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MISCELLANEOUS FACTS FROM TWO DIFFERENT GIRLS H.S.
STATE BASKETBALL TOURNAMENTS, 1939-2008
The University Scholastic League (UIL) began its
girls state high school tournament in 1951 in Austin but was not the
first organization to crown state high school girls champions. From
1939-1954 the "High School Girls’ Basketball League of Texas" (HSGBLT)
held a state high school girls tournament in Waco (1939-41;
1950-1954) and Hillsboro (1942-1949) and crowned 17 state champions
in 15 years. For the first 15 years there was only one champion for
all classes but in the last two years there were 1A & 2A champions.
L.C. McKamie of Abbott (and later Hillsboro) was the founder and
director of the League for its 17 years.
Track +
Basketball Stars
A number of girls who starred in the girls state
basketball tournaments were also stars in track and field at the UIL
State Track Meet for girls from 1972-2008. (see: Texas H.S. Track
Champions, 1906-2006 by Dr. Wm. Wilbanks & the website:
www.TexasTrackChamps.com).
Mindy Myers was
an all-state guard for Munday in the 1990 state tournament and also
won 10 gold medals (800 & 1600 meters, HJ & relays).
Natalie Thomas
was an all-state player for Karnack in 1998 and won 8 gold (3 in 100
meters & relays) from 1995-98.
Chandi Jones of
Bay City made all-state for 3 years and won 8 gold (in the LJ & TJ)
from 1997-2000. Chimeka Carter
was All State Tournament for Groesbeck in 1996 and won 7 gold (both
hurdles, TJ & relay) in 1994-96.
Merry Johnson
of Canyon made All State Tournament for 3 years and won 6 gold (3 in
440 yards & 3 relays) and set a national record in the 440-yd dash
in 1976-78. Lauren Simpson
of Canyon was All State Tournament in 2007 and won 6 gold in the 800
& 1600 meters and the 1600 relay.
Suzie Snider of
Waco Robinson won 4 gold in the shot, discus and HJ in 1972-73 and
set national records in the shot put & discus.
Retha Swindell
of Center was All State Tournament in 1974 and won 3 gold in the TJ
while setting a national record in 1974.
Ann Moon of
Angleton was All State Tournament in 1977 and won 3 gold in the shot
in 1975-77. Shalonda Ennis
was All State Tournament in 1992 & 1993 and won gold in the TJ in
1992. Melinda Schmucker
of Nazareth was All State Tournament in 1993 & 1996 and won gold in
the 400 meters & 1600 meter relay in 1995-96 .
Misti Ball of
Nazareth was All State Tournament in 1996 and won gold in the 1600
relay in 1995. Crystal Allen
of Karnack was All State Tournament in 1998 and won gold in two
relays in 1998. Denise Babicki
was All State Tournament in 1979 and won the 80 meter hurdles in
1979. JoAnn Wooley
of Sudan was All State Tournament in 1987 and won 3 gold in the shot
& discus in 1986-87. Sheryl
Swoopes was All State Tournament in 1988 and
anchored the 1988 Brownfield 1600 meter relay team
Girls with
Great Later Basketball Careers:
Any listing of girls who had great H.S. basketball
careers followed by great college and/or pro careers must begin with
the girls who played for the Wayland Baptist Flying Queens during
the period of the 1950’s & 1960’s when they dominated women’s
amateur basketball. Perhaps the greatest star of this period was
Lometa Odom
of Dimmitt who led her Bobbettes to three state
McKamie League titles in 1950-52 while setting a record (that still
stands) for most points in one game with 78. Odom later starred on
three Wayland Baptist national AAU championship teams and was
elected to several Halls of Fame.
Pat Tate led
Dimmitt to the 1950 state title and was an All-American at Wayland
Baptist. Betty Ransom (Cagle)
led her Claude team to a UIL state title in 1962 and was later an
All-American for the Flying Queens.
