History of the C'ville Sectional 1915-1971 - Montgomery InGenWeb Project

The IHSAA adopted the sectional format for the 1915 season, but the early Athenian annuals and the local newspapers referred to the tourney as the district tourney. The following sites were designated as tourney sites for the first year: Anderson, Bedford, Bluffton, Brazil, Crawfordsville, Evansville, Franklin, Hammond, Kokomo, Lebanon, Lafayette, Richmond, Rochester, and Seymour. CHS welcomed ten other teams that year to the second floor of the Terminal Building which housed the YMCA or the Old Armory basketball floor.

7 Photos of the YMCA  Thanks to Bill Boone

The old YMCA Armory Home of the first sectional

Although team nicknames did not come into fashion until the middle 20s, I have identified the teams with their modern nicknames. The following teams were represented: The Attica Red Ramblers, Crawfordsville Athenians, Darlington Indians, Mellott Derbies, New Market Purple Flyers, Newtown (no nickname), New Richmond Cardinals, Veedersburg Green Devils, Waynetown Gladiators, Williamsport Bingy Bombers, and the Wingate Spartans. The winners of the fourteen sectionals were scheduled to journey to Indiana University to play for the State Championship. Crawfordsville won the first sectional by defeating New Richmond 32-22 and advanced to Bloomington where they lost to Rochester in the first game 20-17.

First Sectional Champs 1914-15

L.J.C. Freeman, CHS Coach

The next four sectionals were also held in the YMCA gymnasium above the Terminal Building. The Roachdale Hawks, Pine Village Pine Knots, and the Ladoga Spartans joined the other eleven teams making a total of fourteen in the second Crawfordsville sectional. Crawfordsville won the second sectional in 1916 and advanced to the final game of the state before losing to Lafayette Jeff 27-26 in overtime. The Athenians were 26-4 that year.

They were called the Champions without a cup—CHS 1916

The Hillsboro Wildcats and the Covington Trojans came over from Fountain County swelling the list of teams to its peak of sixteen for the 1917 tourney. There were fifteen teams in 1918 as Covington moved out.

Wingate won the next two Crawfordsville sectionals in 1916-17 and 1917-18. The Wingate teams were coached by John Blacker who was the star guard on the 1913 and 1914 State Champion teams. The 1917 sectional final featured a reunion of John Blacker coaching for Wingate and his old teammate Lee Sinclair who played with Blacker on the 1913 and 1914 Wingate State Championship teams coaching for Newtown. Blacker then moved to Crawfordsville High School where his 1918-19 team was State runner-up.

Wingate High School Sectional Champs 1917

Wingate 20 Newtown 18

Wingate High School Sectional Champs 1918

Wingate 23 Veedersburg 18

The Romney Pirates and Mace (no nickname) joined the fun in 1919 making the total again sixteen teams. These tournaments were beginning to be played to packed houses and the 1919 crowd was estimated at 800-1000 fans with about 300 turned away. Crawfordsville won the 1919 sectional by defeating Darlington 16-7 and advanced to the fourteen team finals at Purdue where they defeated Franklin 18-14 and Logansport 20-1 before losing to Lafayette in the afternoon game of the finals 18-15. Bloomington won the championship and Lafayette was runner-up even though Crawfordsville had beaten both of them in the regular season. Crawfordsville finished the season with a 30-4 record.

The 1918-19 State Runner-up Gold and Blue

The first five sectionals had been won by either Crawfordsville or Wingate and the odds were good that one of those two would also win again in 1919-20. The winner of the Crawfordsville Sectional would probably be the favorite to win the state crown, but disaster struck. Neither would get the opportunity as both were suspended from the IHSAA that year for recruiting a player from another school. The situation came to light because Crawfordsville had played Mellott in summer baseball game and noticed a player named Fletcher Kerr on the Mellott baseball team. Kerr ended up on the Wingate basketball team that fall and CHS protested to the IHSAA. Whereupon, Wingate then revealed that C‘ville had recruited a basketball player named Marion Blacker from the Wingate team and the squabble was on. To still the furor, the IHSAA suspended both Crawfordsville and Wingate and took the sectional away from Montgomery County. The IHSAA then sent Waynetown, New Market, Alamo, Mace, Ladoga, New Ross, Bowers, Darlington, and Waveland to the Greencastle Sectional where Greencastle defeated Ladoga in the championship game 18-13. That would be the first of eight sectional championship games that Ladoga would lose—seven at Crawfordsville and one at Greencastle. New Richmond and Linden went north to the Lafayette Sectional and lost in the early rounds. Wingate and Crawfordsville then played an independent schedule, playing college, semi-pro, and independent teams. They met twice that year and split the two games; Crawfordsville defeated Wingate and won the Tri-State Tourney at Cincinnati and Wingate defeated Crawfordsville at Chicago in the final game of the Mid-West Tournament at Chicago. Wingate was proclaimed National Champs that year and C’ville ended the year with a 30-2 record.

The 1920 outlaw team Crawfordsville High School

Wingate Interscholastic Champs 1920

With Wingate and Crawfordsville out of the way, Franklin’s Wonder Five started a streak of three straight state championships.

Crawfordsville High School Sectional Champs--1921

Crawfordsville 17 Wingate 9

Things got back to normal after the “Outlaw Year,” for the C’ville Sectional as the Gold and Blue won the 1921 sectional and Wingate won it in1922. (No picture), Crawfordsville had a great team in 1922-23 winning 23 and losing only 7. Once again they were Runner-up at the state.

The 1922-23 team made headlines and finished Runner-up at the State

Crawfordsville High School Sectional Champs

Crawfordsville 39 Linden 4

Crawfordsville and Wingate continued to dominate (CHS in 1924 and 1926 and Wingate in 1925) as one or the other won until 1927 when Bowers defeated Wingate 20-10. The 1927 sectional was the first ever won by any team other than Wingate or Crawfordsville and it turned out to be the only sectional that Bowers ever won.

