ACROSS GENERATIONS: AMAZING CONNECTIONS IN TEXAS H.S. GIRLS BASKETBALL

BY DENISE SMITH YANKE retired basketball coach

It’s playoff time in Texas for both boys’ and girls’ basketball. I would like to share some history of what it was like approximately seventy years ago. In 1955, the UIL (University Interscholastic League) state girls’ basketball tournament was expanded to three divisions, conference AA, A, and B. Dimmitt walked off with its second straight conference A title; and for the second year in a row, defeated Granbury in the finals, 62-44. Did you know that they played for third place? Earlier in the tournament, Dimmitt had defeated Goldthwaite 49-40 and Granbury defeated Geroge West 64-51, then Goldthwaite went on to win the third-place spot 39-35. Leta Rains (Andrews) from Granbury was named to this all-state tournament as a guard. The year before in 1954, my cousin, Mary Ann Witt (Stamps) along with Leta Rains (Andrews), both earned All-State honors when their schools played again in the finals with Dimmitt winning 66-60. I was born the following year.

In 1972, the girls’ state basketball tournament was to be another milestone for girls’ basketball. The Claude Mustangettes became the first team in history to qualify for the state tournament a tenth time and the first to win six state championships. (In both Class B & A) Class B had Huckaby defeating Follett 68-63 in the semi-finals. (Huckaby defeated my team, the Poolville Monarchs (the lions, not the butterflies), in the regional finals 55-49- I used up all my fouls and fouled out with seven minutes to go). The other two teams, Round Top-Carmine and Neches would be battling it out in their semi-final game. It took a second-half comeback by Round Top-Carmine to go ahead of a previously unbeaten Neches, 52-50. Neches’ Marilyn Barrett had 25 points, and Brenda Jones had 18 points, with Round Top’s Nina Marburger with 30 points. Neches suffered their first loss of the season under the coaching of Lee Snider. RTC would go on to win 54-48 against Huckaby, giving them their second straight title.

Eighteen years later in 1973, Leta Rains Andrews would return to the state tournament (as a coach) to coach her Comanche team. (Leta Andrews is the winningest high school girls coach in the country, 1416355) During this time, only one team would come out of a district to continue in post-season play until 198283, when two teams would advance to the playoffs. Girls played what we called 6-man or “3 on 3” basketball with the guards on one end playing defense and the other end was made up of forwards on offense with neither one crossing the mid-court line.

In 1973 and years before, class B division/ classification had eight teams (regional 2 & 3) or six teams (regional 1 & 4) making it to the regional tournament for a two-day tournament and "winner take all". Class B teams also had to play two games in Austin in one day at the state tournament. The semi-final games were 8:30 am & 10 am on Saturday, followed by the championship game at 8:30 pm that night. No other classification of schools had to play two games in one day. Neches would return to Austin’s Gregory Gymnasium with only one loss from 1972 and only one during the season against Follett in their semi-final game. For most of this game, Neches was playing “catch up” and did not take the lead until the fourth quarter, 36-35. The fourth quarter ended with a score of 45-45 to send the game into overtime with Neches never trailing and coming out on top with a score of 54-52. My hometown, Poolville, made our first appearance in the state tournament under the coaching of Charles Perry, going up against the 1972 state champion, Round Top-Carmine. Poolville defeated RTC 60-42. The championship game was a battle. Poolville’s Debbie Canafax scored 34 points (I was on the guard end) with Neches’ balanced attack from Brenda Jones with 23 points and Marilyn Barrett with 19 points. Neches went ahead late in the third quarter after the game had been tied nine times in the first half. Neches (34-1) went on to win the state championship over Poolville (37-3) 49-45.

Fast forward to 2007 – I was coaching in Cooper, Texas (pronounced “coop” er), with it being my daughter, Lacey’s senior year as a Doggette. Having played basketball all four years for her mother, she applied and was honored to receive the Texas Basketball Coaches Association (TABC) Brenda Jones-Carter Memorial Scholarship. Then in 2013, Lacey (currently the JV coach at Denton Braswell), while working as a graduate assistant for the women’s basketball team at Lamar University under the coaching of Larry Tidwell, attended the Texas High School Coaches Association summer clinic, where I introduced her to Johnnie Carter (Executive Director of TABC). I wanted Coach Carter and Lacey to meet since she was the recipient of his late wife’s scholarship. Not knowing or having met Brenda Jones Carter, I wanted to know more about her. What a small world. Not until this time after talking with Coach Carter, did I realize that his wife, Brenda Jones-Carter was on the team that we played and was defeated by in the state championship. I may not have ever met her, but I definitely knew who she was when I found out she was from Neches. Brenda went on to play at East Texas Baptist University and I went on to play at Stephen F. Austin State University. After playing at ETBU and then graduating from Texas Southern University, Brenda went into the banking business until her untimely death at the age of 47 from an aneurysm. Brenda Jones and Johnnie Carter met in college and were married for 18 years. Even though I only knew of Brenda on the basketball court, we had several similarities. We were both born in February, Brenda being a week older, she was a “Jones”, I was a “Smith”, and we both have the same middle name, Diane. Brenda was a very giving person who loved basketball and people. Along with loving the Lord, two good things to love. Being from small towns, playing basketball was a big deal and great entertainment for the town, but today we all should realize that it is more important who you are rather than what you are. So many things and people we love will probably be lost or go away but, in the end, or later in life, hopefully, the love and memories return in other ways.

"I shall walk this way but only once. Therefore, whatever good I might do let me do it now, for I shall never walk this way again."

Coach Carter, enjoy the upcoming high school playoffs and since you have never seen Brenda play, enjoy the 1973 UIL State Championship Game – (on YouTube). https://youtu.be/GGwl3p14urA

Information from the book, Texas SchoolGirl Basketball, by James McLemore, people, and newspaper articles.

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