Kansas Prep Basketball History Part 4                      Update May 10, 2012                        Kansas High School Basketball  History

 Part Four:  Kansas High School Association Tournament  1921-1924                * = Overtime    ! = Forfeit     by Patrick Macfee

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1921 KSHSAA State Tournament                             March 17-19                            Robinson Gym     Lawrence, Ks

CH:  Newton  27  Lawrence  19                                                                                    1.   Newton  (27-1)          Frank Lindley          ARK VALLEY                 
SF:   Lawrence  22  Winfield  21                                                                                   2.   Lawrence  (19-4)      Max Klein                INDEPENDENT
SF:   Newton  49  Baldwin  9                                                                                         SF  Winfield  (17-5)         John Reber              ARK VALLEY
QF:  Newton  31  Wichita 29                                                                                         SF  Baldwin  (?-?)           ??                              INDEPENDENT
QF:  Baldwin  30  Fort Scott  23
QF:  Lawrence  28  Kansas City  13
QF:  Winfield  36  Topeka  15
2R:  Newton  48  Topeka-Oakland  19                                                                        
Officials:  L.V. "Red" Brown, Rudolph Uhrlaub, Ray Dunmire, John Bunn
2R:  Wichita  42  Buhler  27
2R:  Baldwin  34  Oberlin  16
2R:  Fort Scott  30  Cherokee  12
2R:  Lawrence  28  Iola  22
2R:  Kansas City  19  Effingham  9                                                                               KSHSAA & PRESS ALL-STARS
2R:  Topeka  27  Kingman  23
2R:  Winfield  32  Emporia  15
1R:  Topeka  36  Long Island  10                                                                                   1st Team
1R:  Kingman  32  Perry  14
1R:  Winfield  2  Leavenworth  0 !                                                                                  Milt Johnston  NEWTON
1R:  Emporia  34  Manhattan  30                                                                                   Lysle Mummert  WINFIELD
1R:  Iola  41  Great Bend  30                                                                                          Tus Ackerman  LAWRENCE
1R:  Lawrence  39  Leona  14                                                                                         Clarke Brunton  WINFIELD
1R:  Kansas City  2  KC-Argentine  0  !                                                                         Wilfred Belgarde  NEWTON
1R:  Effingham  28  Formosa  20
1R:  Fort Scott  2  Girard  0  !                                                                                        2nd Team
1R:  Cherokee  24  Salina  18
1R:  Baldwin  29  Pawnee Rock  28                                                                               Ward Hitt  KANSAS CITY
1R:  Oberlin  31  Arkansas City  27                                                                               Harold Testerman  LAWRENCE
1R:  Wichita  2  Geneseo  0 !                                                                                          Walter Woods  NEWTON
1R:  Buhler  28  Denton  19                                                                                            Clyde Vail  FORT SCOTT
1R:  Newton  20  Wellsville  19                                                                                       George Mackie  LAWRENCE
1R:  Topeka-Oakland  34  Kirwin  22
Preliminary:  Topeka  2  Quenemo  0 !
Preliminary:  Kingman  22  Miltonvale  17
Preliminary:  Winfield  2  Glen Elder  0 !
Preliminary:  Manhattan  25  Scott City  18
Preliminary:  Iola  32  Russell 14
Preliminary:  Lawrence  30  Haven  19
Preliminary:  Kansas City  26  Liberal  12
Preliminary:  Formosa  2  Asherville  0 !
Preliminary:  Fort Scott  29  Chapman  17
Preliminary:  Salina  2  Lindsborg  0 !
Preliminary:  Baldwin  30  Horton  26
Preliminary:  Arkansas City  2  Concordia  0 !
Preliminary:  Wichita  34  Pittsburg  32
Preliminary:  Buhler  49  Portis  14
Preliminary:  Newton  2  Athol  0 !
Preliminary:  Kirwin  2  Agra  0 !

