Amity nor Columbia Prep received a vote in the poll.

The 1934 Columbia Prep team led by William O’Donnell was a strong team and very capable of playing deep into the tournament. The Preppers lost to Ashland by three but won their next three games to finish fourth. Ashland reached the state semifinals before losing to eventual champion Astoria by 15. They then lost a close one to Franklin to finish fifth. O’Donnell was one of the premier centers at the state tournament and his size in the pivot would have made Columbia Prep a tough out for Astoria in the semifinals.

That O’Donnell led the “Preppers” back to the state tournament in ’35 is a testament to his talent because the program lost everyone from the 1934 team yet still advanced to the quarterfinals with a stunning win over Marshfield in the opening round.

Amity was a perennial power in the 30’s, capturing two district championships and losing in a district championship final.

The 1920’s and 1930’s didn’t produce many small school “dynasties” the way the later decades would. No small school made more than two straight trips to state during the first two decades of the state tournament.

Once the 1940’s hit, the true small school dynasties began to form, beginning with Powers, that little hamlet down in Coos County. The school that would go on to earn 24 berths in the state tournament got their start in the 1940’s thanks to a nucleus of players that drove Powers to its first ever state championship in 1944.

Look for the 1940’s Program of the Decade Teams soon.

1930's Program of the Decade

2010-03-22T12:07:00.000-07:00

Fans of small school basketball as we know it today traces it’s roots back to the 1930’s when the first-ever “B” classification was created to accommodate the many tiny schools in Oregon’s small communities. The current six classification system might seem excessive to some but think about the 1920’s and 30’s when it was a single class tournament. How would a Columbia Christian (1A champion) vs. Jesuit (6A champion) turn out?

That was the grim reality facing small schools during this time. Joseph, champions of Eastern Oregon in 1922 and ’23 traveled via train to Salem for the state tournament, only to face off with Salem high school, one of, if not the biggest schools in the state. In 1922, when Joseph played Salem at the state tournament, the capital city quint had 20 times the enrollment of Joseph.

It was the ‘30’s that gave Oregon its true Cinderella story. Nearly 20 years before Indiana’s version of the Hoosiers captured the 1954 Indiana state basketball championship, Oregon’s Bellfountain high school, enrollment 37, defeated Lincoln and Franklin to capture the 1937 state championship.

But the question is will the championship of 1937 be enough to give Bellfountain the title of “1930’s Program of the Decade?”

Click the Read More link to view the nominees for 1930’s Program of the Decade. Vote for your choice at the top right-hand corner of this page, underneath the banner photo.

Amity – The Warriors of Amity made back-to-back trips to the state tournament in the latter part of the decade, when the “B” classification was formed. Amity earned their first trip to the tournament in 1937, after knocking off two-time District 15 champion Mill City in the District Tournament at Linfield College.

Amity won three close games at Linfield to advance to the tournament where they met Bellfountain in the first round. The Bells were a juggernaut in 1937 enroute to winning the “B” and “A” championships and they had little trouble dispatching an overwhelmed Amity squad.

The 1938 team was much more experienced and led by one of the best players in the state, Wayne Geisey. Their closest game before the state tournament was in the Yamhill County tournament championship at Linfield College where they defeated Carlton 24-23. At the district tournament at Linfield, Amity stormed the field, beating Nehalem by 21, Westport by 20 and Mill City by 23 to advance to their second straight tournament.

Once they reached the “B” tournament in Salem, Amity kept the roll going by knocking off Adams 42-30 in the first round. In the championship game, a veteran Chiloquin squad hung tough but ultimately fell 26-21.

The two wins put Amity in the semifinals of the “A” tournament with a chance a defeating the big schools like Bellfountain had done the year before. Amity faced McLoughlin and used four free-throws from Geisey in the last minute to make up a one-point deficit to McLoughlin and emerge with a 27-24 victory.

In the championship Amity faced off with Baker, a powerful team with a 27-5 record on the season. The game was close with Amity leading 10-9 at halftime. But Baker coach George Allison must have pushed the right buttons in the halftime locker-room because the Eastern Oregon champs raced out with eight straight points out of the halftime to seize control. Amity fell 27-18 to finish second. The small school with Baker nearly became the second straight team to win the “B” and “A” championship over the larger foe.

Athena – Athena follows up their 1920’s nomination with a repeat nomination in the 1930’s. After one trip to state and several other second place finishes, Athena wrapped up a successful decade in the 1930’s with three state trips to its name.

Two of the trips came before the “B” classification was created and were back-to-back in 1932 and 1933. The 1932 championship came at the hands of rivals Helix, whom they beat 29-20 for the district championship before a standing room only crowd at Heppner High school. The victory over Helix sent Athena to the tournament and avenged a sub-district tournament championship loss to the Grizzlies the week before.

The 1933 squad was even stronger, returning many of the key players from the 1932 team. The experience showed, particularly at the state tournament where Athena “stole the show from the moment she toppled La Grande until she was nosed out by Astoria.” [1]

Athena didn’t just “topple” La Grande; they annihilated the eastern Oregon champions 44-18 in the first round. They followed that victory up with a 31-25 victory over Tillamook before falling by 11 to eventual champs Salem in the semifinals. Defending champion Astoria barely beat Athena by two for third place.

Several years later in 1937, Athena captured the District 13 crown with a 17 point district championship game victory over Hermiston. The 1937 tournament didn’t go nearly as well as the 1933 tournament. Athena lost the opener of the “B” tournament to Chiloquin but rebounded to win the next game against Amity to win 3rd in the “B” tournament. The victory meant Athena would play Astoria in the consolation semifinals which Astoria won 49-25.

Athena staked it’s claim as one of the top programs of the 1930’s with three trips to the state tournament and were one of the first small school teams to play to the semifinals of the big school state tournament.

Bellfountain – Tiny Bellfountain entered the 1936 “B” tournament with a stellar 19-2 record despite having just 19 boys in the whole school. At the district tournament, the Bells defeated Pleasant Hill and Newport to advance to the championship game vs. Thurston. The 19-13 victory over Thurston sent the Bellfountain Bells into the state tournament in Salem.

The Bells cruised to the “B” championship with wins over Umapine and Myrtle Creek thanks to Richard Kessler’s 15 points a game and Harrison Wallace’s nine.

After taking home the “B” crown, the Bells moved on to face Corvallis, a goliath of a school just south of Bellfountain in the state semifinals. Bellfountain fell short against the eventual state champion Spartans but the game was hard fought. After the game, the Bells players shouted “wait till next year.” [2]

The Bells rebounded from the Corvallis loss to handle McLoughlin by 12 in the third place game. When next year came around essentially the same team greeted coach Bill Lemon on the first day of practice. Still, Bellfountain possessed the smallest student body of any of the top teams in the state.

In 1937 Bellfountain had just 29 students in grades 9-12. 19 of the 29 were boys and eight played basketball. But the return of all the key components of the best “B” team in the state made the Bells a serious threat in ‘37. The Bells cruised through the regular season and knocked off Thurston in the district title game with an 11-point win to earn a shot at their second consecutive “B” title.

Bellfountain dominated the “B” league competition at the state tournament, hammering Amity by 15 and crushing Chiloquin by 18 in the championship. Once again the Bells joined the bigger ranks at Willamette University for a shot at the “A” title.

Led by the trio of Kessler, Wallace and Stanley Buckingham the Bells made it very clear that they were the best team in the state. What’s not clear is if the big school opponents took the Bells seriously. The writers of the time did not, referring to Bellfountain as “someplace in Benton County.” [3]

The Bells cruised into the finals, dispatching Portland powerhouse Franklin 39-13 in the semifinals. The victory moved Bellfountain into the final against another Portland entry, the Lincoln Cardinals.

To become the first “B” school to win a state title in Oregon history, the Bells would again have to defeat another giant from the city. Led by Kessler and Wallace, the game was a mere formality as the Bells dominated Lincoln. Bellfountain jumped to a 9-4 lead after the first quarter and extended it to 18-8 at the half. The Cardinals closed to within seven after three quarters at 22-15 but Bellfountain swamped the Cardinals in the fourth, pulling away for a 35-21 victory.

Though Amity nearly duplicated the feat the following year, Bellfountain remains the only small school team to ever win both the “A” and “B” championships. Indiana’s Milan high school became famous in 1986 when the movie “Hoosiers” came out depicting the championship won by Milan high school in 1954. However, had the creators of the movie looked further west, the real Hoosiers story happened 17 years prior.

Columbia Prep – One of the first private schools to make a splash on the state stage, Portland’s Columbia Prep made back-to-back trips to the state tournament thanks to lanky center William O’Donnell. The “Preppers” were 22-4 heading into the state tournament and won three games at the state tournament. Only a three-point loss to Ashland kept Columbia Prep from doing serious damage in the tournament. Nonetheless, the “Preppers” rebounded with three straight wins to finish the year 25-5.

Only O’Donnell returned to Columbia Prep in 1935 and the overall record showed. They lost their first four games of the season and had an up and down season. They even lost to St. Stephens of Milwaukie in the championship game of the first ever Catholic School tournament. But the “Preppers’” would rebound to defeat St. Stephen’s twice in the District 4 Tournament to gain entry into the state tournament.

Once there, they shocked Marshfield 28-23 in the opening round behind 21 points from O’Donnell. According to the Oregonian, “practically all of O’Donnell’s points were made close to the basket. His teammates took few shots, being content to feed their star center.”[5] Dealing with constant double teams in the quarterfinals, O’Donnell scored seven of Columbia Preps’ 12 points in a 22-12 loss to Salem. Ashland would continue the double team tactic in the fourth place semifinal game and held O’Donnell to six points in a 32-19 loss. Ultimately, O’Donnell did not have enough support to advance.

Mill City – The school that would later become Santiam made two straight state trips in 1935 and 1936 out of District 15. Mill City was in the midst of a solid run at the district level and appeared in five-straight district championship games from 1934-1938. In 1934 Mill City lost to Silverton in the district finals. The next two years, Mill City captured the District 12 title with wins over Wheeler in 1935 and Colton in 1936.

After defeating Wheeler in a close contest, Mill City drew the unenviable task of taking on Astoria in the first round of the state tournament. Astoria was an early power in Oregon and came into the 1935 tournament with a 36-4 record and several future members of the 1939 national champion University of Oregon “Tall Firs” team. Mill City played tough but Astoria’s depth and experience was too much to overcome and Astoria prevailed 37-24. Ironically, it was the small schools that gave Astoria the best games at the ’35 tournament. Oakridge, led by future University of Oregon star Laddie Gale, lost by 13 to Astoria by 13 in the semifinals while Astoria beat both Klamath and Jefferson by over 20 in their other two games. Corvallis ended Mill City’s season the following morning with a six-point win.

Mill City easily defended its District 15 crown with an easy 37-11 win over Colton in a one-game playoff after defeating Hubbard in a previous playoff series. In 1936, Mill City entered the first ever “B” championship tournament in Salem. They drew Myrtle Creek, who had captured the vast District 14 crown the week before by winning five straight games. Mill City fell in the contest by five but came back the next day to defeat Umapine for third place in the “B” tournament and earned a spot in the “A” tournament consolation bracket. Portland powerhouse Benson knocked Mill City out of the tournament with a 27-25 victory in the consolation semifinals.

The next two years, Mill City was done in by Amity, including a close 26-22 loss in 1937. The powerful Amity team of 1938 ended Mill City’s run and it would be nearly 20 years before Mill City would reappear at the state tournament.

[1] “Jenkins Makes All-State Team”; Athena Press; March 24, 1933 Page 1
[2] “Oregon’s Hoosiers”, Oregon Digest, Feb. 1996: 28
[3] Ibid
[4] Ibid
[5] Forrester, Bud “Astoria Victor in Fast Battle; Jeff, Ashland, Salem, Preps also Win,” The Oregonian, March 20, 1935, Page Unknown

History of the Final 8 Teams

2010-03-02T11:36:00.000-08:00

The Baker 8 has been finalized. From 79 teams in November down to just eight in March, the 1A schools will begin the 90th annual Oregon State Basketball Tournament on Thursday at Baker City high school.

The eight schools remaining in the 1A tournament are as varied as the towns from which they come. Eastern Oregon, Southern Oregon, Portland, Eugene and Central Oregon are all represented in the eight schools who will be heading east to Baker on Wednesday for Thursday’s action.

