Another girls’ basketball state tournament is over and just another memory for those that participated whether they won or lost. There are times when a team that has not won many games will play another better team and win. This win will take them to another team and they will lose. Meanwhile the first team they played probably would have gone on to win but it was not meant to be.
Looking back at the Marcus Public School girls’ basketball, there were games played but seldom reported in the newspaper for the public to know what was happening.
I did not know that Marcus didn’t have a girls’ basketball team until it was started in 1943-44. However, it was short-lived and the program was dropped during World War II, due to the lack of a coach.
It picked up again in 1945-46 with Wallace Richmond as coach. Players at that time were Rita Satterlee, Arlene Blietz, Phyllis White, Ruth Witter, Marjorie Krekow, Delores Grauer, Lorraine Schroeder, Mary Ellen Bork, Donna Simons, Donna Miller, Anita Dose, and Mary Jo Barnes. Lulu Dorr was manager. (Ruth Witter’s mother, Neva Witter, was honored late in her life at a State Tournament in Des Moines, for her playing ability on the team (not from Marcus). Neva was a tall and thin person unlike #55 that played in this year’s state tournament!
As the years went by, we had some good teams like the 1953-54 team led by Coach Richardson. Linda Nelson (scored well for us), Bernita Ebert, Judy Hagenbusher, Ardy Deichmann, Thelma Briggs, Janet Hagenbusher, Janice Gates, Annette and Sally Francks. Loraine Westerberg helped and Barb Mouw was manager.
It was in 1955, for the first time in the history of girls’ basketball, Marcus won the Cherokee County Tournament.
There are times when reorganization helps a team. This was the case in the early 1960’s when reorganization took place with Grand Meadow and Holy Name. The Lady Eagles would continue to improve and become one of the better girls’ programs of northwest Iowa. The Lady Eagles would accumulate many championship titles, but often being denied making it to the state tourney.
In 1982, the girls’ basketball team, led by all-stater, Roxanne Schmillen, made history by becoming the first team to go undefeated for the season. We had 22 wins but then lost in overtime to Terril, another northwest team. It was during this season that Roxanne would establish herself as the school’s scoring leader, with 2,449 points—just over her sister, Bobbi’s record of 2,329. In 1972, Jane Bird had become the first member of the 2,000 plus club with her scoring 2,130 points.
It was over 40 years that girls’ basketball had started that in 1986, the Lady Eagles finally reached a goal they had set early in their careers—going to the State Tournament! Cheryl Dreckman led them to an undefeated season and they won their first round of the state tournament over Denison that had a strong ball team. However, Marcus was defeated by Fairfield when reaching the quarter finals. Cheryl established a new scoring record of 2,553 while scoring 1,041 points as a senior. (Cheryl would later go on to Briar Cliff college where she gained All- American status.) In the 1986 season, Sara Schwarz would be recognized as the all-time rebounding leader with 473 rebounds and 242 interceptions.
The 1986 State Tournament Team consisted of Diane Whited, Amy Rupp, Brenda Henke, Maureen Drefke, Carla Lehan, Geri Lynn Galles, Cheryl Dreckman, Terri Franck, Laurie Henke, Ann Knudson, Missy Glacklin, Lori Henke, Sara Schwarz, Stephanie Simons, Dayna Smith, Amy Dettmann, and Cindy Henke. Their proud coach was Jerry Martin.
All this time girls’ basketball was a 6-on-6. If you were a guard, it was your job to make sure the opposite team forward you were guarding, didn’t get to make a basket (which was sometimes impossible!) There seemed to be many fouls called because of the closeness of the 6 players. You played on half the court. But the boys’ team could play with 5 players and play the entire floor. Why couldn’t the girls do the same?
In 1992, about two-thirds of schools in Iowa were still playing 6-on-6, but change was coming quickly. At a girls’ union board meeting on Feb. 3, 1993, there were two board administrators (Dannen and Cooley) that wanted a change. Dannen delivered data that did not set well for 6-on-6: In a survey of girls’ conferences, nearly all the schools planned to switch to 5-on-5 within two years.
In a surprising move, Cooley made a recommendation to end the 6-player game with the next state championship. The vote wasn’t on the agenda. In just 30 minutes, the board unanimously decided to end 6-on-6. The final game would be played just a month later.
That night, Cooley and Dannen played cards with friends. Dannen was almost 40 years younger then the people he played cards with, but Cooley’s friends became Dannen’s friends. The whole night, from a steakhouse dinner to cards, they didn’t talk about it at all. At 10 p.m., when the news came on, the end of 6-on-6 was the lead story and everyone at the card table was stunned.
Cooley was clearly hurting as 6-on-6 was his “baby”. But, he knew it was the best decision to move Iowa girls’ basketball forward.
Dannen stated afterwards that he didn’t think that Cooley wanted to see that game struggle for air and die out. He really wanted it to go out strong and on top.
The final 6-on-6 game featured the small school of Hubbard-Radcliffe vs. a big school at Atlantic. Fans picketed outside the arena and passed out buttons that said, “I (heart) 6-on-6.
The school year 1993-1994, schools began holding four class tournaments every year with eight teams each. Previously there had been just one tournament for 6-on-6 and one for 5-on-5.
After seeing the Saturday night game with Newell-Fonda and Bishop Garrigan, and how there just didn’t seem to be any slowness to the game, it makes a person wonder if this is healthy for a player. This kind of fast action would never have occurred on half court!
Anyway, I thought it was interesting to when half court and 6 players switched to full court and 5 players.