Scores Source: "One Hundred Years of Hoops" KSHSAA 2011 except as follows
                                  
Effingham-Formosa, Atchison County High School News, March, 1921,1

         Only teams that entered and finished in the top four of the KSHSAA district tournaments were eligible for the state tournament. The association now supervised the event and they found enough interested schools to conduct fifteen district tournaments state wide. Forty teams of those eligible from these districts were announced as entries for the state title in Lawrence. 1

         The opening round assignments and byes were determined by a complicated mixture of reward for the district winners and a blind draw for the the rest of the field. Geographical considerations were thrown in to avoid, nearly as possible, preliminary or first round games between regular season rivals. 2 Six teams failed to show up for preliminary games and five more skipped the first round contests. The cost of travel may have been a factor even though the association helped with those costs. The probability of a first round loss was a factor for teams that learned by telegraph of their opening round opponent the day before the event started. For example see Newton vs Athol , Wichita vs Geneseo, etc. 3

         Coach Lindley's Newton team was one of his most dominant in his career and were led by stars Wilfred Belgarde (future KU Captain) and Milt Johnston. They lost only once in the regular season when Coach Lindley described them as "cocky" in a loss to Emporia. Wichita gave the Lindley machine their only close contest at State. Newton was comfortably ahead when their Ark Valley foe began to connect on long bombs over Newton's famous zone. Eventually Newton extended the defense to clamp down on the long range threats from Wichita. The final against Lawrence was an example of Newton's calm control of a basketball game. 4

         Tus Ackerman of Lawrence was named the Captain of the All-Tourney team and he would become an All-American at Kansas University. 5 Several Newton boys made the team as well. It is probable that their offensive statistics could have been much higher - but in those days Coach Lindley insisted on working for the very highest percentage shot on every trip down the court. 6

        Leslie Edmonds was a prominent basketball referee and a newspaper columnist for the Topeka Daily Capital. At the conclusion of the tournament he voiced his concerns about the direction of the state tournament. He proposed that the KSHSAA abolish the tournament. His shocking statement gathered attention to his concerns that he detailed in his column. He charged that the tournament had become a pre-enrollment rush party for the college hosting it. He objected to the large number of teams that were allowed to compete in one event. The winning team became five players with the most endurance rather than a true basketball champion. Teams could play as many as three time-shortened preliminary games in a day. He stated, "Winning teams are put thru their paces many times, their strength taxed far beyond reason. In the end, defeated or victorious, (they) are given less attention than a fast dog at a coursing meet."

        He suggested the association district the state with as many as twenty districts with the winners of only those tourneys advancing to the big event. He also advised the group to move the location of the tournament around the state so the standard of athletics would be improved state wide. He pointed out all the fine facilities that had been created at other colleges since the high schools had first gathered in Lawrence in 1908. Edmonds called for an end to the girls tournament as he did not think it suitable that girls ever play more than one game per day. 7

       Within a few years the KSHSAA had implemented most of Edmonds' suggestions. The girls tournament was never officially sponsored by the association and 1921 was the last year for that competition. Basketball rule makers would help with the issue of player exhaustion by more liberal substitution re-entry regulations over the next decade. The tournament field was limited to sixteen by 1925.

       Newton accepted an invitation to the Interstate Tournament in Madison, Wisconsin. The tournament was cancelled and there was no published explanation in the Kansas press. It may have been that the Chicago tournament of Amos Alonzo Stagg became more popular and Wisconsin was unable to draw an adequate field. Coach Lindley only said " (We) were already to go - but couldn't find any place to go."  8  Chicago did stage a tournament that was won by Cedar Rapids, Iowa over West Lafayette, Indiana. 9

       Rule Change: A player can re-enter a game once. Prior to this change, if a player left the game, he could not re-enter for the rest of the contest. 10

1.   University Daily Kansan, March 18, 1921, 1
2.   Ibid, 3
3.   Ibid, 1
4.   Newton Evening Kansan-Republican, March 21, 1921, 8
5.   Ibid
6.   Curtis Buller, 11
7.   Leslie E. Edmonds, "Basket Ball Notes," Topeka Daily Capital, March 21, 1921
8.   Curtis Buller, 151
9.   http://hoopedia.nba.com/index.php?title=National_Interscholastic_Basketball_Tournament
10  http://www.orangehoops.org/NCAA/NCAA%20Rule%20Changes.htm