Since this is a hoop history blog, I will not analyze the 2010 teams, rather I will talk about the rich tradition and history each of these teams boast. From Wallowa’s history of success dating back to the 1920’s to Nixyaawii’s emergence and first ever trip to state in 2010, we will analyze the different aspects of the history of the eight teams still playing basketball in the smallest classification.

Wallowa

Wallowa is easily one of the most storied programs in Oregon basketball history. They have been competing in basketball since the game began and are currently 4th all-time in trips the state tournament with 16 to their name. Dating back to their success in the 1920’s, when they qualified three-times in five years against much larger schools like Baker, Pendleton, Union and Elgin, Wallowa has seemingly always been a team in the running for the state title.

Wallowa was a dominant force in the late 60’s into the early 70’s, earning eight state tourney berths in nine years between 1966-1972. In 1969, the one year they didn’t qualify for state, the Cougars were upset in the District championship game by Elgin, whom they had defeated three times during the regular season. Led by Page Dulaney, Wallowa captured state titles in 1970 and 1972. Greg Oveson, Wallowa grad and member of the juggernaut 1970 championship team, lead the Cougars to their third state title in 1995.

Wallowa is back in Baker for the first time since 2007, when they captured 6th place after finishing third in the Old Oregon league during the regular season.

Umpqua Valley Christian

Umpqua Valley Christian, located in Roseburg, began in 1976 and has emerged as a consistent force in the Skyline League. The Monarchs first appeared on the state scene in 1992 behind coach Frank Neilson and second team All-State player Chet Perry. The Monarchs then made three-straight state trips from 2004-2006 led by sweet shooting lefty Jeremey Chappell.

The Monarchs make their first trip to Baker City since 2006 and their fifth trip overall.

Damascus Christian

Damascus Christian opened its doors in 1975, one year before Umpqua Valley Christian in Damascus, Oregon. The Eagles are making their fourth trip to state and third since 2006 when they won their first state title. The Eagles nearly won back-to-back titles in 2007 but were undone by this last-shot by Mohawk’s Danny Reiter in the state championship game.

Reiter's shot forced overtime and eventually a second overtime was needed before Mohawk finally prevailed. It was an epic championship game and it was too bad somebody had to lose it.

Damascus’ first trip to state came in 1991 under the guidance of coach Dick Trenton. Led by 2nd Team-All-State junior Eric Chrigwin, the Eagles lost a heartbreaking game in the semifinals to Pine-Eagle and wound up with the 5th place trophy.

Then, to make matters worse, the Eagles lost Chrigwin to Portland Christian where he teamed with star guard Brian Remsberg to lead the Royals to their first state title at the 2A level.

Nixyaawii

The Golden Eagles of Nixyaawii are the only team in this year’s bracket to never have made the state tournament. After several close misses, including a thrilling game last year at Powder Valley, the eventual state champs. After falling behind big, Nixyaawii, stormed from behind in one of the most remarkable offensive displays I have ever seen. The Golden Eagles trailed 69-44 with 3:15 left in the third quarter. By the seven minute mark of the fourth, the game was tied at 73. Nixyaawii’s exhilarating 29-4 run was epic but ultimately Powder Valley prevailed and earned the trip to Baker.

Nixyaawii began competing in the Big Sky Conference in 2004 and made the Big Sky District tournament for the first time in 2006, finishing fourth. The Golden Eagles did one better in 2007, capturing third place in the Big Sky district tournament before bowing to McKenzie in the Substate tournament.

In 2009, the Golden Eagles needed to win a one-game playoff game just to get into the district tournament. Nixyaawii won and then went on to win two more games and a chance to play for the district title. The Golden Eagles lost to Dufur in overtime setting up their showdown with Powder Valley in substate.

Nixyaawii enters the 2010 state tournament with a sparkling 25-1 record, the only blemish being an early season loss to Wallowa.

Columbia Christian

The Knights of Columbia Christian have become one of the top programs in the state in the last decade. The Knights have been to state four-straight years and seven of the last eight years. Since joining the 1A ranks in 1996-97, the Knights have qualified for Baker City 10 of 14 years.

The Knights first made the state tournament in 1969 behind the coaching of a young Jim Flint. Columbia Christian came into the tournament unbeaten but suffered two close defeats, both in overtime. It was 28 years before Columbia made it back to state behind the coaching of a not quite as young Jim Flint.

Soon, Columbia became a regular at the state tournament, qualifying in ’97, ‘99, ’00, ’03, ’04, ’05, ’07, ’08, ’09 and ’10. The years from 2000-2003 mark Columbia’s longest absence from the small school state tournament.

The Knights had three-straight runner up finishes from 2003-2005, losing by a combined 18 points in the championship games.

This is Columbia’s 11th trip to the state tournament, placing them in a tie for 12th all-time with fellow 2010 participant Ione.

Powder Valley

Defending champion Powder Valley makes its 12th trip to the state tournament and third in the last four years. The Badgers are another storied program and it seems that anytime they reach the state tournament, the boys from up the road from Baker always perform well. The Badgers have made the state championship game a remarkable seven times in their 11 trips to Baker (this year is their 12th), winning four titles.

Powder Valley won back-to-back titles in 1979 and 1980 under coach Dale Peters. Behind 1st Team All-State players Seth Bingham and Silas Turner, the Badgers captured their third state title in their history in 1994. A star-studded team, led by sophomore Trenton Dixon and seniors Jordan Pratt and Justin Allen, cruised to their fourth title with a victory over Mohawk in the 2009 final.

North Powder earned it’s first ever berth in the big dance in 1946 and finished second to Reedsport and their mammoth center Clyde Dewitt. It wasn’t until 17 years later that they would return, once again finishing second, this time to Lowell. The 1978 fell hard in the championship game to Arlington but the nucleus returned the next two years to bring home the big hardware.

Ione

The Cardinals of Ione are making their first trip to the state tournament since 2005 and 11th overall. The Cardinals were one of the dominant programs of the 90’s, earning state berths five years in a row from 1992-1996. Coached by Del La Rue, longtime coach around eastern and central Oregon, the Cardinals were a power in the Big Sky Conference in the 90’s. Though they never captured a state title during their remarkable run, everyone in the state knew to get to Baker, you were going to have to deal with Ione at some point.

Ione’s first two trips to the state tournament resulted in runner-up finishes. In 1954, Ione’s first trip to state, the Cardinals lost just one game, the last one of the season to Harrisburg and DeWayne “Red” Crabb of Harrisburg. Duane Baker led Ione in the tournament and was a first team All-State player and was second in the tournament in scoring.

Seven years later, Ione made their second appearance and once again played to the championship game before falling to Lowell 52-49. It was just their second loss of the season. Francis Rea (relative of 1954 2nd team All-State member Dick Rea) and John Swanson led the Cardinals.

In 2005, Ione was led by a crafty and rugged forward, Tyler Brown. Though slightly undersized, Brown nearly led Ione to an upset of top ranked Imbler in the semifinals before Imbler prevailed and went on the capture the state title. That Imbler squad is regarded as one of the greatest 1A teams of all time, and Ione had them on the ropes the entire game.

Mohawk

The black and orange clad Indians will no doubt take up their familiar place in Baker at the Best Western hotel, a place that seemingly every year is overrun with Mohawk Indian supporters. Mohawk, located in Marcola just outside of Eugene, is the unquestioned team of the 2000’s with nine trips to Baker in 10 years.

Mohawk is to Baker as fish are to water and rhinos are to Africa. They just go together.

The Indians are in pursuit of their sixth state title and fifth since 2002. They are coming off their third straight state championship game appearance in 2009 where they lost to Powder Valley. Prior to that, the Indians had won the previous two state titles.

Mohawk first appeared at state in 1942 behind 1st Team All-State honoree Ed Aldous. They returned to the tournament in 1969 but lost both games before earning a bid in 1970 and finishing second to Wallowa.

They won their first state title in 1976 behind Joe Halbert and a quartet of All-State players. Greg Adams and Terry Nohrenberg earned first team All-State mention and Terry Orcutt and Dan Strom earned second team mention.

The Indians spent much of the 80’s and 90’s in the 2A ranks and never really earned the consistency at the state level they achieved at the 1A level. Once they entered the 1A ranks, the Indians skyrocketed to the top of the mountain. Players like Jimmy Craig, Tyler Ludwig, Derek Robinson, Brody Wilkins, Danny Reiter and Cord Wilkins helped push Mohawk to heights few programs have ever achieved.

Substate by the Numbers

2010-02-23T21:09:00.000-08:00

The substate round of the state tournament has been in existence since 2004. At that time, there were five districts in the 1A classification. Each year, one district received four births into the substate round. This lasted until 2007 when the OSAA created eight districts and added a second round to the substate tournament.

We’ll take this opportunity on the eve of the 2010 boys substate tournament to analyze the short history of the substate tournament and discover what conferences, seeds and rankings have had the most success in the six years of substate history

Conventional wisdom states that home court advantage is huge. Grabbing home-court in substate is vital to post-season success. While in general, that has held true the trend is beginning to even out.

Overall, home teams are 46-26 in substate games, proving that home court advantage is vital to post season success. Interestingly though, since the advent of the two-round substate round, the home team is 26-22. The win-loss total is identical in round 1 as it is in round 2. In both rounds, the home team is just 13-11.

In the first three years of the substate tournament, when there was just one round, the home team had a remarkable 20-4 record. The following year, the first of the two-round substate tournament, the home team went just 5-3 in the first round of the tournament. The second round was worse as the home teams fell to 4-4.

Why?

In the first three years of the substate tournament, when there was just one round, there was more #3 vs. #1 matchups on the home floor of the #1 team. In general, a team that finished third in their league is going to have a tough time going on the road against a #1 team. In those three years, not a single third seed knocked off a number #1 seed on the road. The only #3 seed to advance in the first three years was Dufur in 2004 when they defeated Wallowa at Wallowa.

Wallowa was a #2 seed that year.

Once the OSAA created the two-round substate tournament, it meant that three seeds traveled to two seeds for the first round. Again, in general, these teams were more evenly matched than the #3 vs. #1 matchup. That first year, three #3 seeds defeated #2 seeds on the road. Two of those #3 seeds, Wallowa and Lowell, followed up those wins with a second win over #1 seeds to earn a trip to Baker.

Last year, three more #3 seeds defeated #2 seeds and all three defeated their #1 opponent to gain a trip to Baker. Last year was the most successful year for #3 seeds as they went 5-3 in the first round of substate and then followed up with three more wins in the second round.

Substate by the Numbers:

Home vs. Road
Home Team Record 46-26

Records by Seed

#4 Seeds All-Time – 0-3
#3 Seeds All-Time – 17-33
#2 Seeds All-Time – 27-25
#1 Seeds All-Time – 29-11

Records by Districts

2004-2006 (Five Districts)

District 1/Casco – 5-3
District 2/Skyline – 4-6
District 3/Big Sky – 6-4
District 4/Old Oregon – 4-5
District 5/Mountain West – 5-5

2006-2009 (Eight Districts)

District 1/Valley -10 – 11-3
District 2/Casco – 3-9
District 3/Mountain West – 10-3
District 4/Skyline – 3-10
District 5/Mountain Valley – 1-9
District 6/Big Sky – 5-7
District 7/Old Oregon – 7-6
District 8/High Desert – 8-5

District Tournaments - Where We've Been

2010-02-22T16:00:00.000-08:00

The District Tournaments are behind us and we now have eight District champions. There are eight Districts in the smallest classification and as we’ve studied before, the Districts have moved from all over the state.

Eight District champions for eight districts but as we’ll find out, that hasn’t always been the case.

Throughout the 90 years of organized state tournaments in Oregon, there have been several monumental shifts in the operations of the tournament. We’re going to look at who the various district champions were in key years of Oregon high school basketball history.

1920 –

District 1 – La Grande
District 2 – Pendleton
District 3 – The Dalles
District 4 – Ashland
District 5 – Marshfield
District 6 – Albany
District 7 – Salem (Later, North Salem)
District 8 – Forest Grove

During the ‘20’s, into the mid-30’s, it was a single class tournament. No schools on this list were small schools but Rainier, with an enrollment of just over 50 in 1920, did qualify out of District 9. There were nine districts in the state at this time.

