It's amazing how little it takes.
Sometimes just the sharp, sudden squeak of a shoe on the floor or the blunted thud of a basketball on gymnasium hardwood. Maybe just the soft, snapping swish of a nylon net or the brusque bark of a referee's whistle.
Other times, just the wisp of an odor from old wooden bleachers will do it, or even the fleeting touch of a stray pebble-grained ball, round and orange and smudged with fingerprints and memories.
All at once, the images break in upon me: Paul Judson's fist splitting the air the moment he knows Hebron has won the state title, Paxton Lumpkin sobbing into a towel as a season and a dream end, Anthony Smedley launching a hope shot that just couldn't go in but did, Bruce Douglas crumpled on the floor after a shot that had to go in but didn't, and Vergil Fletcher's ball press squeezing the life out of opponents.
Those are state tournament memories—as unforgettable to me as a first kiss, and equally sweet.
It has been a century since Sauer's Hall in Elgin hosted the first public basketball game between two Illinois high schools. In that game, played on March 2, 1900, Chicago (Englewood) defeated Elgin 16-12. Two years later, Moline met Rock Island in the first game of what has become the oldest continuous rivalry in the state. And, in 1908, the nation's inaugural state tournament debuted, quickly evolving into America's most spectacular prep sports spectacle.
Tournament memories are special. Refusing to fade like an old photo, they age like a fine wine. After one hundred years, it's time to pop the cork and celebrate America's Original March Madness.
The Teams
The distinction of being the state's first true "super team" belonged to a group of run-and-gun juniors from Thornton High School in Harvey who entered the title game of 1934—the second of three straight visits—as the prohibitive favorite, standing 35-1 on the season and sparked by everybody's all-American, 5-10 team leader Lou Boudreau. But the Flying Clouds were upset by tournament maiden Quincy in a monumental title game surprise.
Seven years later, an even better team made the state all but forget about Thornton. Centralia's Orphans entered the 1941 state semifinals with a state record run of 42 straight wins. Coached by Arthur L. Trout, voted the most legendary coach in IHSA tournament history, the Orphans were dubbed "The Wonder Five" by the statewide press.
Powered by Dwight "Dike" Eddleman, tabbed as the greatest all-around player in the annals of state tournament play, Centralia had drubbed several tournament teams during the regular season, including eventual state runner-up Urbana by 40 points. Eddleman, 6-3, an all-American in both basketball and track, was the first Illinois prep player to average at least 20 points per game in a season. Before his career was through, he would be the state's all-time leading scorer with 2,702 points.
In perhaps the greatest upset in the 92 years of tournament action, unheralded Cicero (Morton) shocked Centralia 30-29 in the semifinals.
In 1944, Taylorville became the state's first undefeated champion. Powered by the all-state tandem of Ron Bontempts (6-3) and John Orr (6-2), and coached by the legendary Dolph Stanley, Taylorville routed Elgin 56-33 in the finale, as Bontempts (18 points) and Orr (17) outscored the entire Elgin team. The Tornadoes are still regarded as one of the top teams in tournament history.
Mt. Vernon firmly lodged itself among the tournament's elite squads with a dominant performance in the 1950 playoffs. The boys of coach Stanley Changnon beat four quality opponents by an average of nearly 19 points each, including second ranked, 29-1 Danville by an 85-61 count in a record-shattering title game blowout. The star of the 33-0 Rams was 6-5 all-state center Max Hooper, who scored 104 points in four tournament games, and was the first player to lead the playoff field in scoring two straight years.
LaGrange (Lyons), fueled by 6-8 Ted Caiazza, cruised to an uncontested state title in 1953, setting a string of new scoring records in the process. One year later, Jim Brown's Chicago (DuSable) Panthers arrived at Huff Gym with a spotless slate of 31-0. Built around the nucleus of three all-Americans—Paxton Lumpkin, Shellie McMillon and "Sweet" Charlie Brown—DuSable forever changed the way basketball was played in Illinois. Incredibly, the Panthers lost the state title game to Mt. Vernon 76-70.
