It was off to Dixon last week for some girls basketball, as Stillman Valley faced Rock Island Alleman in the championship game of one of the longest-running tourneys in the state at 45 years. Remember, the first IHSA girls title game wasn’t until 1977, with Sterling winning it.
Basically, the Dixon event has been going on nearly as long as sanctioned girls basketball in Illinois. It also has a varied mix of small and larger schools.
Credit to Stillman Valley for defeating Sterling (enrollment 978) and East Moline (1,740) to make the finals. Against Alleman, the Cardinals were hurt by hot shooting in the first quarter by their opponent.
After that, it was an even game, giving credence to Stillman Valley’s ability to compete against Alleman should the two meet in the sectional.
Particularly impressive was the play of Taylor Davidson, who is the catalyst for the Cardinals. She drew rave reviews from opposing coaches.
In a wide-open Big Northern conference, SV, Byron, Lutheran and Dixon will contend for the title, with everyone else struggling. The Cardinals lost by 11 points to Alleman, but their other three losses (Orangeville, Kaneland, Byron) were by narrow margins.
Getting back to the history of basketball in Illinois, it is shameful how long it took for the IHSA to recognize the sport for girls. Prior to 1973, girls basketball was played under the context of GAA (Girls Athletic Association).
Second-rate facilities and crappy-looking outfits categorized GAA basketball. The IHSA even forbid competition between schools.
Instead, you played intra-mural against other girls from your school. Or, occasionally there would be a “play day” where a few other schools would get together and have a friendly competition.
How friendly? Teams consisted of a mixed group of players from each school and scores may not have been kept.
They did have a “postal” tournament. How it worked was this: a school would set up 10 different spots around the basket for girls to attempt shots.
A GAA rep would count the baskets made and send them in the mail (hence the term postal) to the IHSA for an official tabulation and overall winner. Yes, that was how a state winner was determined.
It all sounds weird now, but that was the case prior to the mid 1970s when sexism was more rampant than it is now. It still exists, but not nearly as blatant,
Guilty as charged, as I don’t go to nearly as many girls games as I do the boys. One thing that has changed for the positive is the amount of media coverage for the girls.
That has been ramped up for both high school and college, but not so much for the professional league. For the most part, girls basketball has come of age and is enjoying its best popularity ever.
Byron leads the county with five state final appearances and three state trophies. Stillman Valley has been downstate three times with one trophy. Back in 1981, Forreston made its lone appearance in 1981.
Oregon, Polo and Oregon are still looking for that much-coveted trip.
Andy Colbert is a longtime Ogle County resident with years of experience covering sports and more for multiple area publications.