1935 –

District 1 – La Grande
District 2 – The Dalles
District 3 – Klamath
District 4 – Columbia Prep
District 5 – Astoria
District 6 – McMinnville
District 7 – Corvallis
District 8 – Marshfield

At this time, the state association finally broke the state into two divisions and 16 districts, with the small schools operating out of Districts 13-16. District 13 was won by Umapine, which was based out of Eastern Oregon and would involve schools in the present day Old Oregon League, High Dessert League and Big Sky Conference. District 14 was won by Gardiner and involved teams operating out of the Mountain Valley League and Skyline League. Mill City captured the District 15 crown which likely would have involved teams in Valley-10 and Casco. District 16 was won by Oakridge and today, teams in the Mountain West would have competed in this district.

1941-

District 1 – Westport
District 2 – Corbett
District 3 – Lowell
District 4 - Alsea
District 5 – Reedsport
District 6 – Jacksonville
District 7 – Arlington
District 8 – Grant Union

1941 was the first year of the “B” tournaments that were completely separated from the “A” classification. That year, the association created eight districts. The alignment of the districts looks to be roughly the same as it is now, moving from District 1 in the northwest corner of the state south and then east. Westport, located out near Knappa and Astoria, captured the District 1 crown. Districts 1 and 2 would be some variation of the Valley-10 and Casco today. Corbett defeated Mill City and Dayton for the District 2 crown, while Westport knocked off Banks and Nestucca. Districts 3 and 4 are a variation of the Mountain West. District 3 was only Lane County schools, while District 4 included Benton, Lincoln and Linn Counties. In 1941, Districts 5 and 6 are pretty close to today’s districts 4 and 5. District 5 included Curry, Coos and Douglas Counties. Days Creek, current champs of District 4 would have been in District 5 however Butte Falls, champs of District 5 in today’s world, would have been in District 6 in 1941, which included Josephine, Jackson, Klamath and Lake Counties. In the 40’s, Districts 7 and 8 were vast territories. District 7 had six counties while District 8 had seven. District 6 champ Nixyaawii would have competed in District 7 in 1941 while Wallowa and Jordan Valley would have done battle in District 8.

Interestingly, the 1941 District 8 tournament was held at Grant Union High School, just like the 2010 version.

1974:

District 1 – Alsea
District 2 – Powers
District 3 – Echo
District 4 – Imbler

Hard to believe 36 years ago the tournament found a permanent home in Baker City. It was indeed 36 years ago this March that the fourth classification was created for schools with 75 students or less. The state was divided into four districts with District 1 covering northwest Oregon and including all the schools in the Valley-10, Casco and Moutain West. District 2, stretched south and included teams in the present day Mountain Valley and Skyline Leagues. Echo captured District 3 which very likely resembles the Big Sky Conference today while Imbler prevailed in the vast District 4.

2003:

District 1 – Columbia Christian
District 2 – Butte Falls
District 3 – South Wasco County
District 4 – Spray
District 5 – Mohawk

In 2003, the state association created a fifth classification, after 29 years of running with four districts. Districts 2, 3 and 4 remained relatively the same; it was District 1 that changed the most. Teams in the south portion of District 1 splintered off into District 5 and became known as the Mountain West League. This unbalanced district alignment lasted for four years until 2007 when the state association created the current line-up of eight districts for the smallest classification.

2010:

District 1 – Damascus Christian
District 2 – St. Paul
District 3 – Mohawk
District 4 – Days Creek
District 5 – Butte Falls
District 6 – Nixyaawii
District 7 – Wallowa
District 8 – Jordan Valley

It’s interesting to look at how the teams representing the various districts have changed. District 1’s championship trophy in 1920 was housed in a trophy case Eastern Oregon; by 1941 it was in the northwest corner of the state at a school that doesn’t exist any longer. Now the trophy is in the hands of a private school that is celebrating its 35th year of existence.

An interesting study of where we’ve come from. Who knows where the next 90 years will lead?

Wallowa Voted Team of the 20's

2010-02-15T19:35:00.000-08:00

I was a tad surprised at the low voter turnout for the 1920’s Program of the Decade. After a week of voting, just 31 people cast their votes and proclaimed Wallowa as the team of the decade.

It became clear early on that this would boil down to a two-team race between Wallowa and Joseph. The two eastern Oregon schools were neck and neck early on and Wallowa pulled away late and secured 14 of the 31 votes.

Joseph came in second with nine and Madras pulled in a couple of late votes to finish in third with five votes. Athena finished fourth with two votes and Arago received just one.

It’s hard to argue with Wallowa as the team of the ‘20’s. Their three trips to state speak loudly enough but even when they didn’t qualify for state, they were usually right in the mix.

Joseph though, played in essentially five district championship games in the 20’s, meaning that half the state tournament berths from eastern Oregon had to go through Joseph.

That’s a pretty remarkable number when you consider that Joseph had around 50-75 kids through much of the 20’s and Baker and La Grande had over 400 apiece. Toss in Union and Ontario and you have four schools with many times the enrollment figures as Joseph. They were a formidable team in the 1920’s.

I really would have loved to have seen Madras play at full strength in the 1921 season. The tragic death of Boyd Stagland was horrific for the boys from Madras. The injuries to other key parts of the season made it nearly impossible for Madras to compete with other schools in Central Oregon.

Imagine today taking Trenton Dixon away from Powder Valley, Anthony Wallace or Cord Wilkins away from Mohawk, or Tyler Harshfield away from Wallowa.

Such was the impact that Boyd Stagland had on the Madras team. He was the premier athlete in all of Central Oregon, regardless of size of the school. Staglands death and the injuries to his running-mates forever altered that 1921 season in Central Oregon.

The teams with the two lowest totals are not surprising. Arago, with just one trip to state in it’s history, was a great story with just 35 students in the 20’s but they just didn’t have the longevity. Athena made just the one trip in 1923, but they were on the doorstep several other years and will once again factor into the 1930’s list.

Look for the 1930’s Program of the Decade later this week.

1920's Program of the Decade

2010-02-04T13:31:00.000-08:00

The 1920’s is where it all began for Oregon high school basketball. By the middle portion of the decade, most districts throughout the state were organized and had an understandable and fair method for determining a district champion. Even if it was slightly skewed in favor of the bigger schools it was almost always settled on the court.

There are some worth candidates for the 1920’s “Program of the Decade.” There were quite a few schools that qualified for the state tournament, and a few that even won some games. Many were competitive at that Salem state tournament but many were also blown out of the water.

To read the nominees for 1920 Program of the Decade, click on the read more link.

Here are the nominees for 1920 Program of the Decade in alphabetical order:

Arago - State qualifier in 1925 after winning three games at the District 5 Tournament at the Marshfield Armory, each by one point. Arago was one of the first truly small schools to qualify for the state tournament with an enrollment of just 35 students in 1925. Arago would go on to lose to McMinnville by 19 in the state tournament but their stunning run through the District 5 Tournament became the stuff of legend in Coos County and southern Oregon. Arago continued to compete in basketball and even took home the 1932 Southern Oregon College Inivtational, they never again competed at the state tournament.

Athena – Coached by Loren Basler, Athena was a consistent force in the Upper Columbia River region known as District 2. The Athenians reached the state tournament in 1923 as District 2 champions after outlasting McLoughlin 20-19 in the championship game. They just missed a return trip in ’24 after falling to Pilot Rock 19-17 in the championship tilt. In 1925 Athena was back in the championship ring, this time against the biggest school in the district, Pendleton. The Athenians fell 27-15 but it was their third straight district title game appearance. Athena wouldn’t challenge for the district title again though they did lose by 12 to eventual champion Pendleton in the quarterfinals of the 1927 tournament at McLoughlin and did capture the 1928 consolation prize at the 1928 after losing to eventual champion McLaughlin in the preliminaries of the tournament. Despite making the state tournament only once, Athena’s consistency and longevity as a contender for the District 2 crown makes it a compelling case for Program of the Decade.

Joseph – Joseph became the first small school team to make two trips to state in the 1920’s, in fact they did it back-to-back after winning one-game playoffs in 1922 and 1923. In 1922 Joseph endured a nerve-wracking game against Enterprise on the road in Enterprise to capture the District 1 crown. Ted Mays was the star of the night in leading Joseph to the win. The following year, Hugh Cole was the man leading the Joseph team into the state tournament. Joseph once again played at Enterprise for a chance that the district title, but they battled La Grande instead. An overflowing crowd witnessed Joseph pulling out a 32-29 victory. Joseph was soundly beaten in both state games, first by Eugene in 1922 and then Salem in 1923. Though they didn’t earn any more trips to state in the decade, they just missed several more times. After losing in the quarterfinals in 1924 to La Grande, Joseph played in three-straight district title games, losing all three. In 1925, Wallowa held Joseph scoreless for the final three minutes of the game to pull off a 10-8 victory, erasing the sour taste of two losses to Joseph in the regular season. The 1926 and ’27 seasons saw Joseph once again playing into the district title games, but both times the small school lost to the biggest schools in the district. In ’26 it was Baker eliminating Joseph in the championship game and in 1927, Joseph fell by 12 at the hands of La Grande. It all adds up to an impressive run for Joseph in the ‘20’s. Two district titles and three runners-up finishes in six years.

Madras – Madras captured a district championship in 1920 with a fine team that included three brothers and a star guard, widely regarded as one of the finest athletes in all of Central Oregon. In 1919, Madras was champion of their portion of the district tournament but Hood River claimed the district title and the berth in the state tournament. 1920 came around and Madras won the district and a direct line to the state tournament in Salem. Madras fell at the hands of Albany in Salem but was lauded by the big city press for putting up the best showing of any of the losing teams. Madras still had plenty to work with heading into the 1921 season with Boyd Stagland at guard and Dick Young and Jess Gard at forwards. Stagland was extremely popular and one of the top guards in the. Young and Gard played splendidly in 1920 and were counted on heavily. The season began well but gradually injuries decimated the Madras team. Dick Young and Boyd Staglund both missed games early. Boyd, confined to his bed with pneumonia, barely left his house and Dick Young missed the Bend game with a badly bruised leg. Soon, John Young would join the injured list when he fractured his arm cranking and automobile and suddenly, a promising season and a repeat trip to the state tournament went south. Finally, tragedy struck when Boyd Staglund died on Monday, February 21, 1921 at 1:30 in the afternoon at the age of 18. Suddenly, sports meant so much less to the folks of Madras and the team never quite recovered. There is no telling what could have been with Madras in 1921.

Wallowa – Known as the Savages in the 20’s, Wallowa made three trips to state in the 20’s. No small schools made more appearances in the 20’s than Wallowa’s three, including back to back trips in 1928 and 1929. After losing to Union in the first round of the district tournament in 1924, Wallowa bounced back with a stellar season in 1925, capped by capturing the District 1 title over their nemesis Joseph 10-8. Wallowa drew Salem and though they were competitive, they lost 25-10 to the eventual state champs. That year, Wallowa’s junior high team was one of the strongest in the region and key members of that team would go on to lead Wallowa to its earliest success at the state tournament. Led by Vandon Sarrett and Glen Crawford, a pair of juniors, Wallowa defeated Baker 26-22 in the District Championship of 1928 to make their second trip to state in the 20’s. After losing to Medford in the opening round, Wallowa staved off elimination with a 31-25 win over University in the consolation game. Tillamook ended Wallowa’s run in the consolation semifinals but with several key players returning, including Sarrett and center Glen Crawford, Wallowa was one of the favorites heading into 1929. Wallowa won the District 1 Tournament over Union on Union’s home floor to capture their second straight title. Wallowa lost a close opening round game to Portland powerhouse Washington with Sarrett turning an ankle in the third quarter. Wallowa rebounded to win their next two games to get into the consolation final where they were met Washington again. Exhausted and with Sarrett still hobbling, Washington hammered Wallowa 51-19. The loss wrapped up an impressive decade for Wallowa basketball. The Savages captured three District titles, took home a fourth place trophy and staked their claim as the dominant program of the 1920’s.

To cast your vote, simply click in the bubble next to the team you feel is the Program of the Decade. The poll is located in the top right corner, right underneath the banner photo.