Vergil Fletcher coached Collinsville to a 32-0 record and a state championship in 1961. Led by all-American Bogie Redmon and all-stater Fred Riddle, the Kahoks crushed three ranked opponents at Champaign, winning by 23, 37 and 34 points. At the time, Collinsville was considered the greatest team to ever play high school ball in Illinois.
That well-deserved title stood intact until 1972 when Dolton (Thornridge) wowed the state and the nation, sweeping to a record 58 straight wins over a two-year period against the toughest competition in the land and winning a state and mythical national title along the way. Sparked by first team all-American Quinn Buckner (6-3), the Dolton Gang also featured a pair of all-staters in 6-7 Boyd Batts and 5-11 Mike Bonczyk. Ernie Dunn (6-1) and Greg Rose (6-3) gave the team exceptional talent and depth.
The Falcons allowed only three teams closer than 20 points all season, winning their closest game by 14. In all, 33 opponents fell by an average margin of 32 points. In the championship game against Quincy, Thornridge took a 57-26 lead at the half, stoked by 25 points from Batts, and rolled to a 104-69 rout of the Blue Devils. Batts, who was 14 of 18 from the field in the finale, finished with 37 points. Buckner added 28 and Rose 26 in one of the most awesome title game performances ever.
To this day, Dolton (Thornridge) is considered the most amazing team in state history. Other squads since have taken their shot at the Falcons—including such powerhouse teams as 1990 and 1993 Chicago (King), 1991 and 1992 Maywood (Proviso East), and 1997 Peoria (Manual)—but none of them measure up.
The one team that came closest to measuring up was 1981 Quincy, generally regarded as one of the top two or three teams of all time. Energized by 6-10 all-stater Michael Payne and 6-3 all-American Bruce Douglas, the Blue Devils of coach Jerry Leggett powered their way to a 33-point super-sectional win, and then pummeled the field at Champaign's Assembly Hall. In the title tilt, Quincy mauled Maywood (Proviso East) 68-39 as Bruce and Dennis Douglas combined for 40 points and 20 rebounds, while Payne picked up 16 boards.
The Coaches
Statistically, the most successful coach during Illinois' one-class basketball days (1908-1971) was Decatur (Stephen) mentor Gay Kintner. Kintner coached a then-state record 11 teams to state, making five final four appearances and claiming a trio of state titles. He produced state champions in his first two trips to state (1931-36) and finished second in 1937. In 1945, Kintner's team won state again, completing a 37-2 season with a 62-54 final game conquest of top-ranked Champaign.
But the tournament's most legendary coach may well have been Arthur L. Trout, who stood at the helm of Centralia High School from 1915 through Christmas of 1951, winning 809 career games. He was the first man to coach in four title games as well as the first to win three state championships (1918-22-42). Trout's teams won at least 20 games 21 times, at least 25 games 15 times and at least 30 games five times. His 1941 squad won an amazing 44 contests and even today is considered one of the Prairie State's premier teams.
Ernie Eveland began his coaching career at Waterman, but made a name for himself in 21 years as head coach at Paris High School. His 1930 quarterfinalists from Waterman were one of the favorites of the eight-team finals, but lost a 28-27 four-overtime bout to Beardstown. At Paris, his record was 591-125 (.825), making his Illinois career mark 780-175 for 29 years. His Paris Tigers won state twice (1943-47), finished second twice (1939-42) and placed third once (1938) in 10 tourney trips. The Tigers of '42 were 39-0 before being ambushed by Centralia 35-33 in the championship clash. Eveland won at least 20 games 25 times—13 of those in succession, 20 of them in a 21-year span—and produced nine teams with at least 30 victories, six of them consecutively.
A special piece of tournament history was crafted by Mark Peterman, who coached successfully at both Canton and Springfield. "Pete" is the only person to win state titles at two different schools, turning the trick with Canton in 1928 and with Springfield in 1935. In nine years at Canton, his record was 231-62-2 with five final four appearances. In fact, Peterman's Canton teams reached the state semifinals four years in succession, five times in a six-year span, finishing third three times (1923-24-25) and second once (1926). His 1928 title team won 37 games and a national high school championship. In 19 terms at Springfield, Peterman was 317-213 with six state visits. His 1933 team lost a 14-13 title game heartbreaker to Harvey (Thornton). Two years later, the two teams again met in the finale, with Springfield winning 24-19. "Pete" also took a record seven teams to the final four.