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1922 KSHSAA State Tournament                             March 16-18                        Robinson Gym     Lawrence, Ks

CH:  Fort Scott  26  Newton  24                                                                             1.  Fort Scott (21-4) *       Russell P Needham          INDEPENDENT
SF:   Fort Scott  41  Wichita  30                                                                             2.  Newton  (21-3)             Frank Lindley/Frazier      ARK VALLEY
SF:   Newton  34  Pittsburg  30                                                                               3.  Pittsburg  (20-4)          C.C. Brown                        INDEPENDENT                  
QF:  Fort Scott  39  Kansas City  33                                                                      4.  Wichita  (19-5)             J.H. Smith                         ARK VALLEY
QF:  Wichita  55  Haven  26
QF:  Newton  42  Chanute  28
QF:  Pittsburg  28  Topeka-Oakland  26                                                                3rd Place Game: Pittsburg  2  Wichita  0  !
8
2R:  Fort Scott - BYE
2R:  Kansas City  38  Winfield  32                                                                          
Officials:  John Bunn, Ernest Uhrlaub, G.B. Patrick
2R:  Wichita  38  Lawrence  26
2R:  Haven  32  Arkansas City  29
2R:  Newton  30 Manhattan  22                                                                              ALL-STATE TEAMS
2R:  Chanute  23  Topeka  17
2R:  Pittsburg  35  Eudora  19                                                                                  1st Team
2R:  Topeka-Oakland  25  Caney  13
1R:  Fort Scott  56  Kirwin  17
1R:  Horton  0  Buhler  0  !!                                                                                      Fred Emmerson         FORT SCOTT
1R:  Kansas City  35  Kinsley  15                                                                            C. Newland                NEWTON
1R:  Winfield  29  McPherson  17                                                                            Fred Daniels              FORT SCOTT
1R:  Wichita  2  Harper  0  !                                                                                     Don Ralph                  NEWTON
1R:  Lawrence  2  Hutchinson  0  !                                                                           Austin Ober               FORT SCOTT
1R:  Haven  2  Bancroft  0  !
1R:  Arkansas City  33  Lyons  21                                                                           2nd Team
1R:  Newton  32  Emporia-Roosevelt  29
1R:  Manhattan  28  Coffeyville  23                                                                        Harry Benn                NEWTON
1R:  Chanute  27  Wellsville 20                                                                               Allan Lanyon              PITTSBURG
1R:  Topeka  38  Wheaton  14                                                                                 ______  Blood            WICHITA
1R:  Pittsburg  31  Smith Center  15                                                                        G. Jones                      NEWTON
1R:  Eudora  28  Salina  22                                                                                       Harold Schmidt           KANSAS CITY
1R:  Topeka-Oakland  2  Kingman  0  !
1R:  Caney  20  Quinter  11
Preliminary:  Fort Scott  50  Cleburne  12
Preliminary:  McPherson  29  Dodge City  24
Preliminary:  Lawrence  20  Parsons  16
Preliminary:  Haven  55  Goodland  15
Preliminary:  Newton  2  Garden City  0  ! 
Preliminary:  Emporia-Roosevelt  32  Soldier  19
Preliminary:  Wheaton  2  Oberlin  0  !
Preliminary:  Topeka-Oakland  16  Emporia  15

Scores Source: "One Hundred Years of Hoops" KSHSAA 2011 except as follows
                           
Fort Scott-Newton - Lawrence Daily Journal-World, March 20, 1922, 2
                                    
Kansas City-Winfield/Wichita-Lawrence/Newton-Manhattan - Lawrence Daily Journal-World, March 18, 1922, 2
                                     Winfield-McPherson/Eudora-Salina/Haven-Goodland/Oakland-Emporia - Lawrence Daily Journal-World, March 17, 1922, 2

        Details of tournament games were sketchy as reported in newspapers of the day. The style of play was slowed as more teams adopted the zone as popularized by Frank Lindley of Newton high school. Teams that were able to get out of the blocks with a lead early and were adept at ball handling had little incentive to attack the basket. They could play a deliberate game in backcourt as there was still no half court line.  An aggressive defense could be applied to break up a deliberate offense, but any fouls always brought a team's best free throw shooter to the line as Captains always designated who would shoot the free throws regardless of who was fouled. The games generally were low scoring affairs with a lot of passing. 

