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Show 40 years ago Uintah capiured its first state hoop title Uintah High School captured the Utah State Basketball Championship in 1939 and three members of that team, Kenneth Sowards, LeGrande Hadlock and Reed Birchell still live in Vernal. Other members of the team were: frank Wright, coach; Joe Milburn, Curtis Hadlock, Neldon Walker, Leland Fox, Charles Murray, Kenneth Workman, Jay Freestone, Bill King and Paul Stringham, manager. The first place win in 1939 delivered the first state basketball title ever to the Uintah Utes. A portion of an article, which appeared in the Vernal Express on March 23, 1939, is as follows: "Defeating Lehi, Granite, North Summit and Bear River at the state basketball tournament at Salt Lake City Ci-ty last Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday, won for the Uintah High School Fighting Utes the state championship cham-pionship for the first time in the history of the school. The victory was the realization of a dream of school teams for the past 15 years. For 18 years local teams have participated in the state event." The Utes won the state crown when they thumped the Bear River Bears, 37 to 30. A starting forward on the championship champion-ship Uintah team is Kenneth Sowards. ' "The caliber of basketball in 1939 isn't nearly as good as it is now as far as I'm concerned. The feeling that we had when we entered the state tournament in 1939 was that we were playing to win. We had done an awful lot of playing. Our coach, Frank Wright, took us to Salt Lake City and we played in 7 preseason games in ten days and we won all of them. We beat Granite, which was the basketball power in those days. They had won the state title more than anyone else. Granite won the state crown in 1938. We also played Davis, Jordan, Cyprus, Provo, and the 1938 MM state champions from Midvale. The Uintah Utes defeated Lehi, 31-27; Granite, 20-18; North Summitt, 33-25 and Bear River, 37 to 30, in the state tourney. "The second game with Granite was a real close game, which ended 20 to 18 in our favor. We were tied at 18-18 with a V2 minute to go in the game, and one of our guards, Joe Milburn, make the field goal to win the game against Granite," said Sowards. A portion of the story about the game against Granite follows as it was printed in the Vernal Express on March 23, 1939. '"With the score tied at 18-18, Milburn dribbled around Granite's guard with the aid of Sowards' partial screen and dropped the winning goal. Four seconds later Milburn fouled Wace for one pitch. He missed apparently ap-parently trying for a tail-in by Thomas. Sowards made eight counters during the game. LeGrande Hadlock added 5 and Neldon Walker put in four." Uintah toppled North Summit and advanced ad-vanced into the championship game against Bear River. "The game with Bear River was probably the easiest game of the tourney. We jumped out to a big lead early and held on to it." said Sowards. "We had a good passing team. We would pass the ball and work it in for a good shot." Sowards added, "It was a slower game. The defense was probably better then than it is today. We played a man to man defense. It was our responsibility responsibili-ty to see that our man didn't score. Curtis Cur-tis Hadlock was an excellent guard on defense. He would draw the best scorer and very few nights did people score more than 3 points against him." The other starting foward on the Uintah Uin-tah team was LeGrande Hadlock. "Winning the state title was a great thrill. The main thing about our team was that we had good teamwork. We had played together for years and some of us had played together since sixth grade. We knew each other well and we could play ball well together," said Hadlock. "Basketball today is different. dif-ferent. The basketball players are taller and larger. They go for offense more than defense. We used to stall the ball, and pass, but today they shoot a lot. We worked for defense because we took pride in holding the other team as low as we could." When asked to comment on the win over Granite, Hadlock said, "We pass ed the ball and controlled the ball. Both teams were doing that. We held the ball for as long as 32 minutes. We passed the ball a lot and there were very few turnovers. What stood out in every ones' mind was when Joe Milburn dribbled the ball down the court and put in a layup to win the game." Another starter on the team was guard, Curtis Hadlock, who is LeGrande's brother. Curtis is a principal prin-cipal at an elementary school in Cottonwood. Cotton-wood. "He was the best guard I played against. He would stick to a man like a fly does to fly paper," said LeGrande Hadlock. "Anyone who scored a lot was guarded by Curtis. He would hold them to one or two points whereas most of the year they scored from 15 to 20 points." The two other starters on the team were Neldon Walker, ' center and Joe Milburn, guard. Leland Fox was also a -starting guard during the season. "All the men respected each other. Kenny Sowards was a good player. Kenny and I would come out as the top scorers usually, but everyone could score," said Hadlock. "Our championship game with Bear River was played well and Uintah was really keyed up for the contest. We played beautifully." A portion of the championship game with Bear River, which was played more than 40 years ago, follows as it was printed in the Vernal Express on March 23, 1939. "A fair share of the jammed stands found nothing but disappointment as the Utes stormed the hoop with deadly precision that, long before the final gun barked, the ultimate outcome was as plain as a wart on a chorus girl's nose. Indeed, not once in the game did the gallant Bears, entered as a third place team when the meet started, gain a lead over their flying fly-ing rivals. From start to finish the game was all Uintah." "The Utes poured in nine points in the first quarter to the meager four for the Bears. The northern quint, touted as a five which was always cool, showed itself to be under too much pressure by missing seven out of seven free tries. The Utes shook LeGrande Hadlock free on four occasions and three times he nicked the hoop for precious points. Sowards added the other three from close-in shots and a point from charity line. The scoring tempo hiked in the second se-cond canto, the new champs collecting 13 points and the Bears having to be satisfied with eight." The score was 22-12 at the half. Uintah scored seven points in the third quarter. Bear River put in six. Twice Sowards intercepted passes to bag goals for the Utes. Bear River outscored Uintah, 12 to 8, in the .V-? , 'A . m ' a 4 L- :V A r . ' 'u- - f 40 YEARS AGO the Uintah Utes captured the state basketball title in 1939. Members of the team are: left to right, Joe Milburn, Curtis Hadlock, Neldon Walker, Leland Fox, Kenneth Sowards, Charles Murray, Kenneth Workman, fourth quarter, but the Utes won the game, 37 to 30. "Sowards and LeGrande Hadlock topped the scoring attack, but they said after the game was over 'who couldn't score when those guys (their mates) threw perfect strikes.' Curtis Hadlock ousted on fouls, and Joe Milburn played grand ball at their defensive posts and slender Neldon Walker, a scourge under the basket, came up with nine points from his pivot post, seven of them in the second half." Jay Freestone, Reed Birchell, LeGrande Hadlock and Frank Wright, coach. Three members of the team, Kenneth Sowards, LeGrande Hadlock and Reed Birchell still live in Vernal. Uintah High School came into the tourney with a 24-3 record. The four wins in the tourney gave them a 28-3 mark. Their only loss to a high school team was to Roosevelt High School. They dropped non-league games to Ecker Studio of Salt Lake City and the University Market of Provo. The teams consisted of former University of Utah and BYU players. Another member of the Uintah High School team, Reed Birchell said, "We, played everyone in the state. There wasn't any Class B or A teams. It was the first time we ever won the championship cham-pionship at Uintah High School." The coach of the Uintah team was Frank Wright. "He was an excellent coach. He got along with the players real well. Our student manager that year was Doctor Paul Stringham." The championship in 1939 was the first title for Uintah and the Utes have added many more state titles in basketball, basket-ball, wrestling, volleyball, track, golf, and baseball since 1939. |