1950's All-Decade Introduction

2010-02-01T13:00:00.000-08:00

The 1950’s were an unprecedented time in US history. A time of unheard of peace and prosperity. America had emerged from the Great Depression and World War II the strongest and most powerful nation in the world. Of course, upheaval wasn’t far off with Korea and Vietnam looming and the spread of Communism brought about by an unlikely alliance necessitated by a ghastly world war.

Soldiers returned home to begin new lives and new families. Americans began purchasing things not readily available during war time which led to the expansion of American corporations and jobs. Housing purchases exploded as baby boomers left the cities for newer homes in the suburbs.

It was heady times for the United States and frankly, a time when probably many in today’s current situation wish they could get back to.

But while the nation as a whole grew and prospered, the small schools throughout Oregon did not. As more and more people fled to the cities and suburbs, rural towns shrank and the number of small schools plummeted.

According to Oregon Prep Bureau, during the war years of the 1940’s, Oregon saw at least 36 schools close during that decade. The 1950’s did little to reverse that trend as 32 schools closed during the 1950’s.

While this consolidation probably helped the overall talent level in the smallest classification because the best players from the closing schools went to bigger schools nearby, it was a death knell for many of the towns where the high school was the center of the world. Schools were often the #1 employer of townspeople and the center of social gatherings and a remarkable source of town pride.

As schools closed, towns shrank, often to nothing. A quick glimpse at schools closing during the 50’s is an interesting study in Oregon towns. Adams, Bly, Brownsville, Coburg, Coos River, Hereford, Langlois, Lorane, Mosier, Nehalem, Parkdale, Port Orford, Shedd, Westport and on and on and on. Many of these towns still exist, most are hanging on but when the local school closed, a part of the town’s soul closed with it.

The closing and consolidation of schools necessitated the creation of a third classification for the OSAA. Many smaller schools joined schools in neighboring towns and formed union high schools leading to an increase in the number of schools in the middle. They were much too small for the “A” classification but much too big to play with the Bees. So, in 1956, the OSAA created the A-2 classification for the schools stuck in the middle.

At the state level, this had little effect on the “B” classification. It had more to do with helping the A-2 schools get out of the “A” classification than getting them out of the “B” classification. There are certainly instances when a large “B” school moved up to A-2 classification.

Of the eight schools at the 1955 class “B” state tournament, all eight were still in the “B” classification in the following years.

The 1950’s were all about dynasties. Knappa dominated the 50’s, making seven straight trips to state between 1951-1957. Jefferson made five trips including four in a row from 19561-959. Heppner made three straight from 1953-1956 as did sisters from 1956-1958. In all, there were 39 different schools appearing in the state tournaments of 1950, 19 of the schools made more than one trip.

Like the 1940’s All-Decade team, the 1950’s All-Decade team could be extremely hard to narrow down. With 39 teams to choose from the sheer number of possible selections is staggering.

Look for the 1950’s Honorable Mention team in the next couple of weeks.

Country Christian Knocks off Astoria in OT

2010-02-01T10:56:00.000-08:00

Country Christian traveled to the north coast on Friday and came home with a 60-52 overtime victory over #5 Astoria. Astoria is one of the most storied programs in Oregon basketball history, with seven state titles in its history and 19 state tournament trips since 1982.

Country is an emerging power in 1A, with just one trip to state in it's history but the Cougars of Molalla have been very close a number of times and are now consistently fighting for a final eight spot. This year Country Christian has drastically upgraded its non-conference schedule to prepare for the rugged playoff system that the 1A tournament has become.

I will have more on the game on Friday night later this week, but for now, you can read the newspaper coverage from Astoria and also a thought from OPS.net's Andy Wooldridge regarding school size.

Congrats Country!

Gym Photography Project - Perrydale

2010-01-28T12:56:00.000-08:00

Reader Sarah sent along another photo, this one of Perrydale in the Casco League. Clearly, the Perrydale Gym is pretty new. According to Perrydale alum Dan Fast, he believes the gym was built within the last 6-8 years and judging by the photos, it’s hard to disagree with his guess.

Click the “Read More Link” to see the photo and read more.

Perrydale, like Country Christian, has one of the finest gyms in 1A. It’s clearly a new facility with a beautiful floor and plenty of space. The bleachers on one side provide plenty of seating for big games with some standing room at the ends of the bleachers. Not much room under the baskets for the big guys to wrestle before running into the wall. But at least it’s padded!

I’m guessing that some of the St. Paul vs. Perrydale games has required the use of the pads under the baskets more than once when the two rivals clashed over Casco league supremecy.

The pointed ceiling gives the appearance of an older facility, as the barn-like pointed or curved ceilings seemed to be a feature of gyms constructed in the 40’s and 50’s while most newer gyms have flat ceilings for some reason.

All-in-all, it’s a really nice facility and a gym the townspeople of Perrydale should be extremely proud of.

Dan points out that Perrydale’s athletic facilities are probably second to none in the state of Oregon. According to Dan, “the football field has a new track, new turf, and new stands and lights. There are at least two newer softball fields and a newer baseball field. Quite a nice complex for a 1A school.”

Without question, Perrydale’s athletic facilities have to rank among the best in the 1A classification. Having facilities built within the last 10-15 years definitely puts the Pirates ahead of the curve and the rest of the small school classification.

Dan goes on to point out that the old gym, the one he used to play in, is still in use and but not for high school games. He says his mother graduated from Perrydale in 1947 and he says, “at one time, the old, old gym had a balcony that surrounded the floor.”

According to a page on the Perrydale School District website, the first school was built in Perrydale in 1870 on the east side of Amity Road. It was a one room school and was used for a short time. Sometime before 1902, another school was built on the site of the current school. It too had just one room. In 1902, this building was moved to make room for a two-room schoolhouse on the same site. The old one-room school was turned into a furniture store. [1]

Below is a picture of the Perrydale School from the 30’s or 40’s.

It's hard to see but an interesting photo nonetheless. It has the stoop/front porch common to schools of the era and the bell-tower that is also a staple of the earliest schools. I wonder if this is the school that Dan refers to as having the balcony around the floor. My guess is that it is and he does mention that the gym that he played in did not have a balcony around it.

Here is a photo of the Perrydale School, taken in 1957.

A couple of things stick out to me in this photo. 1) It looks like a typical Oregon day. Wet and dreary and 2) This looks like a fairly big facility for a small, rural town.

I was never able to track down census numbers for Perrydale in the 1950’s but it looks like a reasonably big school for a town I’ve always viewed as small and rural. Looks like a nice building and very consistent with the architecture of schools built in the 40’s or 50’s.

Dan points out that the school today hasn’t undergone any major facelifts and the architecture remains true to the photo taken in 1957. That is until you head out back and catch a glimpse of arguably the finest athletics facility in 1A.

Perrydale is located in Polk County, east of Highway 99. It is about 16 miles northwest of Salem and just over nine miles southwest of Amity.

[1] “Perrydale History” http://www.perrydale.k12.or.us/history1.htm (Accessed Jan. 28, 2010)

Progam of the Decade

2010-01-27T12:03:00.000-08:00

The cure for “Blogging Block” is to create a list. Don’t know what to write about? Make a list. It was one of the things that started the All-Decade Team and it will be the basis of my newest project, the “Program of the Decade.”

Beginning in the 1920’s, I will submit to the readers of OHH a chance to vote on the program of the decade. I will provide evidence to support their nomination and readers will be able to vote using a poll feature on the blog.

The nominations will be based on a few things, most notably, state trips. Other factors will include district tournament success, all-state players and sustained excellence.

A program that makes one trip to the state tournament and wins it will get consideration but what about a team that makes state eight out of 10 years and never finishes lower than fourth?

The question becomes, is a state title the end-all, be-all for success? I don’t believe it is. I am a big believer in longevity and sustaining success.

Ultimately, it will be up to the readers of the blog to decide.

Look for the 1920’s nominees in the next week or so.

Gone but Not Forgotten - Airlie Update

2010-01-26T08:36:00.000-08:00

Reader Bryce checks in with an update on Airlie. Below are his own words on this interesting school and area of Oregon:

"My grandma, Winona Lambert, lived with the McKibbens growing up as they took her in when her mother died when she was three. In 1934 Lyle McKibben was at least 19 years old since he was born in 1914. Melvin, the third player in front from left, was born in July 1918. I aasume he was in the 10th grade. Grandma said that Melvin had a great love for sports, and was the most athletic. He wanted to be a coach some day."

Now, for information on the school and gymnasium of Airlie.

"Grandma said the gym was located about 200ft directly behind the school. The gym was an old barn with a big opening on the side that had no doors. The floor was wood and they always complained of getting slivers in their feet. It actually had a dressing room on the end with a sawdust floor and a pot belly wood stove in it. There was a hoop at each end of the floor."

The gym sounds very typical of this era. More barnlike than gym like but with a ton of character. Not sure what to make of the "big opening on the side that had no doors."

Does that mean there was just a huge opening in the gym? Wouldn't that make January evening games extremely cold and wet?

Bryce says he is asking around for a photo of the gym but mentions that his grandmother attends Airlie reunions every year and has yet to come across a photo.

Here's hoping that one turns up. I would love to add it to the collection!

Thanks Bryce for the information. His name and quotes were used with his permission.

Gone but Not Forgotten - Airlie High School

2010-01-22T12:26:00.000-08:00

Airlie school was located in the town of Airlie, in Polk County, Oregon. The post office was established in Airlie in 1882 on the Luckiamute River, about eight miles southwest of Monmouth. [1]

Previously, the town was fortunate to serve as a terminus for the Oregonian Railroad, which had tracks south from Dundee, through Broadmead, Dallas, Monmouth and into Airlie. The venture failed spectacularly and was taken over as part of the Southern Pacific Railroad in 1890.

Airlie remained an unplanned terminus of a very minor branch line and a small shipping point for wheat out of the area. [2]

Several small towns similar to Airlie popped up along the railroad lines of the early 1900’s. They seemed to have a brief life-span. There would be an early bump to populations as word of mouth spread to other settlers about the joys of living in the new area. Sometimes, small agricultural or timber based industries thrived for some time before the resources were tapped out or found cheaper elsewhere.

In the case of Airlie, the railroad from Monmouth to Airlie ceased operation in 1927. By World War II, the town was all but abandoned when the surrounding land was incorporated into Camp Adair, a United States Army training facility. [3]

Airlie turns up a few times in research of the early basketball tournament. Most notably, the picture below declares Airlie as “Champion B League Team of Polk County.” But Airlie does not turn up in the 1934 4-Team district tournament from District 11 that year.

My guess as to why is there was probably a playoff among the B-team county champions to determine who would enter. Bellfountain is represented in the District 11 tournament so perhaps the Bells won a B-league playoff game for the spot in the tournament. I don’t have definitive information on this but that is my belief.

Below is a photo of the Airlie School, shot in the late 30’s or early 40’s after a pretty heavy snowfall. The school is fairly typical for the era. It’s a two-story wooden building with a porch-like stoop out front. Also, like many schools, the Airlie school features a prominent bell tower to beckon the children to school each day.

Another common attribute of these rural schools is that this building housed both elementary and high school classes. According to the text on the photo, the elementary grades met on the first floor while the secondary grades met on the second.

What I can’t figure out is where the gym is located. On the left-hand side of the picture (as you are looking at it), it appears that there is a building behind the main school-house. Tough to tell for sure.

Finally, thanks to Mal Van Meer and his website, Oregon Prep Bureau, we also know that Airlie’s single season scoring champion is shown in the photo. According to OPB, Airlie’s scoring record was set by McKibben on February 11, 1936 when he scored 15 points against Grande Ronde high school in a 40-11 drubbing. As is often the case in newspaper coverage of that era, the first name isn’t listed and the last name is spelled differently. Small town papers just didn’t take the time to fact-check those type of details.

The photo above lists two McKibbens in 1934 but we don’t have a first name for the McKibben who holds the scoring record.

My guess is one of the two young men in the photo is the scoring champion. Two years later, one of the two scored 15 points in a game and it is the highest scoring game on record for Airlie. It also means that one of the two boys is either a freshman or a sophomore in the above photo.

So which one is it? Do you have a guess? Can you tell just by looking?

Email me at hoops1a@hotmail.com for my opinion and to give me yours. Or just drop it into the comments box.

