It's basketball tournament time! For over 100 years, basketball has been a cornerstone of North Dakota's sporting scene, uniting players, fans, and entire towns in the pursuit of victory. Join us as we celebrate the history of basketball in the region through Dakota Datebook!
As basketball grew in North Dakota, so did the structure of the competitions, including who played whom, where games were held, and how the tournaments were organized.
In the early days, many different high school teams competed for the title of the best. But in January of 1914, a decision was made to formalize the process.
The state high school athletic league set up a system where all high schools were divided into four districts. Each district held its own tournament, with the winners advancing to a final contest at the agricultural college in Fargo, now NDSU. The following year, the final would take place at UND in Grand Forks, and the two schools would alternate hosting.
Nelson Sauvain, the superintendent of Casselton and secretary of the High School Athletic League, organized the tournaments in each district. He sent out letters to all high schools urging them to participate. Only teams that followed the league's rules could claim the state championship.
One of the rules was that regional championships could not be played on the home floor of either team, so games were hosted at state institutions. The regional sites were Dickinson for the southwestern district, Minot for the northwestern, Grand Forks for the northeastern, and Valley City for the southeastern. After district tournaments in these towns, the winners—Grand Forks, Minot, Dickinson, and Fargo—advanced to the final.
In the end, Fargo High School claimed the title, winning the championship in a “clean-cut, decisive manner.” The Fargo Forum described the team as outclassing all others, noting that, despite having lighter players, it would give any college team in the state a tough challenge. Upon winning, each player was presented with a flag symbolizing the state championship and a gold watch fob in the shape of a basketball.
Dakota Datebook by Sarah Walker
Sources:
- The Evening Times (Grand Forks), January 28, 1914, p8
- The Oakes Times, March 19, 1914, p3
- The Fargo Forum and Daily Republican, February 26, 1914, p3
- The Weekly Times-Record, February 26, 1914, p8
- Courier Democrat, March 19, 1914, p2