The legendary Vergil Fletcher coached for short stints at Mt. Pulaski and Pana before heading to Collinsville via the armed service. The Kahoks' fourth coach in four seasons, he remained 32 years, winning 747 games and losing only 170 (.815). His career coaching mark is 790-234. Fletcher took a record 14 teams to state, winning two championships. His first was with a 32-0 hall of fame unit in 1961. Four years later, the Kahoks finished their title drive with a mark of 30-2. Fletcher fashioned 20-game winners in all but five of his seasons at Collinsville, and four of his tournament entries (1957-61-64-77AA) made state with unblemished records.
No one has coached in more state tournament games (34) or won more state tournament games (21) than Fletcher.
Dolph Stanley is the only coach in IHSA basketball history to produce state tournament teams at more than three different schools. His 1934 Equality team was 36-2 and finished third in the state finals. In 1936, Stanley guided Mt. Pulaski to its first tourney berth and a fourth place finish. The flashy and wily mentor coached two Taylorville teams to state (1940-44), including the state's first unbeaten champion, the 45-0 Tornadoes of 1944. Late in his career, Stanley took both Rockford (Auburn) (1962-63-64-68) and Rockford (Boylan) (1971) to state.
One of southern Illinois most colorful coaches was Pinckneyville mentor Merrill "Duster" Thomas. Thomas coached the Panthers into the state tournament eight times in ten years from 1947-56. Under Thomas, Pinckneyville finished third four times, including three years in a row (1953-1955), losing each time to the eventual state champion. The 1948 Panthers completed a sparkling 33-1 campaign by claiming the state championship with a resounding 65-39 rout of Rockford (East), setting a tournament record for most points by a winning team in a title game. When Thomas ended his tenure at Pinckneyville, he was one of only three coaches to have won at least 70 per cent of all tournament games coached. To this day only nine coaches are in that select company, but none of the others coached as many games as did Thomas.
At Peoria (Manual), Dick Van Scyoc parlayed the Rams into a perennial power and into one of the most successful programs in state history, winning the coveted state crown in his final game as Manual clipped Carbondale 61-60. Van Scyoc's 826 career victories are the most by any high school coach in the state. His marks of 10 trips to state, five trips to the final four, 28 tournament games coached, and 18 tournament games won are among the best in tourney history.
A pair of active coaches, Landon "Sonny" Cox and Bennie Lewis, have also reached legendary status.
Cox has fashioned 10 tournament teams at Chicago (King), reaching the final four six times, the title game four times, and claiming a trio of championships. In fact, in six trips to the semifinals, if the Jaguars didn't go on to win state, it literally took a state champion to beat them. Cox's career tournament coaching record of 21-7 (.750) is the fifth best mark in history, and his 28 games coached are the most by any class AA tournament mentor.
Bennie Lewis won four class AA state titles at the helm of East St. Louis (Lincoln) (1982-87-88-89), including three in a row. He took Lincoln to state in the school's last season (1998AA), then transferred to cross-town rival East St. Louis (Senior) where he promptly led the Flyers to state (1999AA)—his 10th tourney team.
All-time, Lewis stands sixth in trips to state, fifth in tournament games coached (27), fourth in tournament winning percentage (.778), fourth in final four appearances (5), third in final four winning percentage (.800), first in title game winning percentage (1.000), first in title game appearances (4), and first in tournament games won (21)
The Players
The first great player in Illinois high school basketball and state tournament history was Lynch Conway, who led Peoria (Central) to a first-place finish in the first-ever state playoffs (1908). Conway, the state's first great African-American athlete, had built a national reputation as a basketball player, crisscrossing the country as a member of the Peoria YMCA Clippers. In a 48-29 title game blowout against Rock Island in the state's inaugural tournament, Conway netted 22 points—a record destined to remain a final game standard for a phenomenal 42 years.