Carolyn Dornak
led Jourdanton led to a UIL state title in 1966, was an All-American
at Wayland Baptist and was elected to the TX H.S. Basketball Hall of
Fame. Jill Rankin
led Phillips to a state title in 1976, was an All-American at both
Wayland and the U. of TN, was co-captain of the 1980 U.S. Olympic
Team and was elected to the TX H.S. Basketball Hall of Fame.
Janis Irby led
Claude to a state title in 1971, was a Kodak All-American at Wm.
Penn College and is in the TX H.S. Basketball Hall of Fame.
Suzie Snider
was All State Tournament for 3 years, led her Waco Robinson team to
a state title in 1970 As a Fr, was the national H.S. record-holder
in the shotput and discus, became Baylor’s all-time leading scorer
in basketball, and is a member of the TX H.S. Basketball Hall of
Fame.
Kami Ethridge led Monterrey to
a state title in 1981 and led UT to a national championship in 1986
while being named the National Player of the Year and was elected to
the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame.
Yolanda Wimbish
was another member of the 1986 UT national championship team and
earlier led her Victoria team to a state title in 1982. She later
played in the NBA and was elected to the TX H.S. Basketball Hall of
Fame. Pennee Hall
led her Barbers Hill team to a state title in 1982, played on the
1986 UT national championship team and was elected to the TX H.S.
Basketball Hall of Fame.
Sheryl Swoops led Brownfield
to a state title in 1988, was an All-American at Texas Tech leading
her team to a national title, played on multiple NBA championship
teams for the Houston Comets , is a 3-time Olympian and is in
several Halls of Fame. Monica
Lamb led Houston Yates to a state title in
1983, was an All-American at U.S.C. and played on two NBA
championship teams for the Houston Comets.
Kim Lummus led
Cleburne to a 1995 state title, later played at UT, is a successful
H.S. coach, and is in the TX H.S. Basketball Hall of Fame.
Shalonda Ennis
led Celeste to 2 state titles in 1992-93, played at U. of AL and in
the WNBA. Tamika Catchings
led Duncanville to a 1997 title, was an All-American at the U. of
Tenn, played in the NBA and is in multiple Halls of Fame.
Tiffany Jackson
led Duncanville to a state title in 2003, was an All-American at UT
and played in the NBA. Erin
Grant led her Mansfield to four state title in
1999-02, played at Texas Tech and in the WNBA.
Other girls who played and "starred" in the TX H.S.
state tournament but did not win state titles were
Chandi Jones of
Bay City (1998-2000) who was an All-American and the nation’s
leading scorer at the U. of Houston and played in the WNBA.
Sherika Wright
of Copperas Cove was an All-American at Purdue and played in the
WNBA. Angela Aycock
of Dallas Lincoln (1990-91) was an All-American at the U. of Kansas,
a member of the U.S. National Team and played in the NBA.
Great Finishes
in State Championship Games
The Texas girls high school basketball tournaments
have seen numerous exciting finishes in championship games. Perhaps
the most exciting was the 1949 championship game of the McKamie
League between Seagoville
and East Chambers. The game was close throughout and was tied at
22-22 after Wanda Nelson of Seagoville made a FG & FT with a few
seconds left and then East Chambers missed a FT that would have won
the game. Both teams scored one FG in the OT sending the game to a
second "sudden-death" (i.e., the first team to score 2 points) OT.
East Chambers missed "several" shots in the first possession that
would have won the game but then lost the ball. Patsy Anderson of
Seagoville then "broke loose from a wild tangle" under the basket
and "sank the winning goal" in the 26-24 victory. Anderson’s "last
shot" is the only "walk-off" FG to ever win a state championship
game as the only other sudden death OT in the history of the boys or
girls tournaments involved the Belton and New London boys in the
1958 2-A final with Belton’s James
Brantley making 2 FTs for the "walk-off" victory. A second exciting
finish was in the 1953 McKamie League final between "two bitter
rivals," Maydelle and Bullard. Maydelle
jumped out to a 12-point lead but led by only 27-22 at the half
before Bullard took a 37-35 lead after 3 qts. The game was tied at
35-35 with 1:30 remaining when Bullard went ahead by one with 1:15
left. Maydelle’s Yvonne Odom made a 15-ft FG with 2 seconds
remaining to give the Lions the state title by a score of 44-43.
