I enjoy the blogs that are in the Cedar Vale Lookout. Recently there were memories of basketball teams and Dick Stone was mentioned. Dick graduated in 1942, we had a very good basketball team that year. We had five letter men returning. This team won first in the South Central League, the District Tournament and the Regional Tournament. By winning the Regional an invitation to the State Tournament in Hutchinson was received.

At this tournament the Broncos defeated Utica 33 to 22 to be the first team from Cedar Vale to go beyond the first hurdle. The next game was against Halstead, the team who went ahead and carried off the championship. This game was recognized as an outstanding feature for Class B basketball for the State of Kansas. Halstead defeated the purple and gold in the second overtime. The game was tied up 8 times. The final score was 27 to 25.

The South Central League ended with Cedar Vale first, Caney second, Sedan third, and Peru fourth. The Broncos won 23 games and lost 5 (2 to class A schools). The team made 926 points to their opponents 575. Wilbur Humphries, forward and captain, was high scorer with 281 points. (Wilber recently passed away on October 2, 2009) Ernie Clark, center, 214 points, Jr. Barger, forward, 132 points, Dick Stone, guard, 112 points, Kenneth Bohannon, guard, 46 points. Other players were Lee Lemert, Rollin Leedy, Neal Sullivan, Roy White and Merrill Tipton . Graduating seniors were Clark, Humphries, Stone, Bohannon and Sullivan. Clark lives in South Carolina and Sullivan in Alaska- we have lost the other three.

Coaches for the Broncos were Earl Vore 39-40, Cecil Humphries 1941 and LeRoy Uhlenhop 1942. Mr. Uhlenhop didn't finish the school year as he joined the Navy Reserve. I remember the students turned out at the bottom steps to cheer our team on. We had gas rationing (war was on) so we didn't get to see the games. A few local people pooled gas stamps and attended.

The first time I was in the Hutchinson building for a tournament was when Bob Bailey was on the team. I remember seeing him walking down the court and checking it out. I wondered if it looked as big to him as it did to me. It looked so much larger than out court. Was it?

Norma Wesbrook Knowles

Class of 1942