Bowers Sectional champs 1927

In the first twelve years of sectional competition, Wingate won four sectionals and Crawfordsville won seven. Remember that both were suspended in 1919-20 and the other county schools went elsewhere. The 1921 and 1922 sectionals were played in the CHS auditorium with Crawfordsville winning in 1921 and Wingate winning in 1922. The sectional then moved to the Wabash College for the next seventeen years, 1923 through 1939.

The Wabash Fieldhouse in 1918

From 1915 to 1939, Crawfordsville won fifteen sectionals, Wingate won five Waveland won two and Bowers and New Richmond won one apiece.

Crawfordsville High School Sectional Champs 1928

Crawfordsville 44 New Market 23

The New Richmond Cardinals Sectional Champs 1934

New Richmond won its only sectional in 1934. The Crawfordsville Sectional which fluctuated from eleven teams the first year to sixteen in 1917, 1919, and 1922, finally settled into a twelve team competition from 1925 until 1953. The only variations were in 1944 when Bowers had no team and 1933 when Linden did not play. In the fall of 1953, New Richmond and Wingate became Coal Creek Central, and in the fall of 1955, Bowers consolidated with Darlington; the sectional became first an eleven and then a ten team affair. The sectional had traveled from its initial site at the old YMCA gym, to the CHS auditorium, then to Wabash College before finding a permanent home at the new CHS gym where it would stay for the next 31 years, from 1940 to 1971.

Basketball in the CHS auditorium during the 1920 outlaw season

CHS had a record of 17-10 under Charlie Cummings and went to the Final Four

After winning the first four sectionals in their new gym, Crawfordsville saw the County teams begin to flex their muscles. Waynetown won back to back titles in 1944 and 1945 with undefeated seasons. During a four year span, the Gladiators would win 51 consecutive regular season games under veteran coach Ralph Capehart. The Glads also won two straight county titles during that time and won their only regional in 1944.

Waynetown 1943-44 Waynetown 1944-45

Pete Moore was one of the Ralph Capehart

Waynetown stars of the 40’s

C’ville then won the next three titles before Waveland rose up and won in 1949, starting a string of six straight county school wins in the C’ville Sectional. New Market followed Waveland with a win in 1950.

New Market Sectional Champs 1950

Waveland reclaimed the crown in 1951 under the legendary Cliff Davis and held on to it in 1952 and 1953 under Jim Hannah. The Hornets dominated Montgomery County basketball from 1948 to 1955. During the Hornet era, Waveland won four County Tourneys (1959, 1951, 1953, and 1955) and four sectionals (1949, 1951, 1952, and 1953) becoming the only county school to win three straight sectionals. During that seven year span, Waveland won 140 games and lost only 29 for a winning percentage of .828. They were undefeated in 1950-51 losing only to Covington in the regional 54-48. The Hornets that year were led by Keith Greve, Bill Wheeler, Don Whitecotton, and Bob Harbison.

Waveland won the County and Sectional in 1950-51 and had a record of 26-1 losing only in the championship game of the regional

Waveland Sectional Champs 1952 Cliff Davis

Waveland cut down the nets in 1952

The New Ross Bluejays continued the county dominance by winning its first sectional title in 1954, but relinquished it as Crawfordsville broke its six year dry spell by winning in 1955. The Athenians lost only to Lebanon in the third game of the regular season that year and then reeled off twenty-two straight victories destroying the competition in the sectional and regional before losing to Gary Roosevelt in the semi-state 71-51. Under Coach Jerry DeWitt, the Athenians finished the year with an outstanding record of 24

Crawfordsville Athenians 1955 Jerry DeWitt—CHS Coach

The Bluejays reclaimed the crown in 1956 as they won 26 straight games under Coach Glen Harper. New Ross was led by four year starter, Richard Haffner and blew through the Greencastle Regional before losing to the eventual state runner-up, Gary Froebel, in the West Lafayette Semi-State 56-40.

New Ross Bluejays—County, Sectional and Regional Champs 26-1

Crawfordsville won the next four sectionals, 1957 through 1960. The 1958 team under Coach Dick Baumgartner and led by Trester Award winner, Dick Haslam, went all the way to the final game of the state before losing to Ft. Wayne South, led by 7-foot Mike McCoy.

CHS State Runner-up 1958 CHS seniors receive the Runner-up trophy

Dick Haslam won the Trester Award

New Ross Blue Jays 1961

The New Ross Bluejays celebrated a Regional championship in 1961

The New Ross Bluejays cut the C’ville string at four in 1961 and breezed through the Covington Regional before losing to Logansport 83-51. The Jays were led by Coach Keith Greve who coached at New Ross for three years and won two sectionals, and a regional along with three straight 20 victory seasons. The Bluejays put together three amazing seasons going 21-2 in 1959-60, 25-2 in 1960-61 and 21-4 in 1961-62. The New Ross contingent of the twelve year period from 1953 to 1965 won four County Tourneys, four sectionals, and two regionals. They won twenty or more games nine times in that period and had only one losing season. In that period, the Bluejays were 229-51 for a winning percentage of .817.

Phil Haffner

Phil Haffner led the Bluejays to County, Sectional, and Regional championships in 1961 as he scored 438 points for the season for a 16.2 average. He finished his career at New Ross with 731 points and had a high game of 33 his senior year.