In 1933, a spectacularly gifted sophomore named Lou Boudreau led Harvey (Thornton) to its first of three straight title game appearances. Boudreau scored one-third of his team's points in the '33 playoffs as the Flying Clouds blasted Mahomet and pre-tourney favorite, 35-0 Benton, before eking out a slim 14-13 championship game win over Springfield. Boudreau, who was named to the All-Tournament First Team three times, couldn't get his squad over the hump the next two seasons as Thornton lost in consecutive years to Quincy and Springfield.
The 1940s produced a pair of the greatest all-around players ever seen in the state tournament.
Andy Phillip led Granite City to a surprising state championship in 1940, averaging 13 points an outing in tournament play during an era when teams were averaging less than twice that amount. In the championship game against Herrin, Phillip, who scored 15 of his team's 24 points, ignited the Warriors in the final two minutes. The consensus all-American scored five straight points to tie the contest and dished out the game winning assist with just seconds remaining for a 24-22 victory. Ask many old timers and they still call that game and its hero the best ever.
In fact, Dike Eddleman, a contemporary of Phillip's and the greatest prep star in Illinois roundball history, named Phillip the tournament's all-time best all-around player.
But it is Eddleman who is generally regarded as the finest basketball player the state has ever seen. Standing 6-3 and possessing unparalleled basketball skill and savvy, Eddleman played at Centralia from 1939-1942 as the Orphans won 29, 29, 44 and 34 games. As a freshman in 1939, he powered Centralia to an unexpected fourth-place finish, setting a one-game tournament scoring record with 24 points in a quarterfinal bout with Champaign.
He led the state in scoring in both 1941 (969 points) and 1942 (834), demolishing the previous record of 751 points in a season. And that was accomplished with the nation's premier high school athlete playing sparingly or, at times, not at all against weaker foes. In 1942, a year after the Orphans should have won state but didn't, Eddleman almost single-handedly spearheaded the championship game upset of 39-0 Paris, scoring 12 points in the game's last six minutes, erasing a 13-point Paris lead, and carrying Centralia to a remarkable 35-33 win.
The 1950s showcased a collection of truly great players in tournament action, from defensive specialists like Chicago (Marshall) center George Wilson, a 6-6 tower of strength who held Elgin's 6-11 all-state center George Clark scoreless in Marshall's 63-43 romp in the 1958 super-sectional, to Mt. Vernon's two-time tournament scoring leader Max Hooper or the even more offensively inclined Ted Caiazza of undefeated LaGrange (Lyons), whose 121 points scored in the 1953 playoffs was a record for more than a dozen years.
Also making names for themselves during the fabulous fifties were Chicago (DuSable) all-Americans Paxton Lumpkin, Charlie Brown and Shellie McMillon. Of the three, Lumpkin was the best, the heart and soul of the squad, playing with the style and skill of a Michael Jordan or a Magic Johnson long before it was in vogue to do so.
Cazzie Russell was the cream of the 1960s crop and is on almost everybody's list of the top three players all-time. At 6-5 he was the most dominant guard of his era. The superstar of 1962 Chicago (Carver), he led the Challengers to state and into a title game they should have won going away. A first quarter ankle injury to teammate Joe Allen, after the Challengers had vaulted to a sudden 13-2 lead, cost Carver the title in a classic 49-48 championship game loss to Decatur (Stephen). Russell had game-high totals of 24 points and 15 rebounds in that career-closing contest.
Springfield's Dave Robisch was another sixties superstar, setting the '67 finals on fire by notching a pair of four-game tournament records. First, the 6-9 senior pivot man obliterated Joe Wiley's 364-day old record of 128 points by scoring 152, an average of 38 per game. And, on top of that, Robisch grabbed 77 rebounds during tournament play—a record that still stands.
The seventies were highlighted by the appearance of first team all-American Quinn Buckner, team leader of the greatest squad to ever play prep ball in Illinois, the Falcons of Dolton (Thornridge) who topped the tourney field in both 1971 and the 1972 Class AA tournaments. Joined in the lineup by two other all-staters, and content to lay back and let the other starters play in the limelight, Buckner's true greatness may never be realized. His unparalleled leadership sparked Thornridge to a national title in 1972 and 58 straight wins over a two-year stretch.