Finally, for those unfamiliar with where Airlie is located, it is in Polk County about 14 miles southwest of Monmouth and 19 miles northwest of Albany. Click on the map for a larger view.

[1] “Polk County Place Names,” http://users.wi.net/~census/lesson5.html (Accessed Jan. 21, 2010)
[2] “Railroad Station at Airle,” http://www.ohs.org/education/oregonhistory/historical_records/dspDocument.cfm?doc_ID=A4E0E87C-9643-CA1E-2F2CE85D1D52D2D0, (Accessed Jan. 21, 2010)
[3] Ibid

Favorite Mascots

2010-01-19T20:51:00.000-08:00

My man over a Central Oregon Athlete put together a little study on his favorite mascots. Check it out here.

I love mascots and I happen to agree with COA when it comes to Ducks and Beavers. It's awesome! They are both so Oregon to me.

Well, Oregon has some great nicknames from it's past as well. Click on the "Read More" link to see a few great mascots from Oregon's past.

Bellfountain Bells - Bells isn't the most fearsome name in the world, and really not befitting of arguably one of the greatest high school basketball stories in Oregon history. In the mid-30's, Oregon had a single-class tournament. Meaning all schools, regardless of size, competed in the same tournament to determine the state champion. The mighty Bells of Bellfountain in Benton County, won the state title in 1937, dominating two large Portland schools to win the title.

After winning the title, the Oregon media began referring to the Bells by a much better name, the Giant Killers.

Thurston Pansies Before they were the Colts, Thurston was known as the Pansies. Back in the mid-30’s, Thurston was a tiny, rural school playing against the other small schools in the Eugene area. The nickname Pansies was given, jokingly, by their coach Jim Watts, who made up the name within the first week of practice. He called them a bunch of Pansies and the name stuck. The Pansies were anything but pansies, in fact they were made up of rugged and hardened farm children. One of their stars, Howard Fox, would go on to become a major league baseball player. In 1937, a new coach came to town. The coach despised the nickname and tried to get it changed. The boys wouldn’t have it so they remained the Pansies. The coach? Genevieve Beaman. The only female coach in Oregon high school basketball history to lead a boy’s team to the state tournament.

Independence Hopsters - Independence, Oregon, located in Polk, County was one of the largest Hop producing areas in the entire nation. Hops were so popular and vital to the town and area that townsfolk saw fit to name the high school team after the crop. At some point, the name was changed to Cardinals before the school ultimately closed in 1952.

Here are a few of my other favorites from the past:

Gold Hill Miners – Jackson County – closed in 1949
Lexington Jackrabbits – Morrow County – closed in 1959
Nehalem Seagulls and Gardiner Gulls

Nicknames and mascots weren’t as common back in the 1920’s and 30’s. Often, the press would assign a nickname based upon where the school was located. Thus, Pendleton would be known as “The Round-Up City” lads. Salem was the “Capital City” quint. A team located in a county seat would be known as the “County Seaters.”

Hood River could be referred to as the "Apple Pickers." Eugene high school would be called the “College City” lads.

These nicknames are so descriptive when you think of it, yet so simple. The media created the “Tall Firs” for the Oregon Ducks 1939 championship basketball team. The Webfoots is another name associated with university of Oregon. The old time media names appear hokey now, but even the best reporter needed a second identifier for the local team. So the idea of geography nicknames became common in the early years of organized school sports.

Oregon, like many states, had their fair share of Native American themed names. Redskins was something that popped up quite a bit in the old days, as were Chieftains, Braves, and Indians. However, those names have been slowly going away in favor of more traditional names in the past two decades.

Thankfully, as Central Oregon Athlete pointed out in his blog posting there are still some unique and interesting nicknames for Oregon high schools.

Here are a few of my favorite current names:

Adrian Antelopes
Astoria Fishermen
Bonanza Antlers
Elkton Elks
Grant Union Prospectors
Grants Pass Cavemen
Klamath Union Pelicans
Oregon Episcopal Aardvarks
Pleasant Hill Billies
Powers Cruisers

Thanks to Mal Van Meer and his work at Oregon Prep Bureau for providing much of the research on the old mascots. This guy knows his stuff and does a great job. Please check out his site when you get a moment.

Country Christian Gym

2010-01-14T12:15:00.000-08:00

Once again, Sarah passes along another photo, this one of her home gym at Country Christian. The Bergstrom Gym was built in 2004-2005 and is named after Marilyn and Ruben Bergstrom who were instrumental in the planning and building of the facility.

Click the read more link for photos.

Country Christian went from a Yugo to a Lamborghini with the completion of the beautiful Bergstrom Gym.

The Hugo version was short, narrow and tiny. But it was certainly interesting and had character. It was barn-like in that the only seats available were in a loft about 15 feet above the floor. They did put one row of folding chairs around the bottom perimeter but if memory serves me, the spectators’ feet were often right on the out-of-bounds line.

The three-point line did go all the way around the perimeter but if you had anything over a size 10 shoe, you could not shoot a three-pointer from the corner. That is not an exaggeration.

The Lamborghini version of the Country Christian gym is a sparkling facility more closely resembling a small college basketball arena. It features over 300 cushioned individual seats and a beautiful full length floor with no extraneous lines or unnecessary markings. It has a very well-done cougar at the mid-court stripe. And old-glory lords prominently over the floor from the wall behind the players.

Of the gyms I have seen at the 1A level, Country’s gym ranks right up there with the best of them. Of course, having it built in the last 5 years gives it a nice advantage.

Country Christian is located about 19 miles east of Woodburn on highway 211 and about five miles northeast of Molalla along the same highway. It’s about 17 miles south of Oregon City after passing through Mulino.

I would consider Country Christian’s location somewhat interesting as most private schools seem to be in residential centers like Portland, Eugene, etc. Certainly Country Christian is not isolated by any means but is much more rural than other private schools that are in the Valley-10 and southern Oregon like Klamath Falls, Eugene, etc.

The school is an extension of The Country Church that I believe also meets in the gymnasium but I am not sure.

Country Christian has had recent successes on the hardwood, making their first state tournament in 2008 after winning the District 2 (Casco District) championship at McMinnville high school. Back in 1999, the Cougars secured the Casco north #1 seed after a stellar regular season but lost their two games at the District Tournament to miss a trip to Baker by one game. Last year, Country Christian fell at the hands of a red-hot CS Lewis team in the District 2 tournament championship game.

That set up a game with New Hope Christian at the Bergstrom Gym in the substate round. New Hope outlasted the young Cougars in overtime to advance to the next round.

This year, Country has played a brutal non-league schedule, playing the upper classifications to prepare itself for the post season. Though they are “only” 8-6 overall, they are 7-2 against 1A competition. There is the real story of their record.

Tuesday Afternoon Linkage

2010-01-12T13:44:00.000-08:00

I have a couple of links to pass along to OHH fans.

First, Offbeat Oregon History is a delightful site that educates readers about Oregon's weird history. Exploding whales? Check. A rest home shaped like a Franz Bread loaf? Check. Check out Oregon Offbeat History for more interesting stories. Click on the "Stories" link at the bottom of the page for the articles.

The second link is to Central Oregon Athlete. COA has been pumping out links and stories about all kinds of sports, from local opinion stories to links to stories with national relevance. COA is going gangbusters and is gaining steam. Check it out at www.centraloregonathlete.com.

Remember, you can follow me on Facebook and Twitter.

CS Lewis Gym

2010-01-11T12:08:00.000-08:00

Sarah passes along another school photo, this one of the CS Lewis’ adopted gymnasium in Newberg. The Watchmen play at Edwards Elementary in Newberg in a small but very interesting looking gymnasium.

It’s hard to tell how much seating is available though it is clear there is only seating on one side. The floor itself is a nice size in terms of length and width if a little busy with all the lines. The endlines appear to be very near the out of bounds line meaning there is potential for disaster for the tall firs battling in the low post or on fastbreaks.

To see the photo, click the “Read More” link.

I solicited the staff at Edwards Elementary for some background information of the Edwards Gymnasium and as is usually the case, the back-story is extremely interesting.

Edwards Elementary was built in 1910 but at the time was actually Newberg High School. The school was on the top floor while the basement housed the gym. Newberg high school moved away from Edwards Elementary to a separate building sometime in the 30’s or 40’s.

Edwards then housed K-8 and in 1957 the new gym was built and has been more or less in use ever since.

Edwards school went through an upgrade in 1990 after an earthquake damaged the building and now houses the Newberg School District Offices.

But the gymnasium is the adopted home of the CS Lewis Watchmen of the Casco League.
CS Lewis high school was founded as CS Lewis Community School in 1985 and became CS Lewis Academy in 2002. Last year was the first year CS Lewis appeared in the state tournament after capturing its first ever Casco District championship. The Watchmen lost a home substate game to Columbia Christian that was played at St. Paul high school as opposed to Edwards Elementary.

I know the OSAA has rules on sites for playoff games but I can't help but wonder if this small, dimly lit building would have been a tougher environment for a state playoff game.

The Edwards Elementary gymnasium is an intriguing building, very similar to other gyms built in that era. The curved roof provides the tube-like feel that is common to many gyms built in the 50’s and 60’s. The roof provides the interesting architecture and character to the building, and slightly resembles the pointed slope of the Mitchell Gymnasium.

The gym appears to be extremely dark though I know photographing in any gym is difficult. It appears there are three rows of four light fixtures hanging from the ceiling, including a row at the ceilings’ highest point. It could be deceiving but it looks really dark.

For those of you unsure of where Newberg is located, see the map below. It is located in Yamhill County about 25 miles southwest of Portland along highway 99.

Thanks to Sarah for the photo and the staff and retired personnel at Edwards Elementary for the information and historical research on the Edwards Elementary school and gymnasium!

All names and information has been used with permission.

Mitchell Gym

2010-01-04T13:33:00.000-08:00

Blog reader Buck has been promising to pass along photos of Mitchell for weeks and over the weekend, he finally delivered. Here he delivers four nice shots of the Mitchell high school gymnasium.

Buck spoke with a longtime resident and former student at Mitchell and is able to pass along some additional information on the gym. His source believes the gym was completed in the early 1950’s, perhaps 1953. He was not aware of a playoff game hosted by Mitchell but he did remember a few instances that Spray and Dayville or Monument would meet in a playoff game in Mitchell as MHS was essentially the middle point between the towns.

For more information and to see the photos, click the “Read More” link.

Guests pulling into the parking lot at the Mitchell high school gym will see a white, weather beaten facility with large blue letters spelling out “Loggers” on the side. Though it could stand a coat of paint, the outside of the gym oozes character and small town charm. It reminds me of one of the gyms the Hickory Huskers would have played in on their way to a state championship in the movie, “Hoosiers.”

The inside looks like a cramped, hot place. With just two rows of bleachers on one side, it gives the impression that it wouldn’t be a comfortable place to watch a game with a big crowd on hand. Like many of the gyms built during that era, the facility features a stage on one end that serves as an additional viewing area when the small bleacher seating reaches capacity.

I love the barn-like pointed ceiling and the support beams looming halfway down the walls. The curved side baskets scream 1950’s to me. The actual floor looks nice if perhaps a tad narrow.

Another aspect I like of Mitchell’s gym (and other gyms) is the flags and banners hanging on the walls honoring the successes of previous teams. It looks like the Loggers took home three Tri-Co League Championships in the early 00’s.

The town of Mitchell was founded in the 1860’s as a stage-stop along the Dalles Military Road one of the most important roads in Oregon history. The Dalles Military Road carried passengers, mail and goods from The Dalles inland to the gold fields and military outposts of central and eastern Oregon. The road passes right through Mitchell’s downtown area.

Mitchell is located in Wheeler County along Highway 26, east of Madras. Highway 207 begins north of town and takes travelers to Highway 19 where they can head east to Spray or northwest to Fossil, Condon and eventually, Arlington.

Thanks to Buck for the photos and his name and photos were used with permission.

Blog Layout - Search Function

2009-12-22T19:36:00.001-08:00

The blog has undergone a subtle layout change. At the end of every article I write, I add "labels." The labels are what is mentioned in the article. It could be a school, a topic, a specific project (District Tournament Project, Gym Photography Project, etc) or something else. These labels are used so readers can easily search for articles on topics that interest them.