Several UIL championship games are memorable in that
they ended with "fantastic finishes." Comanche
trailed 18-33 at the half of the 1951 2-A final against
McLean and then made an "amazing comeback" in the 2nd
half on a 32-16 run. Florence Jo Coan brought Comanche to within one
point at 48-49 with 11 seconds left and then made a FG with 5
seconds left for the 50-49 win. Midway
and Spearman played a close 2-A final in 1969 with the score being
tied 13 times before Midway won by one point with two FTs on a
one-and-one after the buzzer by Jane McKethan to win the game,
56-55, and title. Grandview defeated
Turkey Valley, 39-37, in the 1-A final in 1973 as Sarah Williams
made the winning shot with 3 seconds left in the game. The 1975 1A
final between Southlake Carroll and
Vega went to 3 overtimes. The game was tied at 44-44 at the end of
regulation as both teams missed shots in the last minute that would
have won the game. Vega tried to stall for the last shot in all
three OTs but the tactic failed each time. Carroll got the ball back
on a violation with the score tied and 15 seconds left in the 3rd
OT and Kathy Harston scored on a jumper with 4 seconds left to win
the marathon game and the state title. The 1975 1-A final was one of
only 13 OT finals from 1951-2008 and the first of two triple OTs
(the other was the 3-A final won by Barbers Hill in 1983).
The 1975 Crawford vs.
Neches Class B final included an exciting comeback and finish.
Crawford trailed by 9 points (38-29) going into the 4th
qt. and by 11 points at 44-35 with 2:29 remaining but outscored the
previously undefeated Neches 16-6 in the 4th qt. An
8-point run by Crawford cut the lead to 44-43 with 43 seconds left
and then a Neches turnover gave the Pirettes the ball again with 40
seconds left. The Pirettes worked for the "last shot" which missed
but Kathy Westerfield rebounded and was fouled on the follow-up
shot. She then made 2 FTs with 4 seconds left for the winning
margin. Victoria defeated Dallas S. Oak
Cliff in the 1979 4-A final when Anna Boldt hit a layup at 0:07 for
the 2-point victory, 43-41.
Lubbock Monterrey
defeated Duncanville, 71-70, in the first 5A final in 1981 with a
great comeback. The Plainsmen trailed by 8 points with 3 minutes
left before sisters Kamie and Kriss Ethridge combined for 12 points
(one FG and 10 FTs) in a 12-3 run to win by 1 point. The Plainsmen
took the lead at 71-70 on 2 FTs by Kriss Ethridge with 15 seconds
left and Duncanville’s last shot missed at the buzzer. Duncanville
trailed San Marcos by 5 points after 3
qts. of the 1992 5-A final but outscored the Rattlers 13-8 to force
an OT. The Rattlers’ Patricia Luckey made a FG in front of the
basket "after a scramble" with 5 seconds left in the OT for the
winning points (45-43) for San Marcos. Canyon
Randall won the 1992 4-A final after Georgetown made a 10-4
run in the 4th qt. to lead by one point with one minute
remaining. Randall’s Amanda Sandlin made a follow-up FG under the
basket with 25 seconds left for the lead and Randall then survived
three "desperate" shots under the basket by Georgetown just before
the final buzzer. Groesbeck defeated
Slaton in the 1996 3-A final, 63-61. The Lady Goats trailed Slaton
the entire game but made a 20-11 run in the 4th qt. and
took the lead for the first time on Annetta Anglin’s 2 FTs with 2
seconds remaining. Groesbeck then stole the inbounds pass to end the
game.
Quiz on Boys' Texas State
Championship
Basketball Teams
from 1921-2008
from research by Dr. Billy Wilbanks
1.