        Fort Scott was known as a team that enjoyed getting out to an early lead and then carefully salting the game away. They used this style against Kansas City. Wichita was actually ahead of the Bourbon county squad at half time. Fort Scott was able to pull away in the 3rd quarter of the game building a 28-18 lead. Then Wichita stormed back to within 1 point of the champs in the 4th quarter. After a time-out, the players from Fort Scott outscored the Ark Valley team 14-3. The boys had a closer game with Newton, but several mentioned that the Wichita game was their most competitive game overall. 1

        The champions were in control of the game with Newton until the final minutes of the game. The Lindley men began to connect with several long shots and eventually gained a two point lead with little time left. Fort Scott stars Emmerson, Daniels and Ober were the leaders of the team, but it was Mac Steele who made the final two field goals to win the game. His last one went in right before the gun sounded.  2

        The boys were exhausted by the five games played over three days. Players remarked that they had lost five to six pounds during tournament play. Dr. James Naismith praised the effort saying, "I admire the spirit and sportsmanship of that Fort Scott team." 3

        Tournament manager Phog Allen notified Fort Scott Coach Needham that $200 would be available to send his team to the University of Chicago's National High School tournament at Bartlett Gym. The Fort Scott Chamber of Commerce added another $300 and Kansas had their first entry in Amos Alonzo Staag's event. 4 Fort Scott won an easy opening round game over Austin, MN (37-16) 5  before elimination in the second round by a powerful Rockford , IL team (33-19). 6

RULE CHANGE: High school games were now played in four eight minute quarters. 7

1   Fort Scott Tribune and Fort Scott Monitor, March 20, 1922, 6
2   Ibid, 1
3   Ibid, March 21, 1922, 6
4   Ibid, March 28, 1922, 6
5   Ibid, April 5, 1922, 1
6   Ibid, April 7, 1922, 6
7   "One Hundred Years of Hoops", KSHSAA , 5
8   Pittsburg won 3rd place due to Wichita forfeit - Wichita left after loss to Fort Scott. They were scheduled for other tournaments the following week.
     Fort Scott Tribune and Fort Scott Monitor, March 21, 1922, 6

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1923 KSHSAA State Tournament                             March 16-17                       Robinson Gym     Lawrence, Ks