So if someone from St. Paul wanted to see what was mentioned about St. Paul, he or she could click on the St. Paul label and all the articles that have been labeled with St. Paul would turn up.

Previously, all the labels could be found on the front page on the right-hand side. But I was up to over 100 labels and it was getting too long so I got rid of them.

But a search function still exists.

To find out if the topic or school has been mentioned in this blog, all you have to do is enter it into the search bar. Scroll down and the search box is on the right-hand side, just below the "Ongoing Projects" section.
(click the photo for a larger view)

Your results will turn up like so:

Sometimes, if a topic has been mentioned repeatedly, there might be pages and pages of articles relating to that topic. If so, click on the numbers at the bottom of the search result page:

If you have any questions or trouble, just shoot me an email and I'll give you a hand.

Adrian Gym

2009-12-21T09:58:00.000-08:00

Eastern Oregon reader Angie sends along these photos of the Adrian high school gym. It’s a tiny gym and in the photos she sent, the gym appears to be packed for the girls game. I can only imagine the Adrian gym being a terrific home court advantage. The floor is short, take a look at how close the three-point line is to half court and there is little room outside the lines.

According to Angie the Adrian girls basketball team has hosted playoff games at the school. It was the first question I had, if Adrian could even host a playoff game. I can only imagine the sheer intensity in that little gym with a trip to Baker on the line. If Adrian ever went on a 8-0 run, I can just hear the absolute defeaning roar that the Adrian supporters would put forth.

For more information and to see the photos, click on the "Read More" Link.

Angie writes, “These photos are misleading, because the wide angle lens makes this gym look larger than it is! It's barely regulation size; because of the lack of space between the outside lines and the walls/bleachers, the white line about 18 inches from the out-of-bounds line is known as a "restraining line," which basketball historians will remember.

The restraining line is still in the rulebook, though few officials know how it is used. On out-of-bounds plays, the "restraining line extended" becomes the out of bounds line. This means the player throwing the ball in-bounds must stand behind the restraining line, and use it as the out of bounds line (including in the corners where the line isn't drawn) and offensive and defensive players aren't allowed to touch the ball while they're out of bounds (between the restraining line and the regular out of bounds line).”

The restraining line Angie is talking about is the thin white line just past the black out-of-bounds line in this photo:

She goes on to say that the Adrian gym was built in the 1940’s and has been in use since then. She says bond elections for new gyms have failed by very close margins. A more recent bond election, which included a new high school, failed by a larger margin. The bond for a new elementary school passed, however, so the elementary staff moved into the new school before this school year.

According to the city of Adrian website, “when a branch of the Oregon Short Line Railroad was built into this part of the country, there was a post office called Riverview on the east side of Snake River, and railroad officials did not desire to have a station of the same name on the west side. Reuben McCreary, who platted the town site of Riverview on the west side, suggested that if that name was unsatisfactory the name Adrian be used, which was adopted by the railroad on February 13, 1913. This was to commemorate his birthplace, Adrian, Hancock County, Illinois. Riverview post office, with its descriptive name, was established on the east side of the river on August 22, 1911, with John E. Holley postmaster. About 1913, the office was moved west across the river to the vicinity of Adrian station, and the name of the office was changed to Adrian on November 10, 1919. Earlier editions of this book ascribe the name James Adrian, a local sheep man, but Adrian did not arrive in the area until 1916."

Adrian is located about 22 miles southeast of Vale and roughly 25 miles southwest of Ontario along the Oregon/Idaho border. The principal industry is farming and Adrian farmers grow corn, onions, potatoes, hay and wheat.

Thanks to Angie for sending the photos along. Her photos, name and quotes were used with her permission.

St. Paul Gym

2009-12-18T12:58:00.001-08:00

Sarah passes along another photo of a gym, this one from St. Paul, home of the Buckaroos. I am familiar with this gym and as Sarah points out, the gym and school have undergone some serious renovations and upgrades and it is a mighty fine gym for high school basketball.

It used to be dark, almost yellow if my memory serves me right and the floor felt and looked like a plywood-type wood (ed note: I am not sure if this was the case, but it is my recollection from 15 or so years ago).

Now, with extensive remodeling and upgrading, it is a beautiful gym, with bright lights, perfect floor and enough seating to create a great environment for a big Casco League showdown. Last year, I attended a playoff game at St. Paul and the gym was packed with a standing room only crowd. It was truly a fantastic environment.

Check out the photo:

For those not sure where St. Paul is located, check out the map below. The town is about eight miles directly south of Newberg.

St. Paul has a tradition of athletics excellence, particularly on the gridiron. The football team has won five state championships since 1959 and finished second six times. Since 1959 they have appeared in the semifinals 16 times. They recently captured the 2009 state football title behind one of the most dominant running performances in state history. Senior running back Ryan Pierson carried the ball 40 times for 386 yards in St. Paul’s 38-34 win over Imbler.

Led by Vince Drago, the Bucks were a strong basketball force in the late 80’s and early 90’s, finishing as runners-up in basketball in 1986, 1987 and 1989. St. Paul made back-to-back trips to state in 2002 and 2003.

Thanks again to Sarah for providing the photo and once again, her name and picture were used with her permission.

Falls City Gym

2009-12-16T10:10:00.001-08:00

Blog reader Sarah passes along this photo of the Falls City gymnasium. Its a great photo and shows what a tremendous home-court advantage Falls City could have. It's a small gym, with a low ceiling but a really nice looking floor. The seating looks cramped and when it is packed it looks like it could be a great home court advantage.

I would love to see a crucial Casco League game played in this gym, with fans from both teams packed in like businesspeople on a Japanese subway car, straining to get a view of the action. It's exactly what I think of when I think of a small school gym!

For those unfamiliar with Falls City, it is located about 13 miles west of Monmouth and about 10 miles southwest of Dallas in Polk County. Nestled into the eastern foothills of the Coast Mountain Range, Falls City is named for a waterfall on the Luckiamute River that passes through town. It once was the home to the Falls City Lumber Company, a large timber mill that operated in the woods outside of town. In 1920 it moved it's set-up deeper into the coast range and created a town that became known as Valsetz. According to OHH reader "LionCoach," Valsetz was razed to the ground and all that stands from the former town is a utility shed and old foundations. While Falls City never grew in population or economic stature, it has continued to operate for well over 100 years.

Currently Falls City is coached by Terry Newton, former coach at Perrydale and I expect Falls City will soon be very competitive in the Casco League. Look for the Mountaineers to begin to challenge the likes of Country Christian and St. Paul soon as Coach Newton injects some life into the FCHS program.

The town of Falls City has a nice website with interesting facts and a great section on history. It also has other fascinating photos of the falls and my personal favorites, photos of the school throughout it's history.

A photo of the high school:

A fire destroyed the high school in 1938:

Thanks to Sarah for the photo. Her name and photo were used with her permission.

Gym Photography

2009-12-10T09:11:00.000-08:00

It's definitely basketball weather in Oregon! Freezing temperatures beg me to head inside to catch some basketball. Football is great, right up there with basketball, but when the mercury falls into the 20's, you can find me in the wooden bleachers of the nearest gymnasium!

Along those lines, I want to remind everyone that I am still working on the Gym Photography Project.

I am trying to get pictures of the gyms from across Oregon to post on this site so we can see where everyone plays!

I know the term "photography" is in the title, but it doesn't have to be "artsy" photography. I just want plain old digital photos of the gymnasiums that are being used today!

Check out what Heath Merriman did this summer. He is the coach of the Jefferson Lions (3A). He drove across the state for a family trip but stopped in little towns along the way to snap photos of the gyms. Being that it was summer, most of the gyms were closed so he did the best he could and took photos of the outside and through windows.

So I am not going to be a stickler that the photos are professional. I just want to see what the gym looks like, get a feel for its quirks and personalities and see what a home court advantage is really like.

If you have any questions, leave them in the comments or email me at hoops1a@hotmail.com. All photos can also be emailed to me at hoops1a@hotmail.com.

How Baker is Like a Turkish Professional Team

2009-11-19T12:08:00.000-08:00

Many months ago, I wrote an article about Baker using an ineligible player at the state tournament way back in 1921. Harry "Red" Blakey was Baker's best player and without him, there was little hope for them to bring home any hardware in Salem.

So Baker coach Dewey did what any other coach would do: he put Blakey in another players' jersey and put him into the game under the name Ray Stoddard. Stoddard/Blakey was the talk of the tournament, dominating the opposition as Baker raced to three wins.

When word filtered back to Baker, school principal George McIntire sent a telegram to Salem demanding, "If Stoddard is a big guy with red hair, send him home; he's ineligible." The tomfoolery was exposed, Baker was suspended from the tournament and Dewey resigned in shame.

Ironically, loyalties in Baker were split and McIntire took some heat for his decision. So much heat in fact that he traveled with a police escort for a time.

Well apparently Turkish first division team Galatasaray Cafe Crown is an avid reader of this blog because their coach, Okan Çevik, tried to pull the same shenanigans with their star player, Cemal Nalga.

From ESPN NBA Blogger TrueHoop:

The amazing thing is that the fraud almost worked. Even though the guy is hard to miss with both a big beard and a big build (watch the video), he was only detected, according to a report, after a rival team noticed suspiciously good statistics for Tufan Ersöz, the player whose jersey Nalga was wearing.

Let this be a lesson out there to all you aspiring coaches out there. If you have a suspended player, do not try to have him switch uniforms with another player. You will get exposed!

Gym Photography Project

2009-11-10T08:42:00.000-08:00

Now that the season is underway for most teams, I will use the occasion to remind everyone that I am still working on the Gym Photography Project.

I am aiming to see what gyms around the state look like, inside and out. They don't have to be professional photos, I am just trying to get a look at as many gyms across the state as possible. I know that people in Alsea don't always get to travel to Jordan Valley or people in Wallowa don't always travel to New Hope Christian and they might like to see what the gym looks like.

You might like to do what friend and reader Heath Merriman did, travel the back roads of Oregon and write about it.

Or perhaps you want to take your iPhone and snap a few shots of the gym and send them in. I have no preference, I would just like to see where all the teams play!

If you have any other pertinent information like capacity, year built or any other interesting factoid, by all means, send it along. But that is certainly not mandatory. Nor will I post your name if you do not wish to be identified. We at Oregon Hoops History understand the desire for anonymity and that will be honored 100%.

So lets share our gyms with people around the state with the Gym Photography Project, who knows, maybe in 100 years your photos will turn up on the Facebook of 2110 (Facebook log-in required).

When the Saints Go Marching...

2009-11-03T13:24:00.000-08:00

Anyone who has been to Baker knows the halftime entertainment during the championship game is not to be missed. The Baker Drum and Bugel Corps plays rousing renditions of American classics and it is literally one of the only halftime shows I've ever been to where nobody leaves their seats.

One of the songs they usually play is "When the Saints Go Marching In," which is a fantstic song and always gets the crowd up and going.

Turns out there is a history there. In researching the 1950's All-Decade team, I came across some coverage of the 1950's tournament. In addition to the games they cover the halftime entertainment, noting that Union High School had a 42-piece high school band with five majorettes and eight cheerleaders.

The Oregonain goes on to note:

...however "When The Saints Go Marching In" still heads the tourney hit parade. Three renditions were heard over the four-game stretch.

History and tradition have always been important to the small schools. Some things never change as even more than 50 years later, marching saints still gets the crowd going.

Click here to hear the Baker Drum and Bugel Corps in action at the 2009 District Tournament.

1940's 1st Team Announced

2009-10-27T14:28:00.000-07:00

The 1940’s was an era of change in small school basketball. The smallest classification finally got its own tournament, separate from the big schools. Many of the small, rural schools were closing and consolidating into bigger districts and new schools began making a splash onto the state scene.

Future dynasties were born in the ‘40’s. Powers, with 24 state tourney trips to their credit, won their first district title in 1942. One mini-dynasty was ending when Westport fell in the state final in 1942, ending a four-year run of success with a state title and a runner-up finish. The war years saw another change as the tournament dropped from eight teams to four and a tall center from Reedsport dominated the state and set a school scoring record that still stands today.

The late 40’s saw teams like Drain, Reedsport, eastern Oregon’s Union and Rogue River rise to prominence. Their stars are featured prominently in our 1st Team All-1940’s Team.

