Sandy Bennett of Marshalltown reads a copy of a Western Union telegram from President Kennedy’s office congratulating the Gladbrook girls and Marshalltown boys basketball championships in March 1961. The telegram was part of a presentation on girls’ basketball hosted on March 11 by the Historical Society of Marshall County at the Mowry-Irvine Mansion. PHOTO BY MIKE DONAHEY

MARSHALLTOWN – From Gladbrook to the former Southeast Marshall County (SEMCO) to Maynard — former players, referees and fans recalled the excitement of girls’ six-on-six basketball in Iowa on March 11 at the Mowry-Irvine Mansion in Marshalltown.

The memories of epic contests in local high school gyms and at the former Veterans Memorial Coliseum (VMC) in Des Moines – known as “The Barn” in some circles — were part of historian Jennifer Sterling’s presentation.

The six-on-six format officially ended in Iowa in 1993, but it was clear that lifelong memories had been made after listening to testimonials from those who came from near and far to hear Sterling – a former six-on-six player from Fremont turned historian and academician.

“I loved the six-on-six game,” said former official Tim Bell of Marshalltown. “I refereed several championship and semi-final games at VMC. It was fast-paced and the high school girls were athletic and basketball-savvy.”

Bell — a Marshalltown native — retired 14 years ago as Marshalltown High School’s athletic director and as coach. The six-on-six format was this: three girls on each team played offense on one-half of the court and three on defense at the other end of thTe court. There were a total of 12 players on the court. Offensive players could only dribble twice. Forwards played offense, and guards played defense for each team. Many of the games were high-scoring.

Sterling said the half-court game and two-dribble rule originated when girls began playing the game at the high school level in the 1930s.

“Rule-makers thought the girls were less ‘capable’ and not as ‘physically fit’ as boys,” said Sterling.

Those assumptions were easily and quickly disproved. Sterling said the six-on-six “Game of the Century” took place on March 16, 1968, at the VMC in a contest between Everly and Union-Whitten. Everly had been a six-on-six powerhouse for years and was led by Jeanette Olson. Union-Whitten’s marquee player was high-scoring forward Denise Long. The two combined for 140 points in the championship game won by Union-Whitten in overtime.

Fans may watch that game and others on YouTube, said Sterling. The Iowa Girls High School Athletic Union placed the games on the popular streaming channel.

Sterling had been invited by the Historical Society of Marshall County (HSMC) as part of the organization’s monthly “History on Second Tuesday” program. Her detailed presentation was complete with historic details, vintage photos, newspaper headlines and other memorabilia.

Humanities Iowa was co-sponsor. Julie Lang of Marshalltown, who schedules the HST programs for HSMC and a longtime board member, significantly enhanced Sterling’s presentation by displaying many black and white photos of teams of the 1950s and 1960s from Lamoille, State Center and more.

Lang had played six-on-six in Marshall County church leagues, she said.

“When Van Cleve became part of the Marshalltown Community School District, my basketball career ended,” she said. “MHS did not offer girls’ basketball until years later.”

Lang graduated from MHS in 1967. The six-on-six game ended nationally when Oklahoma discontinued the sport in 1995.

“I was thrilled with the turnout for Sterling’s presentation,” Lang said. “Almost every seat was taken. I was especially impressed with the number of former players and fans who attended and shared their memories.”