Crawfordsville reclaimed the sectional crown in 1963 and successfully defended it in 1964 and 1965, but there were storm clouds looming on the horizon for the venerable Crawfordsville Sectional. Consolidation plans had begun and the IHSAA was making plans for state-wide eight team sectionals. The Montgomery County Sectional which had existed practically unchanged for forty years was about to be taken apart. In 1965, the IHSAA sent Linden to Frankfort and Alamo to Cayuga for the North Vermillion Sectional. In 1966, Linden remained at Frankfort, Alamo returned to the fold at C’ville and ironically, Darlington was sent to Zionsville. It was ironic because the Darlington star was beginning to rise. With Darlington busy at Zionsville, Coal Creek Central picked off its only sectional prize in 1966. The Bearcats coached by Phil Miller and led by sharpshooter Larry Lidester who scored 460 points that year, won 20 games. The Cats had great balance in 1965-66 as all five starters scored over 200 points. Rich Stonebraker followed Lidester with 395 points and Lee Fouts followed with 346.

Chuck McKnight scored 274 and Denny Mennen added 244.

Coal Creek Central was Sectional Champ and Regional Finalist in 1966

New Market pulled the upset of all time in 1967 as far as the C’ville Sectional was concerned by winning its second title after winning only two games during the regular season. The Purple Flyers came on strong in the sectional to defeat defending champ Coal Creek Central 78-72, New Ross 81-63 and Waveland 57-50. The bubble burst in the opening game of the regional, however, as Larry Steele and the Bainbridge Pointers defeated the Flyers 79-42.

From 2-19 to Sectional Champs—It never happened before or since in Indiana. New Market Purple Flyers.

Darlington was beginning to make its move in 1967. After winning only one tournament in its history (the county in 1954), Darlington was building a solid base. The Indians were 15-6 in 1966-67 under Galen Smith and 18-4 with a County championship in 1968. Dave Nicholson arrived on the scene in the fall of 1968 and the Indians exploded. They put together two undefeated seasons back to back, going 24-1 in 1968-69 and 22-1 in 1969-70. They won the County Tourney both years and the Lebanon sectional in 1969. In the five year period from 1967 to 1971, the Indians won 97 games while losing only 16 for a glowing winning percentage of .858. They won three consecutive County Tourneys (1968, 1969, and 1970) and the Lebanon Sectional in 1969. The mainstays on the 1969 and 1970 Indians were Dan Nichols, Don Threlkeld, (1969) and Rich Douglas. All three blistered the nets at record-breaking paces. Nichols would end his career with 975 points, Threlkeld with 1246 and Rich Douglas with the career record of 1296 points.

Darlington Indians 1969

Darlington celebrated its first and only sectional in 1969

While Darlington was winning in 1969 at Lebanon, Crawfordsville won in Montgomery County. The old rivals squared off in the second game of the regional at Frankfort with C’ville winning 70-66. The defeat was the only one for Dave Nicholson’s crew that year. Waynetown slipped in and won the 1970 sectional at Crawfordsville defeating the host Athenians 74-69. Four schools had better records than the Gladiators, but an old Linden Bulldog star, Fred Johnson, guided the Gladiators to their third and last sectional crown. Waynetown had won only seven games that year. Coal Creek Central, Crawfordsville, and Linden all had better records as did Darlington. But Darlington was at the Lebanon Sectional where they lost to the host Tigers 84-70 and the Gladiators defeated New Market 74-69, New Ross 76-59 and Crawfordsville 74-69 for the championship.

Waynetown Gladiators were sectional Kim Suiters cuts down the nets

champs in 1970

The Gladiators celebrated in 1970

When all the firing was over and the smoke had cleared after the 1971 season, all of the County schools except Ladoga, Linden, and Alamo had won at least one sectional crown. Ladoga had the longest history of frustration, going to the title game seven times at Crawfordsville and once at Greencastle without winning a title. The Canners did win two County championships, however. Linden advanced to the final game five times without winning a sectional, but did win six County titles second only to New Market. Finally tiny Alamo got to the final game once losing to Crawfordsville in 1959 by a score of 63-48. The Warriors did win four County crowns however, winning in 1934, 1939, 1946, and 1957.

Ladoga Canners County Champs in 1947 Alamo was County Champs in 1957

Linden won the last County Tourney in 1971

The Crawfordsville Sectional ended its fifty-seven year run in 1971 the same way it started in 1915. The host Athenians won the last sectional just as they had won the first one. The Crawfordsville Sectional then went to North Montgomery for the next twenty years. The three Montgomery County schools, Crawfordsville, North Montgomery and Southmont were joined by Southwestern and Wainwright for the 1972 sectional. The two Tippecanoe County schools then consolidated into McCutcheon in the fall of 1975 making a four team sectional until 1992 when the three county rivals all went to Lebanon to try their luck with ancient rival Lebanon. During the 20 year run at North Montgomery, Crawfordsville won 7 times, McCutcheon won 7, and North Montgomery won 6. Southmont didn’t win a sectional during that period, but won their only sectional in 1994. After Lebanon hosted in 1991-92 and 1992-93, (winning both years), the sectional alternated between North Montgomery and Lebanon. During that 4 year period when the tourney alternated between North Montgomery and Lebanon, Southmont won their only sectional, Western Boone won twice, and Zionsville won once.

Class basketball began with the 1997-98 season and the Montgomery County teams moved to various places depending on their classification and the IHSAA assignments. Southmont and North Montgomery moved between 2A and 3A from the beginning of the class system while Crawfordsville stayed in the 3A class. I have tried to put the winner and place where the sectional took place for every sectional in which a Montgomery County school participated. The 3A sectional has been played at Frankfort, Lebanon, Danville, and Hamilton Heights while the 2A sectional has been contested at North Montgomery and Fountain Central.