Of the
347 teams that have won a TX state (boys) basketball championship
from 1921-2008 how many have been from Travis County (Austin) and
Williamson County (Round Rock/Georgetown)?
Answer: zero
2.
Name the
state championship team that is closest to the Erwin Center in
Austin going South? North? East? West?
Answer: South=San Marcos 31 miles;
North=Little River-Academy, 53 miles; East=Thorndale, 40 miles; and
West=Johnson City, 40 miles.
3.
The coach
of one TX championship team played for the Milan IN team that won
the Indiana state H.S. championship in 1954 as memorialized in the
Movie, “Hoosiers.” Name that coach and his TX championship team.
Ronnie Truitt, 1971 Cy-Fair
4.
Which TX
high school has won the most boys state titles (10) from 1921-2008?
Answer: Snook won 10 state titles from
1965-84 including consecutive titles from 1978-84.
5.
Which TX
high school has won the 2nd most boys state titles (7) from
1921-2008?
Answer: Two teams have won 7 titles--Buna
from 1955-63 and Port Arthur Lincoln from 1981-1995.
6.
What
coach has won the most boys state championships?
Answer: Cotton Robinson of Buna with 7 from
1955-1963
7.
The
Movie, “Hoosiers,” is based on the real life story of the Milan IN
team which won an IN state championship in 1954 as a small school
competing against the largest schools in the state. From 1921-1941
all schools in TX—regardless of size—played for one single state
championship and two small schools (now they would be Class A) won
the (all-class) state title. Name the two TX small schools who won
state titles over all schools in the state.
Answer: Cushing in 1936 & Carey in 1937
8.
More than
4,000 boys have played on state championship teams in TX from
1921-2008---name the player on a championship team who later (after H.S.) had the greatest basketball career?
Answer: Shaquille O’Neal (his 1989 SA Cole Team
was the 3A champion)
9.
Name the boy who holds the record for the most points
scored (51) in a championship game.
Answer: Don Stanley of Buna in 1957
10.
Which team holds the state record for the greatest
victory margin (38 points) in a championship game?
Answer:
Paducah beat Big Sandy 99-61, in the 1A final in 1988
11.
Which
team has scored the most points (108) in a championship game?
Answer: Houston Wheatley over Carrollton,
108-80, in 1970
12.
Only 19 of the 347 boys championship games were won in
Overtime & only three have gone to multiple OTs. Name the three.
Answer: Belton, 58-56, over New London in 1958 2A final in a second
(sudden death) OT. (the rule requiring a 2nd OT to be
sudden death was later changed.) Nazareth defeated Oakwood in 3
OTs in 1A Div. II final in 2003. McAdoo defeated Hutto 66-64 in 2 OTs in 1964.
13. Several
schools have won boys and girls state championships in the same
year. One school has done it three times---name that school.
Answer: Buna in 1956, 1957 & 1961. Answer: Buna, 1956 & 1957
and Brock in 2002 & 2003. The complete list of boy/girl champs in
the same year are: Buna, 1956; Buna, 1957; Buna, 1961; Dallas S.
Oak Cliff, 1977; Morton, 1987; Abernathy, 1991; Sudan, 1995;
Nazareth, 2002; Brock, 2002; Brock, 2003; and Shallowater, 2004.
14. Name
the four schools that have won state championships in basketball and
football in the same academic year. Answer:
Dumas, 1960-61; Southlake Carroll, 1992-93; Duncanville, 1998-99;
and Everman in 2002-3
15. Name the two schools
that have gone undefeated in both basketball and football in
the same season. Answer: In 1985 Houston
Madison was the 5-A state champion in basketball at 40-0 and its
football team was 12-0-1 losing in tie break procedure in regional.
In 1948 Mt. Vernon won the 1-A state basketball championship at 30-0
and won the regional (as far as 1-A went in 1948) in football at
11-0.
16. Name the only coach to
ever go undefeated in football and basketball in the same academic
year?
Milburn “Catfish” Smith was the coach of the
undefeated Mt. Vernon football and basketball teams in 1948. |