1ST:   Kansas City  32  Hutchinson  31 *                                                                      1  Kansas City  (31-0) *             Charles Corsaut      NEKL
3RD:  Emporia-Roosevelt  37  McPherson  33                                                             2  Hutchinson  (16-5)                  Ralph McCarroll    ARK VALLEY
SF:  Hutchinson  32  McPherson  28                                                                              3  Emporia-Roosevelt  (13-7)    Vic Trussler             INDEPENDENT 
SF:  Kansas City  44  Emporia-Roosevelt  21                                                               4  McPherson  (17-4)                  Rudolph Uhrlaub    CKL
QF:  Hutchinson  17  Wichita  15
QF:  McPherson  24  Newton  16
QF:  Emporia-Roosevelt  26  Shawnee Mission  15                                                     
Officials: John Bunn, Paul Endacott, Waldo Bowman, John Wulf
QF:  Kansas City  29  Arkansas City  19
2R:  Hutchinson  27  KC-Argentine  20                                                                          Coaches ALL TOURNEY
2R:  Wichita  39  Emporia  16
2R:  Newton  32  Olathe  26                                                                                             1st Team
2R:  McPherson  34  Iola  22
2R:  Shawnee Mission  23  Topeka  16                                                                          Harold Schmidt                    KANSAS CITY
2R:  Emporia-Roosevelt  26  Winfield  23                                                                      Herbert Proudfit                  KANSAS CITY
2R:  Kansas City  54  Mayetta  17                                                                                 Arthur Hardfelter                KANSAS CITY
2R:  Arkansas City  35  Clay Center  32                                                                        ______  Overall                   HUTCHINSON
1R:  Hutchinson  2  Ottawa  0 !                                                                                       _______  Haskard               HUTCHINSON
1R:  KC-Argentine  2  Harper  0 !
1R:  Wichita  38  Kingsley  7                                                                                          2nd Team
1R:  Emporia  23  Lindsborg  17
1R:  Newton  39  Caney  10                                                                                            ________ Dicus                    HUTCHINSON
1R:  Olathe  24  Agenda  18                                                                                           Harold Zuber                         KANSAS CITY
1R:  McPherson  26  Frontenac  22                                                                               Reginald Vance                     KANSAS CITY
1R:  Iola  2  Long Island  0 !                                                                                           _________ Showalter            MC PHERSON
1R:  Shawnee Mission  24  Pittsburg  18                                                                       Emerson Carey                      HUTCHINSON
1R:  Topeka  2  Plains  0 !
1R:  Emporia-Roosevelt  35  Fredonia  18
1R:  Winfield  39  Quinter  19
1R:  Kansas City  42  Deerfield  13
1R:  Mayetta  38  Dodge City  22
1R:  Arkansas City  -  BYE
1R:  Clay Center  34  Pawnee Rock  16                                                                     NEKL = Northeast Kansas League  CKL = Central Kansas League

   
Scores Source: "One Hundred Years of Hoops" KSHSAA 2011 except as follows
                                       
Kansas City-Emporia-Roosevelt, Topeka Daily Capital, March 18, 1923, 8B
                                        Arkansas City-Clay Center, University Daily Kansan, March 19, 1923, 4
                                        Clay Center-Pawnee Rock, Topeka Daily Capital, March 17, 1923, 10
                                        

         Kansas City reached the zenith of Kansas high school basketball in the early era (1908-1924) by winning the state championship and the Chicago University National Championship in 1923. 1

         The team dominated their league (NEKL) while also defeating several out of state opponents in the regular season. Some of the non-scholastic scores (not counted in their official win-loss record) defied credibility. The boys defeated the Kansas City Rainbows Athletic Club 234-2. This was a world scoring record at the time and required that Kansas City win nearly every center jump and score quickly on almost every possession. 2

          The only competitive game the champions experienced was the final against Hutchinson. Ralph McCarroll's Salt Hawks played an energetic defense against the Bulldogs. They maintained a lead for most of the game before Kansas City grabbed a two point lead very late in the game. Sidle of Hutchinson scored a goal seconds before the end of regulation. In the overtime, Kansas City's Hardfelter was the one who scored a late goal that was described as a "long and seemingly impossible shot". 3

         The future college stars - Schmidt, Proudfit and Zuber (KansasUniversity) - were the leaders of the team that went on to the national tournament in Chicago. The boys were a sensation in Chicago defeating Fargo, ND (47-28), Weston. ID (33-30), Chicago-Tilden, IL (44-28), and Muskegon, MI (30-26). The press described the team's defeat of Rockford, IL (42-21) as "the greatest game of basketball ever seen on a Chicago court." 4

        Kansas City crowds welcomed the team with a reception at Union station that the Kansas City Kansan described as rivaling the return of the soldiers from World War I. The Mayors of Kansas City, Kansas and Kansas City, Missouri made speeches. Newsreel photographers shot the celebration of the fans and students as they arrived at the station. Coach Phog Allen of Kansas was one of the first to arrive at Union Station to meet the champions' train. 5 When the festivities concluded, the school band led a 30-block long parade to the Kansas side of the river. 6

        Coach Charles Corsaut announced near the end of the school year that he would accept an offer to become head coach of basketball, baseball and track at Kansas State University.  He was a graduate of Salina High School and attended Kansas Wesleyan in Salina. 7