In a recent statewide poll picking the best all-around player in IHSA tournament history, Buckner was edged by Dike Eddleman, missing the top spot by a mere 23 votes.
Isiah Thomas of Westchester (St. Joseph) and
Marcus Washington of LaGrange (Lyons) were other
top drawer players during the seventies, later
giving way to the likes of eighties and nineties
standouts Bruce Douglas of Quincy, LaPhonso Ellis
of East St. Louis (Lincoln), Marcus Liberty and
Jamie Brandon of Chicago (King).
Brandon, a two-time tournament scoring leader and
the only player to score at least 100 points in
two different tournaments, played on three title
game teams, two of which won state, each with
unblemished records. Ellis, who anchored Lincoln's
first two in a string of three straight
championships teams, still holds tournament
records for blocked shots in a title game (9), in
four games (25) and in a career (35).
All-American Marcus Liberty flaunts a career tournament scoring average of 25.9 points per game, the sixth-highest total ever. He scored over 40 points twice in the 1987 playoffs, finishing with 143 for the four games—the top mark for any large school tournament. And his 41 points in the championship game that same season are a class AA final game record.
But, statistically, they don't come much better than Quincy all-American Bruce Douglas, a 6-3 guard who scored 182 points in three state tournaments, sparked the Blue Devils to a then-state record 64 straight wins, played on three teams that reached the semifinals with a combined mark of 96-0, and was the engine that drove Quincy's 1981AA powerhouse squad that swept untouched to a state title and is considered one of the greatest high school teams ever produced in Illinois.
The Games
There were some sit-up-and-take-notice games early in tournament history, most notably the 1918 quarterfinal game won by Normal University over Lawrenceville 30-26 in three overtimes, and a pair of title games losses by Rockford—24-23 to Marion in 1921 and the 1923 finale in which Villa Grove prevailed 32-29 in the first title game upset of truly monumental proportions.
Other unforgettable games, in more modern times, include Galesburg's 73-72 overtime loss to Decatur (Stephen) in the 1945 quarterfinals—a game in which the score was tied 33 times, seven times in overtime, and the outcome was decided on an errant bounce of the ball; the 1955 title game between Rockford (West) and Elgin, won by West 61-59 on the strength of a fourth quarter flurry that produced a magical six points in one second; a consummate semifinal skirmish in 1969 won by Maywood (Proviso East) 37-36 over Champaign (Central); an 89-88 win by undefeated LaGrange (Lyons) over district power Effingham (St. Anthony) in the 1970 quarterfinals; and a shootout to end all shootouts—Quincy's 107-96 semifinal win over Aurora (East) in 1972AA.
In the Rockford (West)-Elgin clash, West trailed Elgin 57-51 with 2:19 to play in the game. That's when West's Nolden Gentry buried a nifty 15-footer and was fouled after the shot. He hit both ends of a one-and-one, inching West within 57-55. Next, West's Rex Parker intercepted the inbounds pass under Elgin's basket and was fouled before the timer could start the clock. Parker nailed both free throws to make it a 57-57 game. The time on the clock was 2:18.
Many games have ended in dramatic, heart-pounding fashion, won or lost on last-second shots.
Anthony Smedley, a 5-7 bench player who saw less than 10 seconds of action in the 1963 state championship game, hit what is arguably the most dramatic shot in the annals of the state tournament. Stripping the ball from Centralia's Herb Williams near the Chicago (Carver) sideline, Smedley leaped into the air and let his hope shot go. Against incredible odds, and with only six seconds left, the shot went in, sinking the highly favored Orphans 53-52.
Laird Smith of Chicago (Morgan Park) went from goat to hero in the waning seconds of the 1976AA title game. Smith made only one of two free throws, leaving his team a point shy of favored Aurora (West), 44-43, with seven seconds to play. But teammate Levi Cobb forced a jump ball on the ensuing inbounds play. Cobb tipped the ball to Smith, whose 22-footer hit bulls-eye at the buzzer and gave the upset to Morgan Park, 45-44.
