The 2005 Iowa Girls State Basketball Tournament March 7-12 marks the 50<SUP>th</SUP> and final season that the nation’s oldest girls high school state tournament will be played at Des Moines Veterans’ Auditorium. To celebrate its golden anniversary at Veterans’ Auditorium, some of the greatest girls high school basketball teams in Iowa’s rich history will be invited back in a series of special halftime presentations during the course of the tournament.
Fifteen teams will be invited back to be recognized one final time on the Veterans’ Auditorium basketball court beginning with the semifinal games Wednesday, March 9 and continuing through the last championship game Saturday, March 12. Each team recognized will have video highlights of their team played on a video board and the entire team will be recognized in a special on-court presentation. Each team will also be recognized in the state tournament program. <?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com
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The teams honored are a virtual “who’s who” of great Iowa girls high school basketball. The celebration kicks off Wednesday, March 9 when the team that featured Iowa’s most decorated player is honored at halftime of the 6:30 p.m. Class 1A semifinal game. The 1987 Ventura team, led by Iowa’s and the national all-time scoring leader Lynn Lorenzen, won the 1987 title with a 90-69 victory over Southeast Polk.<o></o>
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The 8:00 p.m. 1A semifinal game recognizes four of the greatest teams of the five player era. The 1999 Lynnville-Sully, the 2001 Washington, 2003 Rock Valley and the 2004 Ankeny squads will be recognized at halftime. The three teams are the only three schools that have won three consecutive state championships. Lynnville-Sully won Class 1A titles from 1997-99, Washington captured the 3A titles from 1999-01, Rock Valley won the 2A title in 2001 and back-to-back Class 1A titles in 2002-03 while Ankeny has won the last three Class 4A crowns and is expected to be one of the favorites to win a fourth title in 2005.<o></o>
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Four more teams are recognized during the Thursday, March 11 semifinal games. The 1970 Montezuma team, which compiled a state record 89-game winning streak, will be honored at halftime of the 1 p.m. Class 2A semifinal game. <o></o>
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Another state tournament fixture, Mediapolis, will be honored during the 2:30 p.m. 2A semifinal game. The 1973 Mediapolis state title team, led by hall of famer Deb Coates will represent the school that advanced to the state tournament 12 straight years. <o></o>
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The Thursday evening session honorees are schools that are tied to events in state basketball history. The honorees at the 6:30 p.m. Class 3A semifinal game Thursday evening will finally get to step on the Veterans’ Auditorium Court for the first time. The 1962 Van Horne team is the only state champion in the last 51 years that didn’t play at Veterans’ Auditorium. Due to a conflict with a national bowling tournament in Des Moines, the 1962 Girls State Basketball Tournament was played at Waterloo’s McElroy Auditorium. Now, for the first time, Coach Larry Wiebke’s team will be recognized in Vet’s Auditorium.<o></o>
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The 1959 Gladbrook team will be honored at the 8 p.m. Class 3A semifinal game. The 1959 tournament is best known for the raging blizzard that ravaged Des Moines with seven inches of blowing snow while the championship game was going on. With no cars being permitted to leave Des Moines, 5,000 fans were forced to spend the night at Vet’s.<o></o>
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Two of Iowa’s finest six-player teams will be honored during the Class 4A semifinals Friday, March 11. The 1 p.m. 4A semifinal will honor the 1979 Des Moines East team. The Scarlets, coached by Bob and Sharon Hansen and led by Lorri Bauman, are considered one of Iowa’s greatest teams from the six-player era.<o></o>
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The 2:30 p.m. 4A semifinal will honor the 1985 Fort Dodge team. The Dodgers, led by all-staters Kris Huffman and Toni Zehr, averaged nearly 100 points a game and was one of the top-scoring teams in state history.<o></o>
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The Class 1A championship game at 7:00 p.m. Friday night pays tribute to the two teams that waged what is regarded as the greatest six-player game. Union-Whitton, led by the great Denise Long, outlasted Jeannette Olson-led Everly, 113-107 in overtime to claim the 1968 title. Both teams from that epic battle will be reunited for the first time since 1968<o></o>
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The Class 2A title game at 8:30 p.m. will honor the first-ever state champion from the five-player era. The 1985 Linn-Mar team, led by Juli Campbell, defeated Cedar Rapids Washington, 56-40.<o></o>
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The Saturday Class 3A championship game at 6 p.m. Saturday, March 12 will honor the team that won the last six-player championship. The 1993 Hubbard-Radcliffe squad won the final six-player game by defeating Atlantic, 85-66. <o></o>