RULE CHANGE:  Several technical fouls, such as running with the ball, were changed to simple violations resulting in a loss of possession. Previously, while not a foul charged to a player, the opposing team received a free throw attempt for these type of non-contact violations. 8

 1   Kansas City Kansan, April 8, 1923, 10B
 2   Kansas City Kansas High School, The Quiverian, 1923, (Schooley Printing Co, 1923), 123
 3   Kansas City Kansan, March 18, 1923, 12B
 4   Kansas City Kansas High School, The Quiverian, 1923, (Schooley Printing Co, 1923), 123
 5.  Kansas City Kansan, April 9, 1923, 1
 6   Ibid, 7
 7   Ibid, April 8, 10B
 8   "Official Basketball Rules", Spalding's Official Collegiate Basketball Guide for 1922-1923 (New York: American Sports, 1922), 1

 

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1924 KSHSAA State Tournament                             March 21-22                       Robinson Gym     Lawrence, Ks

* Overtime Period     ! Forfeit

1st:   Emporia  32  Wichita  25  *                                                                             1  Emporia  (28-1)  ^      William Rapp                 INDEPENDENT  
3rd:  Newton  35  Hutchinson  20                                                                             2  Wichita  (25-4)  ^       J.H. Smith                      ARK VALLEY 
SF:   Wichita  34  Hutchinson  17                                                                             3  Newton  (20-5)            Frank Lindley/Stuart    ARK VALLEY
SF:   Emporia  40  Newton  22                                                                                  4  Hutchinson  (11-7)     Ralph McCarroll            ARK VALLEY  
QF:  Hutchinson  28  Topeka  17
QF:  Wichita  37  Parsons  12                                                                                   ^ Includes games won at the Chicago National Tournament
QF:  Emporia  40  KC-Rosedale  11
QF:  Newton  25  Winfield  18
2R:  Hutchinson  38  Marion  28                                                                              
Officials:  Leslie Edmonds, Louis Menze, 
2R:  Topeka  21  McPherson  16
2R:  Wichita  30  Arkansas City  22
2R:  Parsons  21  Pittsburg  11                                                                                 KSHSAA All Star Team
2R:  Emporia  58  St. Mary's Academy (Jesuit)  8
2R:  KC-Rosedale  29  Beloit  16                                                                            1st Team
2R:  Newton  22  El Dorado  9
2R:  Winfield  28  Frontenac  23                                                                               Ed Grant                       EMPORIA                                                                             
1R:  Marion  18  Smith Center  17                                                                           George Clow                 EMPORIA
1R:  Hutchinson  2  Denton  0  !                                                                               Barry Dunham              WICHITA
1R:  McPherson  46  Athol  34                                                                                 Glenn Zody                    EMPORIA
1R:  Topeka  31  Chanute  19                                                                                  _______ Reynolds        WICHITA
1R:  Parsons  2  Great Bend  0  !
1R:  Pittsburg  27  Asherville  22                                                                            2nd Team
1R:  Wichita  33  Mankato  9
1R:  Arkansas City  61  Arnold  16                                                                         Louis "Rabbit" Weller    ARKANSAS CITY  * See Below
1R:  Winfield  32  Concordia  8                                                                            
   William  Conway                NEWTON                                                                    
1R:  Frontenac  32  Topeka "B"  10                                                                       _______ Holsinger            KC-ROSEDALE
1R:  Newton  28  Lawrence  13                                                                               ________ Nordyke            WICHITA                                                                      
1R:  El Dorado  26  Greensburg  17                                                                       Edward Nold                       NEWTON
1R:  Emporia  38  Ottawa  12
1R:  St. Mary's Academy (Jesuit)  24  Olathe  21                                                  

1R:  Beloit  24  Dodge City  22                                                                                  
1R:  KC-Rosedale  26  Manhattan  10                                                                      

Preliminary:  Marion  32  Atchison  17                                                                     

Preliminary:  McPherson  2  Larned  0  ! 
Preliminary:  Parsons  32 Topeka-Washburn  16                                                      
Preliminary:  Wichita  31  Eudora  22
Preliminary:  Winfield  33  Kansas City  26
Preliminary:  Newton  45  Oakley  7
Preliminary:  Emporia  2  Seneca  0  !
Preliminary:  Beloit  22  Havensville  19    

