THE STATE CHAMPIONSHIP DAYS
By Joe Miller, Daily Journal Sports Editor
World War II occupied the headlines of newspapers of the time and the minds of most Americans. But a group of Bismarck boys were fighting a battle all their own. Not with bullets but with basketballs.
In March, 1944, the Indians' basketball team marched to Springfield to accomplish what no basketball team in St. Francois County -- or the entire Mineral Area Activities Association conference -- has ever done.
When Alvin Edwards sank a 12-foot jumper with eight seconds left on a night, Bismarck beat Lebanon 40-38 to win the state basketball championship.
"It was quite a thrill. And when you said you were a state champion, you really were," explained Bob Cartee, another of that 1944 basketball team.
Big schools, small schools. They were all there in 1944.
"It was kind of scary going up against schools with thousands of students in their system," added Paul Williams, a junior on the basketball team in 1944.
Edwards, Cartee, Williams, Bucky Clopper, Roy Pilliard, Johnny Reagan, Billy Masters, Reggie Bone, Gene Puttman and Bob Bell comprised coach Ervin Leimer's state championship team of 1944.
"To grab hold of the brass ring when you're grabbing for it doesn't happen often," Reagan said of the state title.
The game most remembered came earlier in the state tournament, though. Bismarck had one of their biggest tests against a big school when they met Cleveland in the first round. Bismarck won the game 37-34.
"It's hard to believe, a little school like us, beating a big school like (Cleveland) had," explained Pilliard during an interview before his death. Pilliard was a sophomore at BHS in 1944.
It was no easy task.
"They were undefeated at the time," Cartee revealed. "After we got past them, we felt we had a chance against anyone."
The Indians met Ozark in the semifinals, beat them 41-34. Then came the finals against Lebanon. BHS won that one 40-38 thanks to Edwards' final shot.
Many of the players today trace the success in 1944 back to the Normandy Christmas Tournament earlier in the season. It was a tournament the team wanted to go to and did it at their own expense. The team scrapped together the $10 entry fee and to cut costs stayed with friends, relatives and alumni in St. Louis.
"We were on our own pretty much," Pilliard recalled.
Bismarck forged their way through one of the 16-team divisions of the tournament, much to the surprise of many.
"After we won the tournament, the town and everybody got behind us. No one realized the potential was there," Cartee added.
Bismarck actually won one of the two divisions in the tournament. Cleveland won the other division. But the two winners would not meet until much later and in another tournament.
The Indians had enough problems at home in the 35-3 season. Elvins beat Bismarck twice, Jackson accounted for the other loss.
Bismarck lost to Elvins in the Ironton and Desloge tournament finals. Bismarck beat Elvins once in the regular season.
Jackson was a different story. "You'd have to see what we went through down there. They were rough. And they were big. And needless to say we didn't get any breaks," Williams recalled.
"I always thought the turning point was when Jackson beat us," Pilliard began. "We were getting cocky. We should have beat them. John (Reagan) was way off that night. He wasn't feeling well, had the flu or something."
Clopper added, "I think it was the best thing, a good kicking at the right time."
A little later, Bismarck and 15 other schools gathered at Leadwood for sub-Regional action. The Indians beat Hal Loughery's Caledonia team first, knocked off Potosi 44-27 in the second round then beat Desloge 34-24 in the semifinals.
Bismarck fully expected to play Elvins again. But Bonne Terre upset Elvins in the other semifinal game. Bismarck blasted Bonne Terre 46-19 in the finals.
"I never could understand that, but was thankful," Williams said of the Bulldogs' win in the semifinal.
Both Bismarck and Bonne Terre advanced to the Regionals at Cape Girardeau. Bismarck got a first round bye, nipped Cape Girardeau 25-21 in the quarterfinals, Birch Tree fell 54-37 in the semifinals.
Then it was an all-St. Francois County final. Bonne Terre had moved through the other half of the bracket. Once again the tribe dispatched the Bulldogs 46-25 to earn the trip to state.
Reagan, the Bismarck star in 1944, was too much for Cleveland, newspaper reports from the time stated. But it was almost a story with a different ending. For Reagan had four first quarter fouls.
"That was not really very smart on my part," the 'Flashy Red,' as Reagan was called in 1944, admitted. "The early fouls were my fault. I was too aggressive. I was over-zealous, anxious," he recalled.
"The game was so big, I'm not sure if I was valuable to the team after that (early fouls)," Reagan added.
He sat out the rest of the first half but stepped back on the hardware for the second half and never picked up that fifth foul.
Reagan was limited to 12 points in that game, Edwards had 10 and Pilliard eight to lead the way.
"It was knock-down, drag-out every ball game. By that time, we were pretty well recognized as a strong team," Cartee recalled. Still, Ozark did not bow willingly. In fact, they led the game 20-16 at the half and 28-26 going into that final stanza. Bismarck rallied to win 34-31.
Lebanon was 34-1 after coming through the other half of the bracket to the state tournament finals. Bismarck sped out to a 14-4 lead in the first quarter but by the final minute of the game the score was knotted 38-38.
Lebanon was glued to Reagan. Still, he slipped inside for a rebound then saw Edwards open outside. The ball went out to Edwards, he dropped it in the goal.
"Every game was like that," Cartee said.
Reagan, who finished the season with 691 points, was the offensive star that year.
"The points I made were not significant. Winning the state championship was significant," Reagan concluded.
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