In the Calgary city finals, Western v Central
In the Southern quarterfinals, the Barnwell Jokers defeated the Lethbridge Collegiate Institute Tomcats 33-29; 33-31 (2g-0). …………………………………………………… In game one, the Jokers prevailed 33-29 after leading 17-13 at the half. Joyce Johnson paced the Jokers with 13. Marg Krause led the Tomcats with 13. …………………………………………………… In game two, Barnwell completed the series sweep with a 33-31 win as Joyce Johnson scored 9, Verna Fairbanks 8, F Johnson 8, M Johnson 4 and D Hanna 4, while P Johnson, Glenda Bullock, Lorna Neilson, Pauline Stevens and J Fairbanks were scoreless. Gail Evans led the Tomcats with 10. Joan McGregor added 7, Marg Krause 6, Babs Kennedy 4, Ariadne Pontarollo 2 and Bev Walton 2, while Joan Dafoe and Pat Schweitzer were scoreless. The Tomcats were coached by George Seamans, assisted by Miss Davenport.
In the quarterfinals, the Magrath Zeniths defeated the Raymond Comettes x-x; 25-22 (2g-0). …………………………………………………… In game two, Magrath completed the series sweep by nipping Raymond 25-22 as Jean Ririe scored 8, Schneider 6, Keeler 5, Joan Ririe 4 and M Ririe 2, while Brown, Johnson, Hillmer and Saga were scoreless. Mitchell led the Comettes with 10. Fairbanks added 5, Meeks 3, Robinson 2 and Knight 2, while Robinson, Harris, Plamer and Graham were scoreless.
In the Southern semis, the Barnwell Jokers defeated the Medicine Hat Alexandra Rockettes x-x; 24-12 (2g-0). In game two, Barnwell prevailed 14-12 as Joyce Johnson scored 11.
In the other semi, the Magrath Zeniths defeated the Cardston Cougarettes x-x; 42-25 (2g-0). …………………………………………………… In game two, Magrath prevailed 42-25 as M Ririe scored 13. D Woolf led the Cougarettes with 10.
In the Southern League finals, the Barnwell Jokers defeated the Magrath Zeniths 42-34; 19-26; 26-25 (2g-1).
In game one, the Jokers prevailed 42-34 as Joyce Johnson scored 12, Hanna 8, M Johnson 6, Fairbanks 6, Neilson 5, F Johnson 4 and P Johnson 1. Mary Ann Ririe led the Zeniths with 15. Jean Ririe added 9, Keller 7, Brown 2 and Schneider 1, while Joan Ririe, Ehlert and Hillmer were scoreless.
In game two, Magrath evened the series with a 26-19 win as Mary Ann Ririe scored 7. Jean Ririe added 6, Joan Riere 5, Keller 4, Brown 2 and Schneider 2, while Ehlert, Hillmer, Saga, Bruner and Johnson were scoreless. Joyce Johnson led the Jokers with 7. Neilson added 5, F Johnson 4, P Johnson 1, P Fairbanks 1 and Hanna 1, while M Johnson, J Fairbanks and Glenda Bullock were scoreless.