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The Class 4A championship game at 8 p.m. honors the team that played the first-ever state championship game at Veterans’ Auditorium. The 1955 Goldfield team, led by Marcia Robinson, defeated Holstein, 53-51 in overtime in the first state title game played at Veterans’ Auditorium.<o></o>
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Tickets are available for all sessions at the state tournament. For more information on ordering tickets, contact the Iowa Girls High School Athletic Union at (515) 288-9741. You may also e-mail IGHSAU ticket manager Joyce Bridger at joyce@ighsau.org.<o></o>
Fifteen teams will be invited back to be recognized one final time on the Veterans’ Auditorium basketball court beginning with the semifinal games Wednesday, March 9 and continuing through the last championship game Saturday, March 12. Each team recognized will have video highlights of their team played on a video board and the entire team will be recognized in a special on-court presentation. Each team will also be recognized in the state tournament program. <?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com
fficeffice" /><o></o><o
></o>The teams honored are a virtual “who’s who” of great Iowa girls high school basketball. The celebration kicks off Wednesday, March 9 when the team that featured Iowa’s most decorated player is honored at halftime of the 6:30 p.m. Class 1A semifinal game. The 1987 Ventura team, led by Iowa’s and the national all-time scoring leader Lynn Lorenzen, won the 1987 title with a 90-69 victory over Southeast Polk.<o
></o><o
></o>The 8:00 p.m. 1A semifinal game recognizes four of the greatest teams of the five player era. The 1999 Lynnville-Sully, the 2001 Washington, 2003 Rock Valley and the 2004 Ankeny squads will be recognized at halftime. The three teams are the only three schools that have won three consecutive state championships. Lynnville-Sully won Class 1A titles from 1997-99, Washington captured the 3A titles from 1999-01, Rock Valley won the 2A title in 2001 and back-to-back Class 1A titles in 2002-03 while Ankeny has won the last three Class 4A crowns and is expected to be one of the favorites to win a fourth title in 2005.<o
></o><o
></o>Four more teams are recognized during the Thursday, March 11 semifinal games. The 1970 Montezuma team, which compiled a state record 89-game winning streak, will be honored at halftime of the 1 p.m. Class 2A semifinal game. <o
></o><o
></o>Another state tournament fixture, Mediapolis, will be honored during the 2:30 p.m. 2A semifinal game. The 1973 Mediapolis state title team, led by hall of famer Deb Coates will represent the school that advanced to the state tournament 12 straight years. <o
></o><o
></o>The Thursday evening session honorees are schools that are tied to events in state basketball history. The honorees at the 6:30 p.m. Class 3A semifinal game Thursday evening will finally get to step on the Veterans’ Auditorium Court for the first time. The 1962 Van Horne team is the only state champion in the last 51 years that didn’t play at Veterans’ Auditorium. Due to a conflict with a national bowling tournament in Des Moines, the 1962 Girls State Basketball Tournament was played at Waterloo’s McElroy Auditorium. Now, for the first time, Coach Larry Wiebke’s team will be recognized in Vet’s Auditorium.<o
></o><o
></o>The 1959 Gladbrook team will be honored at the 8 p.m. Class 3A semifinal game. The 1959 tournament is best known for the raging blizzard that ravaged Des Moines with seven inches of blowing snow while the championship game was going on. With no cars being permitted to leave Des Moines, 5,000 fans were forced to spend the night at Vet’s.<o
></o><o
></o>Two of Iowa’s finest six-player teams will be honored during the Class 4A semifinals Friday, March 11. The 1 p.m. 4A semifinal will honor the 1979 Des Moines East team. The Scarlets, coached by Bob and Sharon Hansen and led by Lorri Bauman, are considered one of Iowa’s greatest teams from the six-player era.<o
></o><o
></o>The 2:30 p.m. 4A semifinal will honor the 1985 Fort Dodge team. The Dodgers, led by all-staters Kris Huffman and Toni Zehr, averaged nearly 100 points a game and was one of the top-scoring teams in state history.<o
></o><o
></o>The Class 1A championship game at 7:00 p.m. Friday night pays tribute to the two teams that waged what is regarded as the greatest six-player game. Union-Whitton, led by the great Denise Long, outlasted Jeannette Olson-led Everly, 113-107 in overtime to claim the 1968 title. Both teams from that epic battle will be reunited for the first time since 1968<o
></o><o
></o>The Class 2A title game at 8:30 p.m. will honor the first-ever state champion from the five-player era. The 1985 Linn-Mar team, led by Juli Campbell, defeated Cedar Rapids Washington, 56-40.<o
></o><o
></o>The Saturday Class 3A championship game at 6 p.m. Saturday, March 12 will honor the team that won the last six-player championship. The 1993 Hubbard-Radcliffe squad won the final six-player game by defeating Atlantic, 85-66. <o
></o><o
></o>The Class 4A championship game at 8 p.m. honors the team that played the first-ever state championship game at Veterans’ Auditorium. The 1955 Goldfield team, led by Marcia Robinson, defeated Holstein, 53-51 in overtime in the first state title game played at Veterans’ Auditorium.<o
></o><o
></o>Tickets are available for all sessions at the state tournament. For more information on ordering tickets, contact the Iowa Girls High School Athletic Union at (515) 288-9741. You may also e-mail IGHSAU ticket manager Joyce Bridger at joyce@ighsau.org.<o
></o>