Mike Hampton's semifinal game-winner in 1982AA ended Quincy's 64-game winning streak and sent Chicago (Mendel) to the title game. Vincent Jackson's on-the-run 18-footer ended a triple-overtime marathon and won a third straight state title for East St. Louis (Lincoln). And Derrick Boyd, an unlikely hero who just happened to be in the right place at the right time, clinched the 1985AA title for Chicago (Mt. Carmel) by cashing in a clutch eight-footer at the second overtime horn.
Upsets have also provided the IHSA tournament
with some of its greatest games.
The two most improbable were Centralia's 30-29
loss to Cicero (Morton) in the 1941 semifinals—the
favorites had won 43 games and were the unanimous
pick, not only to win the tournament, but as the
greatest team in state roundball chronicles—and
the 1979AA title game defeat of 32-0 Quincy by
unheralded ParkRidge (Maine South), which shot 66
per cent from the field and 85 per cent from the
line—both final game records—in stunning the
Blue Devils 83-67.
Many old timers still insist that the greatest upset of all occurred in the championship clash of 1942 when Centralia (33-6) shocked the state with a 35-33 come-from-behind win against prohibitive favorite Paris (39-0). The Orphans, who returned only Dike Eddleman from the 1941 "Wonder Five" team, had been drilled by Paris during the regular season. In a game that to this day defies explanation, Paris squandered a 13-point lead with six minutes left—a huge margin by 1942 standards—under a fierce 18-3 barrage by the Orphans. Eddleman himself outscored the entire Paris team 12-8 in the fourth quarter, hitting a pair of clutch free throws to knot the score at 33-all, and scoring the winner on a tip in near the final horn to bury the Tigers in an all-time shocker.
Other upsets of prodigious proportions would include Mt. Vernon's 76-70 upset of Chicago (DuSable) in the 1954 finale, Quincy's 53-52 loss to Chicago (Mendel) in the 1982AA semifinals, Herrin's 45-42 conquest of unbeaten Collinsville in the title clash of 1957, and a one-point Chicago (Carver) win over Centralia in the final game of 1963.
Three final games—not counting a pair of class A championships—have gone beyond regulation, producing some noteworthy finishes.
The first overtime in championship game history was a classic as Hebron, the only district team to ever win a state title, outlasted tournament veteran Quincy 64-59 in one extra session. The district system, which sent an area's smallest schools into preliminary playoffs with the winner advancing to the regional tournament, was disbanded after the 1971 season when Illinois went to two-class basketball. Only three district teams—Braidwood in 1938, Hebron in 1952 and Cobden in 1964-reached the state championship game.
In 1985AA, little known Derrick Boyd, who had made only one of ten shots in the game, hit a high-arching eight-foot baseline jumper as time expired, ending a hard-fought championship bout and giving Chicago (Mt. Carmel) a 46-44 double-overtime win over Springfield (Lanphier).
Four years later, in the consensus pick as the
greatest tournament game ever played, two-time
defending champion East St. Louis (Lincoln) locked
horns with undefeated, tournament favorite Peoria
(Central) in a game for the ages.
Underdog Lincoln leaped ahead 9-0, but the Lions
regrouped quickly and were within one point,
13-12, at the first quarter horn. Central kept
building momentum through the second stanza,
crafting a 26-23 cushion by half time.
Lincoln stormed out of the second half gate, scoring eight of the first 10 points in the third quarter, regaining the lead and increasing it to 37-32 with a frame of regulation remaining.
In a see-saw fourth quarter, Central's Mike Hughes hit a textbook jumper with 1:12 remaining to put the Lions in front 46-44. But, 23 seconds later, Lincoln's Chris McKinney nailed a jumper that knotted the score at 46-all. When Central's Chris Reynolds was whistled for a charging foul just two seconds from the fourth quarter horn, the game was on its way to overtime.
The most controversial call of the game came at the 1:16 mark of the first overtime with the Lions in front 48-46. Chris Reynolds fouled the Tigers' Vincent Jackson and moments later was slapped with a technical foul. Jackson's tosses evened the score and Rico Sylvester's gave Lincoln the lead, 50-48. But Mike Hughes' desperation fade-away at the horn gave the Lions new life, sending the game into a second overtime with the teams tied at 50.