MONTGOMERY COUNTY SECTIONAL BASKETBALL WINNERS SINCE CONSOLIDATION

1971-72 Crawfordsville

1972-73 Crawfordsville

1973-74 North Montgomery

1974-75 North Montgomery

1975-76 Crawfordsville

1976-77 North Montgomery

1977-78 Crawfordsville

1978-79 Crawfordsville

1979-80 North Montgomery

1980-81 McCutcheon

1981-82 McCutcheon

1982-83 North Montgomery

1983-84 North Montgomery

1984-85 Crawfordsville

1985-86 McCutcheon

1986-87 McCutcheon

1987-88 McCutcheon

1988-89 Crawfordsville

1989-90 McCutcheon

1990-91 McCutcheon

1991-92 Lebanon at Lebanon

1992-93 Lebanon at Lebanon

1993-94 Southmont at North Montgomery

1994-95 Zionsville at Lebanon

1995-96 Western Boone at North Montgomery

1996-97 Western Boone at Lebanon

1997-98 Western Boone at North Montgomery (2A) Lebanon at Frankfort (3A)

1998-99 North Montgomery at North (2A) Lebanon at Frankfort (3A)

1999-00 Western Boone at Fountain Central (2A) Danville at Lebanon (3A)

2000-01 Covington at NM (2A) Lebanon at Danville (3A)

2001-02 Covington at Fountain Central (2A) Lebanon at Hamilton Heights (3A)

2002-03 Covington at North Montgomery (2A)

2003-04 Delphi at Fountain Central (2A) Brebeuf at Lebanon (3A)

2004-05 North Montgomery at NM (2A) Brebeuf at Danville (3A)

2005-06 North Montgomery at Fountain Central (2A) Danville at Danville (3A)

2006-07 North Montgomery at NM (2A) Brebeuf at Lebanon (3A)

2007-08 Danville at Danville (3A)

2008-09 North Montgomery at Lebanon (3A)

2009-10 Danville (3A)

2010-11 Danville (3A)

2011-12 Fountain Central at Fountain Central (2A)

2012-13 Danville (3A)

2013-14 Crawfordsville

2014-15 Lebanon

2015-16 Tri-West

2016-17 Tri-West

2017-18 Lebanon

2018-19 Greencastle

2019-20

2020-21

Crawfordsville Sectional Scrapbook

Sectional Champs 1915

Crawfordsville 32--New Richmond 22

Sectional Champs 1916

Crawfordsville 53—Wingate 9

No Picture Available

Sectional Champs 1917

Wingate 20—Newtown 18 (OT)

Sectional Champs 1918

Wingate 23—Veedersburg 18

Sectional Champs 1919

Crawfordsville 16—Darlington 7

No Sectional at Crawfordsville in 1920

Sectional Champs 1921

Crawfordsville 17—Wingate 9

Sectional Champs 1922 No Picture Available

Wingate 21—Crawfordsville 17

Sectional Champs 1923

Crawfordsville 39—Linden 4

Sectional Champs 1924

Crawfordsville 30—Waynetown 14

Sectional Champs 1925—No Picture Available

Wingate 25—Waynetown 22

Sectional Champs 1926

Crawfordsville 31—Bowers 21

Sectional Champs 1927

Bowers 20—Wingate 10

Sectional Champs 1928

Crawfordsville 44—New Market 23

Sectional Champs 1929

Crawfordsville 30—Waynetown 15

Sectional Champs 1930

Crawfordsville 14—Linden 12

Sectional Champs 1931

Wingate 24—Ladoga 14

Sectional Champs 1932

Crawfordsville 25—Wingate 8

Front row LR—Paul “Pat” Malaska, Leo McCarthy, Herb Dukes, Harry Rutledge, Albert Canine, and Stanley Harshbarger. Second row LR—Don Kendall, Wendell Kirk, Coach Charles “Chuck” Henry, Asst. Coach Carl DeBard, Edwin Bayless, and James Johnson.

Sectional Champs 1933

Crawfordsville 29—New Richmond 12

Sectional Champs 1934

New Richmond 35—Darlington 24

Front row LR—Robert Morgan, Capt., Williard Robinson, Leonard Greve, Harry Oliver, and George Wilshire. Back row LR—Coach Norbert W. Kniesly, Leslie Dinwiddie, Frank Corder, Glenn Hooker, Frank Burrin, Jr., Junior Milligan, and David Ireland, Mgr.

Sectional Champs 1935

Waveland 20—Linden 11

Sectional Champs 1936

Crawfordsville 33—Ladoga 28

Sectional Champs 1937

Crawfordsville 54—Linden 25

Seated LR—Bob Clements, James Martin, Joe Hedges, Ed Ross, Ed Kirkpatrick, and Ted Miller. Standing LR—Coach Charlie Cummings, John Hedges, Warren McGaughey, Don Swarat, Bob Hybarger, and Coach H.T. McCollough

Sectional Champs 1938

Crawfordsville 46—Ladoga 22

Sectional Champs 1939

Waveland 32—Wingate 23

LR—John Hedges, Bob Clements, John Frees, Junior Shockley, Ted Miller, Bill Rowland, Ed Kirkpatrick, Ed Ross, Joe Hedges, Grover Ellis, Oscar Hybarger, and Coach H. T. McCollough.

Sectional Champs 1940

Crawfordsville 40—New Market 32

Seated LR—Bob Clements, James Martin, Joe Hedges, Ed Ross, Ed Kirkpatrick, and Ted Miller. Standing LR—Coach Charlie Cummings, John Hedges, Warren McGaughey, Don Swarat, Bob Hybarger, and Coach H.T. McCollough.

Sectional Champs 1941

Crawfordsville 28—Darlington 24

Seated LR—Bill Wright, Bob Hybarger, Don Swarat, Bill Freeman, Keith Martin, and Bob Clements. Standing LR—Tim Servies, Bob Sosbe, Phil Hall, Coach Charlie Cummings, Bob Pickell, Bob Smith, and Charles Curtin.