Guards
Bob Cellars – Drain – Cellars competed in three state tournaments in the late 40’s for the Warriors of Drain. As a sophomore, the 5-9 Cellars was a first team All-State player and the third leading scorer in the state tournament. With Drain facing elimination after an opening round loss at the hands of Monmouth, Cellars poured in 23 points in a 40-37 win over Garibaldi to earn a shot at the fourth place trophy. Drain destroyed Oakridge 57-38 for the fourth place trophy led by Cellars 11 points. It was still somewhat rare for sophomores to factor that heavily into their teams’ success at the state tournament, but Cellars bucked that trend. In 1949, as a junior, Cellars again led the Warriors but there was no second team selected. He scored 12 points in a 45-44 victory over Perrydale in the opener and followed up with 11 in a 32-26 loss to Alsea in the semifinals. Out of steam, Drain lost big to Rogue River, 53-29 for the fourth place trophy, but Cellars did his damage, leading the Warriors with nine points. Cellars wrapped up his career in 1950 as the 8th leading scorer in the state tournament and a fifth place trophy. Undone by eventual state champs Rogue River in the semifinals, Drain then fell to Girabaldi in the third place game. Cellars tallied 32 points in the three games.

Don Wendt – Jacksonville – Wendt had good size for a guard, standing 6-0 and was a high scoring offensive player for the Redskins. Wendt made his mark as an underclassman in the Southern Oregon Normal School Invitational before Jacksonville ever made the tourney. Jacksonville lost their first two games at the SONS Invitational but Wendt led the Redskins both times, pouring in 17 points in a loss to Yoncalla as a junior and 8 vs. Gold Beach as a sophomore sub. By the time the 1948 state tournament came around, Wendt was a season veteran and one of the top guards in the state. Wendt was an unstoppable force in the tourney of 1948 as he poured in 59 points in three games to help Jacksonville capture the state title. He was the leading scorer in the tournament and outscored teammate Bob Harris by 16 points. At the conclusion of the tournament, despite the statistical dominance, Wendt was left off the 1st team all-state team and instead earned 2nd team all-state mention.

Forwards

Bob Bushnell – Powers (pictured at right) – The Bushnell brothers were two of the key members of Powers’ first dynasty in the early 40’s. The Cruisers would go on to become the winningest program in Oregon small-school history. Bob Bushnell teamed with his brother Jack and the Grove brothers Tom and Frank to make Powers a force in the 40’s. Bob Bushnell’s work in the 1942 district tournament as a sophomore probably fully entrenched him into Powers lore. Bushnell, in the championship game of the 1942 District 5 Tournament suffered a broken nose in the third quarter and had to retire from the contest. A week later in the state tournament, the scrappy sophomore earned 1st team all-state tournament mention as Powers nabbed the fifth place trophy. A year later, Powers returned to the state tournament after winning the District 5 Tournament at Marshfield and then a playoff game with Central Point to advance to the four-team tournament. The Cruisers fell to eventual champion Warrenton 27-26 in the opening game but rebounded the next night to capture third place. Brother Jack led the tournament in scoring with 20 points, but Bob wasn’t far behind with 15 and earned 2nd Team All-State mention. It was a very balanced team, as the Grove brothers, Frank and Tom were also in the top-5 in scoring with Frank tallying 17 and Tom chipping in 15. 67 of the teams 75 points came from that quartet. The 1944 state champion Cruiser team was a juggernaut and cruised to a 26-1 record on the season. The state tournament was a mere formality as Powers easily dispatched Grant Union 47-28 in the first round and Pleasant Hill 53-25 in the finals. Several spectators and media members during the tournament felt that Powers could have given “A” champion Ashland a good matchup if the single class tournament was still in use at the time.

Fred March – Umapine – The 5-11 March was a steady hand for a pair of state tournament teams for Umapine in the late 40’s. It had been 13 years since Umapine had captured a state tournament berth, and March was a big reason why. March was a consistent and reliable scorer for the Chiefs in their two-year run of success out of District 7. March led the Chiefs into the tournament as a junior and was fourth in the tournament in scoring with 33 points in three games in helping Umapine capture third place. High-scoring Jacksonville, led by Don Wendt and Don Harris outlasted Umapine by six 51-45 enroute to the state title. March and the Chiefs returned to the state tournament in 1949. Unfortunately the Chiefs drew Rogue River, holder of an impressive 23-0 record heading into the tournament. March and Umapine fought valiantly and led for most of the game and March did his part as a “long shot artist and sank four from way out in the final half.” [1] Rogue held off March and Umapine, seizing the lead late in the fourth quarter to hold on for a 38-35 victory. In the consolation game the following day, March teamed with center Wally Richartz to hold off Warrenton 43-42. Against Fossil in the fourth place game, the two teams were very even but Fossil’s Steve Harrison led the way with 19 points. March did his part, tallying 13 for the Chiefs who were undersized at every position. Ricartz, Umapine’s center, stood just 5-10 and relied heavily on the crafty March to control the defensive backboards.

Center

Clyde DeWitt – Reedsport – (pictured at left) One of the most prolific scorers during the early years of the small school basketball in Oregon. DeWitt’s scoring was legendary and prodigious and he helped the Braves to two-straight state tournament berths and a state championship. The Braves nearly captured two titles in a row but were thwarted by a stellar and well rounded Clatskanie team in 1945 29-26. As a sophomore in 1944 DeWitt nearly carried the Braves to an upset win over Powers in the first round of the District 5 tournament at Marshfield. Powers held on for a 30-26 victory but a young Clyde Dewitt went to-to-toe with Bob Bushnell, Shirley Shorb, Tom and Frank Grove and the Cruisers and tallied 16 points in the contest. It was Powers’ closest playoff loss of the season. DeWitt was an unstoppable force in the state tournament as a junior. His 25 points per game average was double the closest competitor. By the time his senior year came around, DeWitt was the top scorer in the state. The Braves cruised to a 23-2 record, the only two losses coming at the hands of the University of Oregon freshman team. Reedsport cruised through the season and into the Douglas County championship game. DeWitt went ballistic on the boards and tallied 46 points to help lead the Braves to the championship. The 46 points is believed to be a school record to this day at Reedsport. DeWitt outscored Glendale, who could only tally 43 points in the 84-43 loss. DeWitt poured in 104 points in the four games, good for 26 points per game average. They wrapped up the District 4 championship the following week, once again trouncing Glendale, this time 50-25. At the state tournament, the two best teams met in the first round. Pleasant Hill came in with a 18-1 record and played the Braves tooth and nail. The game went to overtime before Reedsport prevailed 47-45. St. Paul, who was unbeaten at 22-0, fell in the semifinals by a margin of 48-28 and the Braves captured the title with a ten-point win over North Powder 42-32. DeWitt once again led the tournament in scoring with 59 points in three games. His two-year scoring average of 21.8 points per game ranked him as one of the most prolific scorer at the state tournament in his era.

[1] “Bobcats, Rogue, Alsea, Drain Clash in Semifinal tonight,” LaGrande Observer, March 4, 1949, Page Unknown

1940's All Decade Second Team Announced

2009-10-08T13:51:00.000-07:00

The 1940’s All-Decade Team continues to roll on. The Honorable Mention team was released last week and today we unveil the Second Team.

The 1940’s Second Team has a decidedly early 1940’s feel to it as four of the five members of the team played before 1945. Two members of a juggernaut Powers squad, their first ever state tournament team, make the list and they made up the core of a group of guys that some old timers at the 1944 state tournament believed could have given “A” champion Ashland a good game.

To find out who earned Second Team All-Decade mention, click on the “Read More” link below.

Guards

Ernie Easley – Oakridge (pictured at right) – The Warriors were a strong program in the late 30’s and early 40’s. Qualifying out of the Lane County/Lower Willamette Valley was a chore due to the sheer number of schools competing in basketball at the time. To win the Lane County championship alone, Oakridge had to win four games at Mac Court in Eugene. Easley led the Warriors in scoring all year, tallying 132 points in 21 games. Oakridge finished the regular season at just 4-6 and in fifth place in the league standings. They got hot come playoff time and swept four games to the Lane County title. At the District 8 tournament at Junction City, Oakridge stayed hot, defeating Siletz and upsetting Harrisburg to capture the district title. Despite not capturing any all-County Tournament or All-District honors, Easley led the Warriors at the state tournament with 33 points in their three games enroute to a Second Team All-State award. Oakridge went 1-2 for the tournament.

Walter McBride – Union – Union made three straight state tournament trips at the end of the decade. McBride was the leader of the 1947 squad that finished as the runners-up to Pleasant Hill and got the run started. All three games for Union were close and McBride led the way in each. He led the tournament in scoring with 45 points and garnered First Team All-State tournament honors. He tallied 22 points in a 43-42 semifinal win over Star of the Sea to help neutralize Stars of the Sea’s high scoring duo of Dick Moore and Don Turina who combined for 26 on the night. The championship was a low-scoring affair and McBride led Union with nine points as they fell 33-32 to Pleasant Hill.

Forwards

Jack Bushnell – Powers – As of 2009, Powers leads the state in state tournament appearances at the smallest classification with 24. This tremendous program really took flight in the early 40’s behind names like Bushnell, Shorb, Stallard and Grove. Make no mistake, the 1944 team was loaded with talent. Jack Bushnell, referred to as “Commando” in a Statesman Journal article was a senior in 1943 and the leader of the Cruiser team. He led the tournament in scoring with 20 points and was a First Team All-State tournament mention. Powers dropped a heartbreaking game to Warrenton in the first round 27-26 but rebounded to dismantle Union 50-25 for third place. Jack was the second highest vote getter at the conclusion of the tournament, second only to Virgil Burke of Harrisburg.

Tommy Grove – Powers (pictured at left) – On a team of great players, Tommy Grove’s explosion onto the scene in 1943 might have been the most surprising. It was still rare at this time to find freshmen playing on the varsity squad, rarer still to find them among the top scorers. But that’s just where Tom Grove was after the 1943 tournament. The slender freshman was tied for fourth in the entire tournament in scoring with 15 points, tying teammate and fellow forward Bob Bushnell. By the time Powers had cruised to the state title in 1944, the younger Grove brother was the leading scorer with a 17 point per game average. Grove started the state championship contest against Pleasant Hill on fire, connecting on 5 of his first seven shots from the “pavilion corner.” His accuracy was so deadly that according to the Statesman Journal “when he finally missed one the crowd chided and honored at the same time with, ‘take ‘em out, he missed one!’”

Interesting that in Grove’s final two years with Powers, they never did make a state tournament. Check back next week for the reason why!

Center

Don Nelson – Westport (pictured at right) – Big Don Nelson, 6-1 as a sophomore, was a dominant big man for the coastal boys of Westport. Westport was a power house in the late 30’s and early 40’s, making four-straight state tourneys in the early part of the decade. Nelson was a three-time All-State honoree, including First Team honors in 1939 as a sophomore when Westport finished third. He earned second team mention as a junior as Westport lost two close games and finished fourth out of four teams. Then, in 1941, Nelson and the Pirates captured the first place trophy after handling Corbett and 1940’s Honorable Mention Center Ray O’Neil 52-34. Nelson was not one of the top scorers, he wasn’t even in the top-5 as a senior in 1941, but his steady play, rebounding and defense were a cornerstone to Westport’s success during the early part of the 1940’s.

1940's All-Decade Honorable Mention Team Announced

2009-10-01T12:11:00.000-07:00

It turns out my fear of the 1940’s All-Decade team was unfounded as research over the past couple of weeks has led to another solid three teams. Having not been around during that time, I can really only base my selections on the information I have so I have again left some worthy candidates off the list. If any of them are reading, I sincerely apologize.

The 1940’s were a groundbreaking time for the smallest classification. It finally received it’s own tournament, separate from the big schools with equal representation. It had some very good players and teams including the 1944 Powers state champions who some watching the tournament felt could have taken on “A” school champion Ashland and given them a good game.

World War II took many of our nation’s finest boys and forced them to grow up much too fast. Rationing and reassessment of priorities led to smaller state tournaments as citizens were encouraged to forsake their own desires for that of the nation. And the nation complied.

Then, with the war won and the US standing tall as the most powerful nation in the world the little brothers of our soldiers took to the floors and fields throughout the country to begin the slow healing process from the devastating war. They were years of unparalleled prosperity and security for the United States. A complete 180 from the Depression years and the war years of the past 15-20 years. Our boys and girls could be kids again!