In game three, the Jokers took the title with a 26-25 win on a free throw by Glenda Bullock in the final minute. The Jokers led 6-4, 10-8 and 21-10 at the quarters. Joyce Johnson led the Jokers with 10. Lorna Nielsen added 5, Hanna 3, P Johnson 3, M Johnson 2, P Fairbanks 1, J Fairbanks 1 and Glenda Bullock 1. Mary Ann Ririe led the Zeniths with 10. Joan Ririe added 5, Jean Ririe 3, Keller 3, Schneider 2 and Brown 2, while Hillmer and Johnson were scoreless. Decades later, Verna Fairbanks told the Taber Times that “In those days (and probably now as well) Barnwell was a ‘basketball town.’ We lived, breathed, ate and dreamed basketball. Starting with the first day of school in September we were outside in the school yard every chance we got, practising our lay-ups and foul shots, and counting down the days when the practices and league games would start for real.” Glenda Bullock added that “it is not the size of the school, or community it serves, it is the size of your hear that counts. I still vividly recall the unbelievable rumble of all those stamping feet in that tiny gym. The Barnwell fans were just as supportive of us, then, as I am sure they are of the team today. Barnwell never changes. The people there still love and care about all of the children and teams, and so do I.” Lorna Nielsen said “my first experiences playing basketball were doing lay-ups at a single hoop south of the school. The ground wasn’t even flat, but every day after school a group of us were out there taking shots and trying to hit the basket. When the season started and we were chosen to be on the team, we were so excited to actually go into the gym at the church to practice. It was a treat for us to play in the bigger towns where we actually got to have a shower after our game, which was kind of a luxury for some of us that didn’t have showers at home. Those cliched tongue lashings we get from our grandparents of ‘back when I was your age’ are clichés for a reason… I they have truth to them. While the number of miles trudging through snow to get to school have been drenched in hyperbole with each passing year, miles were nevertheless trudged. Playing teams like Taber, Readymade, Coaldale, Barons and Wrentham in the area, sometimes even getting to games was an adventure in itself. No one, not even Grade 12s had a car, so players often arrived home from practices in the dark. For some, the distance was as much as two miles.” Pauline Stevens noted that “on one trip to Readymade, there was a snow storm the day before and after we left Highway 3 to go to Readymade, we had to go part way through a farmer’s field. Some of the girls lived on farms and had to walk home in all kinds of weather, sometimes in 30 degrees below zero. You took extra clothes to school to put them on after practice was over.” The Times reported that “it was the last year Barnwell could keep its name for an athletic accomplishment at the high school level. The year the Jokers won the Alberta championship was the first year Barnwell High School was consolidated with the Taber School District. So even though players were attending Taber High School, players got special permission to keep its Barnwell team as it was for one more year. Coming so close to the ultimate goal in the previous few years, the high school team’s last hurrah already had a hurdle it had to overcome before the season even started. The Jokers’ previous coach, Grant Jensen, had moved to Cardston. The Taber school district sent Barnwell a female coach, whom none of the team knew and she simply was not a ‘good fit.’ After the team complained, she was fired and the search continued. Stan Leavitt, principal of Barnwell School, was asked to be the team’s coach. Feeling unqualified, he was hesitant, but with the encouragement of the Jokers’ fathers, he accepted the challenge, and helped thrust the team into the provincial sports history books. … Splitting the first two games of the three-game series with wins on their respective home courts, the deciding game would be decided in the comfy confines of Barnwell.
Basket for basket was matched throughout the contest, as the championship-deciding game was tied with a minute to go. With a player fouling out, Glenda Bullock, one of the team’s smallest and youngest players was brought in and was fouled. Ice coursing through her veins, she ended up hitting the free throw, which was the deciding point in the waning seconds to make the Jokers provincial champions over the Magrath Zenithettes.” Verna Fairbanks said “she was paraded around the floor on the shoulders of some deliriously happy groupies. Also, on the next day, Barnwell School was closed down in celebration of the big victory. The team was chauffeured around the town in the back of a pick-up truck. Later, we were feted by a congratulatory banquet with speeches and accolades galore. … In all those places or wherever I go, I take every opportunity I get to sing the praises to everyone who will listen about my home town of Barnwell and all my growing-up experiences there, especially the basketball years and of course the championship,” said Fairbanks. “It seems evident to me from my visits back to Barnwell, from the reports I hear, that the same unique school and community spirit we reveled in, is still as strong and vibrant as it was when we lived there many years ago. My wish for you junior high students, whether you win a championship or not, is that you realize as I do, how fortunate you are to be part of the great heritage and legacy that is Barnwell.”
The runner-up Magrath Zeniths: Mary Ann Ririe; Jean Ririe; Joan Ririe; Keller; Brown; Schneider; Ehlert; Hillmer; Saga; Bruner; Johnson
The champion Barnwell Jokers: Joyce Johnson; Neilson; F Johnson; P Johnson; P Fairbanks; D Hanna; M Johnson; J Fairbanks; Glenda Bullock; Verna Fairbanks; Lorna Neilson; Pauline Stevens; coach Stan Leavitt