Sectional Champs 1942

Crawfordsville 68—Darlington 26

No Picture Available

Sectional Champs 1943

Crawfordsville 41—Ladoga 21

Sectional Champs 1944

Waynetown 27—New Ross 24

Sectional Champs 1945

Waynetown 29—Crawfordsville 27

Sectional and Regional champs--Semi-state runnerup 1946

Crawfordsville 55—Darlington 44

Sectional Champs--1947

Crawfordsville 38—Ladoga 23

Seated LR—Toliver Kennedy, Howard Zachary, Phil Francis, Karl Dickerson, Don Houston, and Jim Smith. Standing LR—Lloyd “Bill” Chase, Coach, Frank Gardner, Dick Graham, Merle Smith, Don Froedge, and Eddie Clifton

Sectional Champs 1948

Crawfordsville 57—Waynetown 39

Sectional Champs 1949

Waveland 66—Bowers 48

Kneeling LR—Coach Bill Melvin, Darrell “Peanut” Lester, and Wesley Maxwell. Middle—Perry “Icky” Hockersmith. Standing LR—John Alexander, John Fairfield, Malcolm Scott, Jim “Red” Thomas, Homer Stickler, and Charles “Chic” LaFollette.

Sectional Champs 1950

New Market 51—Crawfordsville 43

Sectional Champs 1951

Waveland 46—Crawfordsville 44 (OT)

Sectional Champs 1952

Waveland 65—New Market 45

Sectional Champs 1953

Waveland 65—Crawfordsville 60

Sectional Champs 1954

New Ross 59—Crawfordsville 54

Kneeling LR—Jerry Kight, Paul Vaught, Ron Royer, and Larry Dickerson. Second Row LR—Louie Lashley, Al Burdett, Jack Murphy, Sam Haslam, and Bob Warren.

Third Row LR—Larry Thomas, Mgr., Paul Harden, Phil Warren, Bill Balch, John Elmore, and J. Frank Bell, Mgr.

Sectional and Regional Champs 1955

Crawfordsville 56—Linden 37

Sectional Champs 1956

New Ross 38—Ladoga 24

LR—Tom Harmon, Larry Myers, David Anderson, Benny McAnulty, Richard Haffner, Coach Glenn Harper, Larry Nichols, Richard Feltner, David Fruits, Bob Morgan, and David Harris. Kneeling, Mgrs. Dick Golladay, Jim Claycomb, and Bobby Perry

Row 1 LR—Dan Teague, Gary Jouris, Dick Haslam, Don McDevitt, and Bob Demoret. Row 2 LR—Mike Walker, Jay Farrar, Bryson Wilkinson, Phil Morris, and Bill Hunt, Mgr. Row 3 LR—Chuck Beemer, Mgr., Bob Gray., Don Orr, Danny Danforth, Jim Nicholas, and Coach Dick Baumgartner.

Sectional Champs 1957

Crawfordsville 86—New Market 41

Sectional Champs, State Runner-up—1958

Crawfordsville 59—Waveland 43

Sectional Champs 1959

Crawfordsville 63—Alamo 48

Row 1 LR—B. Kummings, Mgr., P. Starnes, D. Taylor, J. Sosbe, B. Hamilton, H. Brown, and J. Morris, Mgr. Row 2 LR—J. Husted, L. Davis, L. Hesser, B. Williams, and L. Melvin. Row 3 LR—E. Pinkerton, Mgr., Asst. Coach Joe Young, Dick Wilkinson, John Daugherty, J. Hesser, J. Graham, and Coach Dick Baumgartner.

Sectional Champs 1960

Crawfordsville 53—New Ross 42

Sectional Champs 1961

New Ross 51—Crawfordsville 44

Sectional Champs 1962

New Ross 60—Ladoga 46

Sectional Champs 1963

Crawfordsville 60—Waveland 48

Sectional Champs 1964

Crawfordsville 69—Waveland 61`

Sectional Champs 1965

Crawfordsville 72—New Ross 68

Sectional Champs 1966

Coal Creek Central 80—New Ross 71

Sectional Champs 1967

New Market 57—Waveland 50

Sectional Champs 1968

Crawfordsville 93—Waveland 55

Sectional Champs 1969

Crawfordsville 72—Coal Creek Central 63

Sectional Champs 1970

Waynetown 74—Crawfordsville 69

Sectional Champs 1971

Crawfordsville 80—Waveland 70

The Crawfordsville Sectional ended with consolidation in 1971 the same way it had begun in 1915 with Crawfordsville winning. It had traveled from the Old YMCA Armory on Washington and Pike (1915 to 1919) to the Crawfordsville High School Auditorium (1921 and 1922) to the Wabash College gymnasium (1923 to 1939) to the new Crawfordsville High School gym on East College Street (1940 to 1971) with only one exception. The County schools scattered when Crawfordsville and Wingate were suspended from the IHSAA. Linden and New Richmond went to Lafayette, Waynetown, New Market, Alamo, Mace, New Ross, Ladoga, Bowers, Darlington, and Waveland went to Greencastle where Ladoga lost to Greencastle in the final game 18-13. It would be one of Ladoga's eight trips to the sectional final game without ever winning the coveted prize.

Basketball in the Crawfordsville Auditorium in 1920

Sectional was played in the new gym from 1940 to 1971

The Crawfordsville Sectional then went to North Montgomery for the next twenty years. The three Montgomery County schools, Crawfordsville, North Montgomery and Southmont were joined by Southwestern and Wainwright for the 1972 sectional. The two Tippecanoe County schools then consolidated into McCutcheon in the fall of 1975 making a four team sectional until 1992 when the three county rivals all went to Lebanon to try their luck with ancient rival Lebanon. During the 20 year run at North Montgomery, Crawfordsville won 7 times, McCutcheon won 7, and North Montgomery won 6. Southmont didn’t win a sectional during that period, but won their only sectional in 1994. After Lebanon hosted in 1991-92 and 1992-93, (winning both years), the sectional alternated between North Montgomery and Lebanon. During that 4 year period when the tourney alternated between North Montgomery and Lebanon, Southmont won their only sectional, Western Boone won twice, and Zionsville won once.

