It was in 1914 that the first official state basketball tournament was played in North Dakota. All participating schools played in one class. The champions from four districts went on to the state championship. The Fargo team won that very first tournament in games played in Fargo at the North Dakota Agricultural College.
For 1933, a two-class system was adopted. Larger schools became Class A, and Class B teams were created for schools with lower enrolments. The first Class B Basketball tournament was played in Valley City. It was a close one, as Fairmount beat Cando in overtime.
Despite the separation, Class A and B teams could still mix. In fact, a Class B Team could challenge a Class A team during the district battles, and if they won, they could enter the Class A tournament!
Various Class B teams accepted the challenged, and in 1935 the Class B teams of Grafton and Wahpeton did make it into the Class A tournament. It was staged in Bismarck at the World War Memorial Building, and 250 extra seats were brought in to increase seating capacity, bringing the total “well over the 3,000 mark.” In the end, Class B Grafton won the Class A title! And Class B Wahpeton was the runner up!
Much was reported about the exciting result. The winning Grafton team received awards and was treated to a luncheon at the Capitol building by the Grand Forks Commercial Club. John Burke, once-Governor, former US Treasurer, and then-current Chief Justice of the State Supreme Court, was one of the prominent local figures who spoke at the luncheon.
This was quite a result, but not unprecedented. The Bismarck Tribune noted that Grafton was the fourth school from Class B to snag the Class A title. Although L. A. White, secretary of the board of control and superintendent of schools at Minot, emphasized that none of the teams who had played in the Class A tournaments were truly considered Class B. He stated that as soon as a Class B team challenged a Class A team, they entered Class A.
Dakota Datebook by Sarah Walker
Sources:
- The Bismarck Tribune, December 29, 1933, p3
- The Bismarck Tribune, March 27, 1933, p6
- The Bismarck Tribune, February 12, 1934, p1
- The Evening Times (Grand Forks), February 14, 1914, p7
- The Evening Times (Grand Forks), January 28, 1914, p8
- The Bismarck Tribune, March 9, 1934, p8
- The Bismarck Tribune, March 13, 1934, p6
- The Bismarck Tribune, February 17, 1934, p6
- The Bismarck Tribune, March 20, 1935, p6
- The Bismarck Tribune, March 21, 1935, p8
- The Bismarck Tribune, March 25, 1935, p5
- The Bismarck Tribune, March 23, 1935, p1
- The Bismarck Tribune, March 25, 1935, p2
- High School Boys Basketball History, 75 years, 1914-1988, by Merrill Schalow of the Minot Daily News
- Sarah M. Walker, Head of Reference Services, North Dakota State Archives