The game was still tied, 52-52, after a pair of
extra sessions.
In the third and last overtime, the teams traded
scores before a Vincent Jackson 18-foot buzzer
beater over a pair of out-stretched defenders won
it for Lincoln 59-57.
That may well have been the tournament's best game. But the distinction of being the most bizarre game ever played belongs to the semifinal showdown between top ranked, 32-0 Quincy and upstart Chicago (Mendel) in 1982AA.
The Blue Devils, riding a 64-game winning streak over two years, opened like the defending champions they were, scoring on a slam-dunk off the opening tip and racing to a sudden 6-0 lead that seemed destined to send the underdog Monarchs packing for home. But Mendel kept its composure and wouldn't go away.
Eventually, the Monarchs moved in front and held a nervous 51-48 lead late in the fourth quarter. The Blue Devils rallied to tie the contest at 51-all, and once regaining possession of the ball, they stuffed it in the deep freeze, determined to wait for the game's final shot.
The tactic forced a series of incredible events.
On a contested call with only 32 seconds left, Mendel was slapped with a technical foul for not sending out defenders on the ball-holding Quincy guards. Mark Sparrow took the free throw, hit it and moved the Blue Devils to the front 52-51.
Still in possession of the ball, Quincy was fouled twice—once with 30 seconds remaining and, again, just seven seconds later. Both times all-American Bruce Douglas missed the front end of a one-and-one. Quincy rebounded the first miss, but the second went to Mendel. The Monarchs worked the ball to their end of the floor, but Dennis Douglas swiped the ball and, seemingly, the game from Mendel's hands. As Douglas wrapped the ball in both arms and bent at the waist to protect himself from a swarm of defenders, the ball somehow slipped from his grasp, through his legs, rolled down the lane and out of bounds with only five seconds to play.
Mendel inbounded the ball and worked it hastily to Mike Hampton at the top of the key. Hampton's 24-foot jumper just two seconds from the finish gave Mendel the lead 53-52. Immediately, Quincy asked for a timeout.
That's when things turned even crazier.
In replays of the game, it is obvious that the Blue Devils' players were requesting a timeout the instant Hampton's shot went in-with two seconds still showing on the clock. But, for whatever reasons, Quincy was not awarded a timeout until the clock showed triple zeroes.
Ironically, television stations that were broadcasting the game cut away, switching to other programs, thinking the game was over. But, after a lengthy consultation of floor and bench officials, punctuated repeatedly by Quincy coach Jerry Leggett's insistence that the horn had never sounded, the Blue Devils were awarded the ball under the Mendel basket with an unknown fraction of a second still on the Assembly Hall clock.
In one of the most memorable game-ending plays in tournament history, and with a large television audience now in the dark, Dennis Douglas heaved a court-length pass to brother Bruce, who did not have time to catch and then re-direct the ball, but only to tip it toward the basket. Tipped in time to count, an instant before the final horn, the ball rolled tantalizingly around the rim before falling off no good.
Amazingly, Quincy won the third-place game that night when Dennis Douglas again threw a court-length pass to Bruce Douglas, who had to leap over the out of bounds line to grab the ball in mid-air. Instinctively, after catching the ball, Douglas flipped it to 6-7 Tim Huseman who was moving down the lane toward the basket. Huseman's close-in shot at the buzzer gave the Blue Devils a near-miraculous 63-62 win over Chicago (Marshall).
Yet such magic has ever been part of the state tournament, sometimes making dreams and sometimes breaking them, but always casting its irresistible spell on players and coaches, reporters and fans alike. And there will be magic yet to come, for when high school players with that intoxicating mix of talent and dreams hit that memory littered, century-long tournament trail, there seems to always be an endless supply of magic. And some of us will ride that magic yet-to-be back to the magic that once was.
It doesn't take much to make the journey back across one magical century.
Sometimes just the squeak of a shoe.
The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and not necessarily those of the Illinois High School Association.