Class basketball began with the 1997-98 season and the Montgomery County teams moved to various places depending on their classification and the IHSAA assignments. Southmont and North Montgomery moved between 2A and 3A from the beginning of the class system while Crawfordsville stayed in the 3A class. I have tried to put the winner and place where the sectional took place for every sectional in which a Montgomery County school participated. The 3A sectional has been played at Frankfort, Lebanon, Danville, and Hamilton Heights while the 2A sectional has been contested at North Montgomery and Fountain Central.

CRAWFORDSVILLE SECTIONAL WINNERS AND YEARS WON

Crawfordsville (33)—1915, 1916, 1919, 1921, 1923, 1924, 1926, 1928, 1929, 1930, 1932, 1933, 1936, 1937, 1938, 1940, 1941, 1942, 1943, 1946, 1947, 1948, 1955, 1957, 1958, 1959, 1960, 1963, 1964, 1965, 1968, 1969, 1971

Waveland (6)—1935, 1939, 1949, 1951, 1952, 1953

Wingate (5)—1917, 1918, 1922, 1925, 1931

New Ross (4)—1954, 1956, 1961, 1962

Waynetown (3)—1944, 1945, 1970

New Market (2)—1950, 1967

Bowers (1)—1927

New Richmond (1) 1934

Coal Creek Central (1) 1966

Ladoga (0)

Alamo (0)

Linden (0)

MONTGOMERY COUNTY SECTIONAL BASKETBALL WINNERS SINCE CONSOLIDATION

1971-72 Crawfordsville

1972-73 Crawfordsville

1973-74 North Montgomery

1974-75 North Montgomery

1975-76 Crawfordsville

1976-77 North Montgomery

1977-78 Crawfordsville

1978-79 Crawfordsville

1979-80 North Montgomery

1980-81 McCutcheon

1981-82 McCutcheon

1982-83 North Montgomery

1983-84 North Montgomery

1984-85 Crawfordsville

1985-86 McCutcheon

1986-87 McCutcheon

1987-88 McCutcheon

1988-89 Crawfordsville

1989-90 McCutcheon

1990-91 McCutcheon

1991-92 Lebanon at Lebanon

1992-93 Lebanon at Lebanon

1993-94 Southmont at North Montgomery

1994-95 Zionsville at Lebanon

1995-96 Western Boone at North Montgomery

1996-97 Western Boone at Lebanon

1997-98 Western Boone at North Montgomery (2A) Lebanon at Frankfort (3A)

1998-99 North Montgomery at North (2A) Lebanon at Frankfort (3A)

1999-00 Western Boone at Fountain Central (2A) Danville at Lebanon (3A)

2000-01 Covington at NM (2A) Lebanon at Danville (3A)

2001-02 Covington at Fountain Central (2A) Lebanon at Hamilton Heights (3A)

2002-03 Covington at North Montgomery (2A)

2003-04 Delphi at Fountain Central (2A) Brebeuf at Lebanon (3A)

2004-05 North Montgomery at NM (2A) Brebeuf at Danville (3A)

2005-06 North Montgomery at Fountain Central (2A) Danville at Danville (3A)

2006-07 North Montgomery at NM (2A) Brebeuf at Lebanon (3A)

2007-08 Danville at Danville (3A)

2008-09 North Montgomery at Lebanon (3A)

2009-10 Danville (3A)

2010-11 Danville (3A)

2011-12 Fountain Central at Fountain Central (2A)

2012-13 Danville (3A)

2013-14 Crawfordsville

2014-15 Fountain Central at Fountain Central (2A) Lebanon at Frankfort (3A)

2015-16 Tri -West (3A)

2016-17 Tri-West (3A)

2017-18 Lebanon (3A)

2018-19 Greencastle (3A)

2019-20 Danville (3A)

Sectional Champs 1918

Wingate 23—Veedersburg 18

Sectional Champs 1919

Crawfordsville 16—Darlington 7

No Sectional at Crawfordsville in 1920

Sectional Champs 1921

Crawfordsville 17—Wingate 9

Sectional Champs 1922 No Picture Available

Wingate 21—Crawfordsville 17

Sectional Champs 1923

Crawfordsville 39—Linden 4

Sectional Champs 1924

Crawfordsville 30—Waynetown 14

Sectional Champs 1925—No Picture Available

Wingate 25—Waynetown 22

Sectional Champs 1926

Crawfordsville 31—Bowers 21

Sectional Champs 1927

Bowers 20—Wingate 10

Sectional Champs 1928

Crawfordsville 44—New Market 23

Sectional Champs 1929

Crawfordsville 30—Waynetown 15

Sectional Champs 1930

Crawfordsville 14—Linden 12

Sectional Champs 1931

Wingate 24—Ladoga 14

Sectional Champs 1932

Crawfordsville 25—Wingate 8

Front row LR—Paul “Pat” Malaska, Leo McCarthy, Herb Dukes, Harry Rutledge, Albert Canine, and Stanley Harshbarger. Second row LR—Don Kendall, Wendell Kirk, Coach Charles “Chuck” Henry, Asst. Coach Carl DeBard, Edwin Bayless, and James Johnson.

Sectional Champs 1933

Crawfordsville 29—New Richmond 12

Sectional Champs 1934

New Richmond 35—Darlington 24

Front row LR—Robert Morgan, Capt., Williard Robinson, Leonard Greve, Harry Oliver, and George Wilshire. Back row LR—Coach Norbert W. Kniesly, Leslie Dinwiddie, Frank Corder, Glenn Hooker, Frank Burrin, Jr., Junior Milligan, and David Ireland, Mgr.