* The Kansas Sports Hall of Fame says he graduated from Arkansas City High School in 1927.  But 1924 was his last year of eligibility for high school sports. He played football for Arkansas City in the fall of 1923. He was barred from Ark Valley competition in basketball due to an undefined league rule. The KSHSAA did allow him to compete in non-conference games and their tournament contests. The confusion about Arkansas City may
have resulted from Weller's time at Arkansas City Junior College after 1924. He then moved on to play for Haskell where 
he was an All-American football player.

    Scores Source: "One Hundred Years of Hoops" KSHSAA 2011 except as follows
                                      
Frontenac-Topeka "B", University Daily Kansan, March 23, 1924, 2

        Thirty-eight entries were set for the bracket in the 1924 tournament - only those who made the finals of the 19 district tournaments from around the state were eligible for the  State Tourney in Lawrence. 1 Four teams were no-shows for their first contest. It was not clear if they skipped due to travel expenses or unfavorable match-ups in the tourney draw. Denton, a small school north of Atchison drew Ark Valley power Hutchinson in the first round and it is likely they would not make the trip for an almost certain loss.    Seneca failed to show against undefeated Emporia in a preliminary game. When Tribune faced a long trip for an almost certain loss to Emporia, Ottawa was allowed to take their place and lost for the third time in the season to Emporia. 2

        Everyone expected the show down in the finals between Emporia and Wichita and it proved to be the the closest contest either had in the tournament. Wichita held a lead at halftime through the excellent play of Berry Dunham, Ross McBurney and sharp shooter _____ Davis. Emporia's fortunes looked lost when Ed Grant was carried from the floor with a dislocated knee. But his substitute Baird went on to score four field goals that was the key in avoiding disaster. George Clow at center and Glenn Zody deserved the all-star team designation with their defensive play. Still, it was Baird that saved the game by hitting a shot with 6 seconds left in regulation. Clow got Emporia off to a good start in the overtime period and the Spartans finished their Kansas season undefeated. 3

        Emporia received an invitation to the Chicago tournament and Wichita accepted an invite offered because of their overtime duel in the state finals. H.O. Crisler of Chicago University declared the tournament field as the finest collection of state championship teams in the history of the event. Thirty-nine teams representing thirty-one states competed over five days at the Bartlett Gymnasium. 4

        Coach Rapp's Emporia team was known for a very stifling defense. He called it a "team defense" (zone) that was the main factor in the wins over Elgin, IL (30-15) and Two Harbors, MN (39-9). 5  Yankton, SD squeaked by Emporia in the quarter-final 13-11. They used a deliberate offensive attack that surprised the favored Emporia five. Their Captain was able to penetrate the defense in the middle for timely scores. Emporia panicked in the final quarter and was unable to close the gap. Ed Grant - the Spartan's best player was slowed by the knee injury form the previous Kansas tournament. Gus Fish was praised by the Chicago press as the most outstanding Emporia player against Yankton. 6

       Wichita was eliminated in the second round. 7

Rule Change: The player fouled must shoot his own free throws. Prior to this change, the Captain could appoint the player on the floor to shoot free throws for the team. 8

1.   University Daily Kansan, March 17, 1924
2.   Emporia High School Echo, March 24, 1924, 3
3.   Lawrence Daily Journal-World, March 24, 1924, 2
4.   H.O. Crisler, "National Inter-Scholastic Basketball Tournament The Univerity of Chicago", Reach Official Basketball Guide 1924-1925 (Philadelphia: A.J. Reach Company, 1924), 109
5.   Emporia High School Echo, March 24, 1924, 1
6.   H.O. Crisler, 110
7.   Ibid, 118
8.   A.J. Reach Company, "Official Basketball Rules for 1923-1924", Reach Official Basket Ball Guide 1924-1925, (Philadelphia: A.J. Reach Company, 1924) 12-13