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PIECE OF HISTORY: March Madness in Iowa in 1952
St. Wenc took 13-game winning streak into district final in Cedar Rapids
It was a bit of March Madness, on a local stage, when the boys basketball teams from St. Wenceslaus and Van Horne high schools clashed in the 1952 Class B district finals in Cedar Rapids.
The St. Wenceslaus team took a 12-game winning streak into the March 8 game played at a “jampacked” Coe College Fieldhouse in Cedar Rapids, The Gazette reported.
The St. Wenc Red Hawks went into a “deep freeze,” hitting only nine of their 91 attempted field goals, The Gazette reported. The Van Horne Hornets fared better, but not great, hitting 15 of 69 attempts.
St. Wenc had only two field goals in each of the first three quarters.
With 4 minutes to go, though, St. Wenc's Bob Kazimour stole the ball and cut the Hornets’ lead to 2 points, 33-31.
But Van Horne recovered and wrapped up its 44-33 victory. Van Horne center Marvin Wilson led the socring with seven goals, “using a nice variety of fakes and hook shots,” the Gazette writer stated.
The Red Hawks ended their season with 18 wins and 9 losses.
The last season for St. Wenc was 1957-58. The school then merged with Immaculate Conception to form Regis High School.
Tara Templeman is curator at The History Center. Comments: curator@historycenter.org
Van Horne's Jim Nolan (10) goes for a layup as St. Wenceslaus players Bob Drahozal (17) and Tom Zachar (19) attempt to block him at the Class B district final March 8, 1952, at the Coe College Fieldhouse in Cedar Rapids. Van Horne won the district final, 44-33. (The History Center)