Sectional Champs 1935

Waveland 20—Linden 11

Sectional Champs 1936

Crawfordsville 33—Ladoga 28

Sectional Champs 1937

Crawfordsville 54—Linden 25

Seated LR—Bob Clements, James Martin, Joe Hedges, Ed Ross, Ed Kirkpatrick, and Ted Miller. Standing LR—Coach Charlie Cummings, John Hedges, Warren McGaughey, Don Swarat, Bob Hybarger, and Coach H.T. McCollough

Sectional Champs 1938

Crawfordsville 46—Ladoga 22

Sectional Champs 1939

Waveland 32—Wingate 23

LR—John Hedges, Bob Clements, John Frees, Junior Shockley, Ted Miller, Bill Rowland, Ed Kirkpatrick, Ed Ross, Joe Hedges, Grover Ellis, Oscar Hybarger, and Coach H. T. McCollough.

Sectional Champs 1940

Crawfordsville 40—New Market 32

Seated LR—Bob Clements, James Martin, Joe Hedges, Ed Ross, Ed Kirkpatrick, and Ted Miller. Standing LR—Coach Charlie Cummings, John Hedges, Warren McGaughey, Don Swarat, Bob Hybarger, and Coach H.T. McCollough.

Sectional Champs 1941

Crawfordsville 28—Darlington 24

Seated LR—Bill Wright, Bob Hybarger, Don Swarat, Bill Freeman, Keith Martin, and Bob Clements. Standing LR—Tim Servies, Bob Sosbe, Phil Hall, Coach Charlie Cummings, Bob Pickell, Bob Smith, and Charles Curtin.

Sectional Champs 1942

Crawfordsville 68—Darlington 26

No Picture Available

Sectional Champs 1943

Crawfordsville 41—Ladoga 21

Sectional Champs 1944

Waynetown 27—New Ross 24

Sectional Champs 1945

Waynetown 29—Crawfordsville 27

Sectional and Regional champs--Semi-state runnerup 1946

Crawfordsville 55—Darlington 44

Sectional Champs--1947

Crawfordsville 38—Ladoga 23

Seated LR—Toliver Kennedy, Howard Zachary, Phil Francis, Karl Dickerson, Don Houston, and Jim Smith. Standing LR—Lloyd “Bill” Chase, Coach, Frank Gardner, Dick Graham, Merle Smith, Don Froedge, and Eddie Clifton

Sectional Champs 1948

Crawfordsville 57—Waynetown 39

Sectional Champs 1949

Waveland 66—Bowers 48

Kneeling LR—Coach Bill Melvin, Darrell “Peanut” Lester, and Wesley Maxwell. Middle—Perry “Icky” Hockersmith. Standing LR—John Alexander, John Fairfield, Malcolm Scott, Jim “Red” Thomas, Homer Stickler, and Charles “Chic” LaFollette.

Sectional Champs 1950

New Market 51—Crawfordsville 43

Sectional Champs 1951

Waveland 46—Crawfordsville 44 (OT)

Sectional Champs 1952

Waveland 65—New Market 45

Sectional Champs 1953

Waveland 65—Crawfordsville 60

Sectional Champs 1954

New Ross 59—Crawfordsville 54

Kneeling LR—Jerry Kight, Paul Vaught, Ron Royer, and Larry Dickerson. Second Row LR—Louie Lashley, Al Burdett, Jack Murphy, Sam Haslam, and Bob Warren.

Third Row LR—Larry Thomas, Mgr., Paul Harden, Phil Warren, Bill Balch, John Elmore, and J. Frank Bell, Mgr.

Sectional and Regional Champs 1955

Crawfordsville 56—Linden 37

Sectional Champs 1956

New Ross 38—Ladoga 24

LR—Tom Harmon, Larry Myers, David Anderson, Benny McAnulty, Richard Haffner, Coach Glenn Harper, Larry Nichols, Richard Feltner, David Fruits, Bob Morgan, and David Harris. Kneeling, Mgrs. Dick Golladay, Jim Claycomb, and Bobby Perry

Row 1 LR—Dan Teague, Gary Jouris, Dick Haslam, Don McDevitt, and Bob Demoret. Row 2 LR—Mike Walker, Jay Farrar, Bryson Wilkinson, Phil Morris, and Bill Hunt, Mgr. Row 3 LR—Chuck Beemer, Mgr., Bob Gray., Don Orr, Danny Danforth, Jim Nicholas, and Coach Dick Baumgartner.

Sectional Champs 1957

Crawfordsville 86—New Market 41

Sectional Champs, State Runner-up—1958

Crawfordsville 59—Waveland 43

Sectional Champs 1959

Crawfordsville 63—Alamo 48

Row 1 LR—B. Kummings, Mgr., P. Starnes, D. Taylor, J. Sosbe, B. Hamilton, H. Brown, and J. Morris, Mgr. Row 2 LR—J. Husted, L. Davis, L. Hesser, B. Williams, and L. Melvin. Row 3 LR—E. Pinkerton, Mgr., Asst. Coach Joe Young, Dick Wilkinson, John Daugherty, J. Hesser, J. Graham, and Coach Dick Baumgartner.