The 1940’s were epic in terms of national events and monuments. In the much smaller scheme of small town basketball in Oregon, they were no less epic.

Click the "Read More" link to see the 1940's Honorable Mention Team.

Guards
Earl Elkington – Umapine – Umapine, located in Umatilla County, actually made four trips to the state tournament before 1950. They went back-to-back in 1935 and 1936 and then again in 1948 and 1949. Elkington, a 5-7 guard helped lead the Chiefs into the state tournament in 1949 and was a good scoring guard. He tallied 11 points in each of the first two games of the ’49 tournament, including 11 in a 51-45 loss to Jacksonville in the semifinals. In the third place game, Union, one of the top programs in the state during that era, defeated Elkington and the Chiefs 51-33 with Elkington scoring eight points for Umapine.

Ralph Wallace – Monroe – Possibly the younger brother to former Bellfountain standout Harrison Wallace, Ralph moved over to Monroe when Bellfountain closed its doors not long after the championship run. Wallace led Monroe with 27 points in the two state tournament games, barely edging out Butte Falls forward Eddie Ellis for scoring honors. Monroe won two close games at the state tournament in 1940, knocking off Helix 19-17 in the first round and outlasting Butte Falls 42-38 in a thrilling overtime game to capture the state “B” title.

Forwards

Bob Hoefs – Butte Falls (pictured at right) – Hoefs was a two-time first team All-State tournament player for Butte Falls. Hoefs was the MVP of the 1939 tournament after scoring 20 points in two games and teaming with fellow forward Eddie Ellis to lead the Loggers to the “B” championship contest vs. Monroe where they were undone by a high-powered Oakridge team. Hoefs led the Loggers back to the state title game in 1940, only to lose the close one to Monroe in overtime. Hoefs tallied 37 points in four games over two years at the state tournament.

Eddie Ellis – Butte Falls (pictured at left) – Ellis and running mate Hoefs were a handful for opponents during the height of Butte Falls’ run in the early 40’s. Ellis came back in 1940 after earning second team honors in 1939 to capture 1st team honors in 1940. Ellis was second to Wallace in the 1940 scoring race with 26 points in the two-games of the “B” tournament. Though I have no stats for Butte Falls’ contest with Baker in the 1940 consolation game against Baker, Ellis and teammate Hoefs had to factor in heavily in a 34-32 double overtime loss.

Center

Ray O’Neil – Corbett – O’Neil manned the center slot for the Cardinals in their first ever trip to the state tournament in 1941. It was a successful run, as the Cardinals advanced all the way to the state finals before losing to Wesport, who was in the middle of an incredible run of four-straight state tournament trips. O’Neil made the Cardinals click and led the 1941 tournament in scoring after tallying 50 points in the three games. He led off with 18 of Corbett’s 28 points in a 28-23 win over Lowell in the first round game. The Cardinals breezed into the finals after a 40-18 win over Reedsport in the semifinals where O’Neil scored 14 points. In the finals, battling Westport’s star center Don Nelson, O’Neil poured in 18 points in a 52-34 loss. He was the second-highest vote getter during the 1941 tournament to Wesport’s Nelson though Nelson didn’t even crack the Top-5 in scoring.

Others

Lawrence Tuom – Wesport (pictured at right) – Tuom, the 6-1 forward was second to Ray O’Neil in scoring at the 1941 tournament. Tuom was a part of three-straight state tournament trips with Westport and was named second team All-State as a sophomore and first team all-state as a senior in 1941 when Westport captured the state championship.

Jack Bradbury – Drain – Bradbury led Union to the 1949 state championship over Alsea. Bradbury played in the frontcourt for Union and led the 1949 tournament in scoring with 38 points in three games. He was second to teammate Frank Baum in the all-tourney voting.

Doug Strahm – Arlington – Not a high-scorer for Arlington but helped lead the Honkers to a third place finish in 1941. Twice named to the all-district tournament team.

Buster Clough – Arlington – Clough, like Strahm, was a two-time all-district performer and played a key role on Arlington’s back-to-back state tourney teams in 1941 and 1942. Clough was the third highest vote-getter in the 1942 tournament, despite his teams’ 1-2 finish in the tournament.

About a Photo

2009-09-23T20:55:00.000-07:00

One of the things I enjoy about this blog and the research is uncovering old photos. It’s part of why I started the Gym Photography Project. In the absence of words, pictures give you the authority to wander. You’re solely limited to what your mind can conjure up.

You could be completely wrong. Your assessment could be way off base but that’s the joy, it’s a matter of what you perceive.

I love this photo.

Particularly, I love the young man on the front row, on the far left when you are looking at the photo.

Look at his arms! That is 100% unadulterated muscle. Pure and simple, that kid is strong as an ox.

I imagine he got those arms from working in the forests or on the farm or ranch during the morning and after school. Those are the arms of a worker, someone with a bigger job than being a student and a kid.

I imagine that young man waking with the sun every day to get his chores done. And getting chores done in the 1920’s has a completely different connotation then it does today.

Doing chores in rural Oregon in 1920 was as much about survival as it was about doing the right thing. Don’t want to build that fence around your ranch? Say good bye to your cattle. Don’t want to move the hay? Say good-bye to your feed and any profit you hoped to have.

Don’t feel like fixing up that barn? Your animals will get sick because you can’t keep them out of the weather.

It wasn't easy to run to the nearest Safeway to pick-up meat or milk or eggs or flour. Everyone pitched in to get these items from the ranch, no matter the weather or other normal schoolboy commitments.

I am reasonably sure that kids in the 1920 complained about their chores. Surely this young man woke up one morning and thought to himself, “I am not working this morning” and hit the snooze button and rolled over. Only to have his dad throw open the door, pull back the covers and demand the boy do the work.

But those are true muscles aren't they? Built from years and years of hard work and demanding labor. They weren’t built in a weight room. They aren’t the product of a sophisticated weight training program or steroids or a protein shake. They weren’t built to achieve a scholarship or as the means for a greater end.

They are the product of the first Human Growth Hormone:

Hard Work.

Gym Photography Project - Condon High School

2009-09-22T09:04:00.000-07:00

Read more about the Gym Photography Project here.

I hope someone from Condon or big sky country can fill me in regarding this school photo. The photo credit I received says it came from Condon Public school in 1910. I would love to know what happened to this school. How long it was in operation, what grades it housed, when it was built etc.

It looks like a great old building. I love the bell tower up top and the two story structure. The wide-open spaces around the school scream big sky country to me.

This is a fantastic photo from nearly 100 years ago! Spectacular.

Anyone who might have some information on this gym is encouraged to either leave comment to this article or email me at hoops1a@hotmail.com.

If you do not wish to email me, you can post anonymously so people don’t know your name.

1940's All-Decade Team Introduction

2009-09-15T10:21:00.000-07:00

The All-Decade selection committee has moved on to the 1940’s, the first decade with a true small class state tournament. As I mentioned in this Twitter Update, I am dreading this a little bit for several reasons.

First, I limit my selections to the smallest schools and in the 1920’s and ‘30’s, there weren’t many small schools competing into the state tournament. Scoring was lower in general, the skill level wasn’t as high and “basket shooting” was a trait that was worthy of mention in the press. In short, there just weren’t as many good players in those early years.

Secondly, the 1940’s gave birth to the true small school state tournament meaning that each year, save for three years during World War II, there were eight teams competing in the state tournament. So that meant there were eight spots reserved for small schools. The ‘20’s and 30’s reserved no spots for small schools, they had to earn their way in. So the numbers competing at state were lower than they were in the 40’s. A lot lower.

And finally, I relied a lot on research conducted by former Oregonian writer Kenn Hess. He was doing the same thing I am doing, but he was doing it in the 70’s and he had accumulated binders of information. Not just one or two single binders but four or five dozen binders. Really an amazing job researching. Well, for some reason, his research on the early 40’s is really lacking. That era must have given him some trouble. So I’m behind the ball on having qualified applicants for my 1940’s team.

As I mentioned, the 1940’s gave birth to the state tournaments we see today and there are several factors that lead to this in my opinion.

The Tall Firs had just taken the state for a joy-ride, cumulating with a national championship back east in 1939. The Firs were our boys, players from Oregon, players we saw playing in local gyms and at Willamette University as part of the state tournament. I imagine that many young boys and girls in 1939 were swept up in the euphoria of the championship and pleaded with their dads to nail a rim to the barn so they could be the next Laddie Gale. It shed a whole new light on basketball.

The elimination of the center jump meant faster games, more scoring and a more pleasing competition. It opened a whole new way to play and meant that teams could run after made baskets without having to slow everything down. It eliminated the over-dependence on a big center, capable of winning every center jump thus keeping possession in one teams’ hands for the majority of the game. Smaller, quicker players could become more effective and thus, the game was more accessible to more people.

In my opinion, the 1940’s were the dawning of small school basketball in Oregon. True, basketball had been played for decades prior, but the 1940’s really leveled the playing field and gave a whole generation of kids a chance at a state championship.

District 2: Southern Oregon to the Willamette Valley - Part 3

2009-09-11T08:29:00.000-07:00

Starting in 1974, the OSAA created the B classification for the smallest schools. The association created four districts and District 2 now encompassed Southern Oregon from the area roughly south of Eugene to the California border. It extended as far east as Gilchrist on highway 97 in south central Oregon. It was an expansive district and long bus rides for conference games were the norm.

District 2 now involved some of the premier small-school programs in Oregon and two of the all-time great programs, Elkton and Powers.

Elkton and Powers combined to win 18 of the 33 District 2 championships from 1974-2006. The two were so evenly matched; they each won nine district titles apiece. In that time frame, the two schools combined to appear in 24 state tournaments. They each won three state titles from 1974 to 2006 and each had one runner-up finish.

While Powers and Elkton were clearly the class of District 2 or the “Skyline League” as it was known for years, there were many other programs that were able to rise up and challenge Elkton and Powers for District 2 Supremacy.

Early challengers included Camas Valley, who won two of the first three District 2 titles in 1975 and 1976. Butte Falls had a run in the late 80’s and early 90’s with three championships and two runners-up finishes in six years.

In the 90’s only twice did someone other than Powers or Elkton win the District 2 title. 1992 and 1993 were won by Butte Falls and Canyonville Bible (late Canyonville Christian) respectively.

The first half of the 2000’s saw Days Creek rise to prominence along with Umpqua Valley Christian. These two programs won five of the seven District 2 championships in the 2000’s.

After the 2005-2006 season, the OSAA went back to the eight district format that was used in the 40’s, 50’s and 60’s.

Prior to the 2005-2006 season, District 2 was broken into a North and South division. But after the move to eight districts, teams in the North became part of the new District 3 but kept the Skyline League moniker. Teams in the Southern division became a part of District 4 and took the name Mountain Valley League.

After this move, District 2 now featured teams in the former Casco League South. The teams moving from the Casco South kept the Casco League name and included teams like St. Paul, Jewell and Perrydale and private schools like Country Christian, CS Lewis and Willamette Valley Christian

Casco League

For some of the teams of the new Casco League, there has been a longstanding rivalry. Perrydale and St. Paul are old foes throughout history. From the hardwood to gridiron, these two schools separated by just 30 miles have a deep-rooted rivalry. Other small schools in the Casco League include Falls City and Jewell, who have competed for years in interscholastic activities.

The Casco League also has its share of private schools, several of which have found recent success on the hardwood.

Country Christian has finished no worse than second in the three years of the newly formed District 2. They captured the 2008 district title at the hands of Perrydale but lost to St. Paul (2007) and CS Lewis (2009). Ironically, St. Paul, playing out of the third seed from District 2 in the 2009 substate tournament, earned a trip to Baker City for the state tournament while the top two seeds both were defeated.

Like District 1 now to the north, District 2 has traveled a winding path through Oregon. It didn’t start as far east as District 1, but it reached further south than District 1 once it came west of the Cascades.

Now, the changing face of Oregon schools and the small school classification is evident when looking at the lineup of schools competing for District 2 bragging rights. Small, rural schools mixing with newer private schools has become the norm in small school Oregon. While District 1 is 100% private, District 2 remains a combination of both.