Sectional Champs 1960

Crawfordsville 53—New Ross 42

Sectional Champs 1961

New Ross 51—Crawfordsville 44

Sectional Champs 1962

New Ross 60—Ladoga 46

Sectional Champs 1963

Crawfordsville 60—Waveland 48

Sectional Champs 1964

Crawfordsville 69—Waveland 61`

Sectional Champs 1965

Crawfordsville 72—New Ross 68

Sectional Champs 1966

Coal Creek Central 80—New Ross 71

Sectional Champs 1967

New Market 57—Waveland 50

Sectional Champs 1968

Crawfordsville 93—Waveland 55

Sectional Champs 1969

Crawfordsville 72—Coal Creek Central 63

Sectional Champs 1970

Waynetown 74—Crawfordsville 69

Sectional Champs 1971

Crawfordsville 80—Waveland 70

The Crawfordsville Sectional ended with consolidation in 1971 the same way it had begun in 1915 with Crawfordsville winning. It had traveled from the Old YMCA Armory on Washington and Pike (1915 to 1919) to the Crawfordsville High School Auditorium (1921 and 1922) to the Wabash College gymnasium (1923 to 1939) to the new Crawfordsville High School gym on East College Street (1940 to 1971) with only one exception. The County schools scattered when Crawfordsville and Wingate were suspended from the IHSAA. Linden and New Richmond went to Lafayette, Waynetown, New Market, Alamo, Mace, New Ross, Ladoga, Bowers, Darlington, and Waveland went to Greencastle where Ladoga lost to Greencastle in the final game 18-13. It would be one of Ladoga's eight trips to the sectional final game without ever winning the coveted prize.

Basketball in the Crawfordsville Auditorium in 1920

Sectional was played in the new gym from 1940 to 1971

The Crawfordsville Sectional then went to North Montgomery for the next twenty years. The three Montgomery County schools, Crawfordsville, North Montgomery and Southmont were joined by Southwestern and Wainwright for the 1972 sectional. The two Tippecanoe County schools then consolidated into McCutcheon in the fall of 1975 making a four team sectional until 1992 when the three county rivals all went to Lebanon to try their luck with ancient rival Lebanon. During the 20 year run at North Montgomery, Crawfordsville won 7 times, McCutcheon won 7, and North Montgomery won 6. Southmont didn’t win a sectional during that period, but won their only sectional in 1994. After Lebanon hosted in 1991-92 and 1992-93, (winning both years), the sectional alternated between North Montgomery and Lebanon. During that 4 year period when the tourney alternated between North Montgomery and Lebanon, Southmont won their only sectional, Western Boone won twice, and Zionsville won once.

Class basketball began with the 1997-98 season and the Montgomery County teams moved to various places depending on their classification and the IHSAA assignments. Southmont and North Montgomery moved between 2A and 3A from the beginning of the class system while Crawfordsville stayed in the 3A class. I have tried to put the winner and place where the sectional took place for every sectional in which a Montgomery County school participated. The 3A sectional has been played at Frankfort, Lebanon, Danville, and Hamilton Heights while the 2A sectional has been contested at North Montgomery and Fountain Central.

CRAWFORDSVILLE SECTIONAL WINNERS AND YEARS WON

Crawfordsville (33)—1915, 1916, 1919, 1921, 1923, 1924, 1926, 1928, 1929, 1930, 1932, 1933, 1936, 1937, 1938, 1940, 1941, 1942, 1943, 1946, 1947, 1948, 1955, 1957, 1958, 1959, 1960, 1963, 1964, 1965, 1968, 1969, 1971

Waveland (6)—1935, 1939, 1949, 1951, 1952, 1953

Wingate (5)—1917, 1918, 1922, 1925, 1931

New Ross (4)—1954, 1956, 1961, 1962

Waynetown (3)—1944, 1945, 1970

New Market (2)—1950, 1967

Bowers (1)—1927

New Richmond (1) 1934

Coal Creek Central (1) 1966

Ladoga (0)

Alamo (0)

Linden (0)

MONTGOMERY COUNTY SECTIONAL BASKETBALL WINNERS SINCE CONSOLIDATION

1971-72 Crawfordsville

1972-73 Crawfordsville

1973-74 North Montgomery

1974-75 North Montgomery

1975-76 Crawfordsville

1976-77 North Montgomery

1977-78 Crawfordsville

1978-79 Crawfordsville

1979-80 North Montgomery

1980-81 McCutcheon

1981-82 McCutcheon

1982-83 North Montgomery

1983-84 North Montgomery

1984-85 Crawfordsville

1985-86 McCutcheon

1986-87 McCutcheon

1987-88 McCutcheon

1988-89 Crawfordsville

1989-90 McCutcheon

1990-91 McCutcheon

1991-92 Lebanon at Lebanon

1992-93 Lebanon at Lebanon

1993-94 Southmont at North Montgomery

1994-95 Zionsville at Lebanon

1995-96 Western Boone at North Montgomery

1996-97 Western Boone at Lebanon

1997-98 Western Boone at North Montgomery (2A) Lebanon at Frankfort (3A)

1998-99 North Montgomery at North (2A) Lebanon at Frankfort (3A)

1999-00 Western Boone at Fountain Central (2A) Danville at Lebanon (3A)

2000-01 Covington at NM (2A) Lebanon at Danville (3A)

2001-02 Covington at Fountain Central (2A) Lebanon at Hamilton Heights (3A)

2002-03 Covington at North Montgomery (2A)

2003-04 Delphi at Fountain Central (2A) Brebeuf at Lebanon (3A)

2004-05 North Montgomery at NM (2A) Brebeuf at Danville (3A)

2005-06 North Montgomery at Fountain Central (2A) Danville at Danville (3A)

2006-07 North Montgomery at NM (2A) Brebeuf at Lebanon (3A)

2007-08 Danville at Danville (3A)

2008-09 North Montgomery at Lebanon (3A)

2009-10 Danville (3A)

2010-11 Danville (3A)

2011-12 Fountain Central at Fountain Central (2A)

2012-13 Danville (3A)

2013-14 Crawfordsville

2014-15 Fountain Central at Fountain Central (2A) Lebanon at Frankfort (3A)

2015-16 Tri -West (3A)

2016-17 Tri-West (3A)

2017-18 Lebanon (3A)

2018-19 Greencastle (3A)

2019-20 Danville (3A)