View source for 1963-03-06-sr-p5-basketball-fever-gripping-reardan

'''March 06, 1963 Spokesman-Review Page 5:'''
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[[file:1963-03-06-sr-p5-basketball-fever-gripping-reardan.jpg|thumb|right|200px]]'''BIG DAY ARRIVES--IT’S TOURNAMENT TIME'''

'''Basketball Fever Gripping Reardan'''

By LARRY YOUNG

If tiny Reardan fails to win
the Washington State Class B
High School Basketball Tournament
(and few experts give
them much of a chance) it won't
be for lack of support from the
town.

The 16-team tournament starts
at the Coliseum here, this morning
and one of the first games
in the four-day classic is the
10:30 a.m. pairing of Reardan
and Kittitas.

"If the town would burn down
Wednesday night,: School Superintendent
Joe Johnson said Tuesday, "I
doubt if you'd find anyone here!"

Basketball fever  Tuesday
gripped Reardan, wheat-growing
center of little more than 300
souls Tuesday, and it was the
only topic of conversation.

“Eight school buses will carry
all but a handful of high school
students to the Spokane tournament,”
principal Glen Wisdom
said.’ “We'll leave here about
9:30 a.m, for the game.”

A convoy of adults in cars will
accompany the buses.

Basketball Is the “big” sport
of the town, Wisdom said, although
football interest has
grown slightly in recent years.
"I expect that about three-quarters
of the town has followed the
team to out-of-town games up to
now. I think most of the town
will go Wednesday."

'''Proud of Team'''

Typical of the town comments
about the honor earned by the team
in making the state tourney
is that of Mrs. Miriam Heffner,
waitress at a cafe in Reardan:

"We're real proud of those kids
down here."

Asked if she was going to
Wednesday's game she said "Are
you kidding? I have to feed those
weary travelers. Seriously
I wish I could get off
to go."

The town's Lion's Club Tuesday
had some "Go Indians" stickers
printed and distributed them around
town. Afterward, Mrs. Heffner said
they dropped in to drink coffee and
"play basketball."

The Reardan cheerleaders and
song leaders will show up today
in new red and white uniforms
for the tournament, thanks to
some overtime put "in by students’
mothers.

The mothers worked until 11
pm, Monday night in the high
school sewing and hemming and
worked again Tuesday morning
to finish up the outfits.
Townspeople donated about $45 for
materials at the district tournament
Saturday at Cheney.

'''Hard to Study'''

In the elementary school which
adjoins Reardan High, basketball
head coach Frank  Teverbaugh
was teaching mathematics to an
eighth grade class in an atmosphere
charged with excitement.
When a cameraman entered the 
classroom to take the coach’s
picture by the blackboard, students
didn't have to be told why.

“It’s about the tournament tomorrow,”
one blurted out.

Outside the room, Teverbaugh
adjusted his necktie and said,
"It's kind of warm in there. The
kids are het up.'

Teverbaugh, in addition to
reaching the state tournament
with the high school team,
coached a championship elementary
school team this year. This is
his first year of Reardan High
coaching. He started coaching the
elementary team last year.

'''Holiday is Likely'''

Unlike other towns, which encamp
in Spokane during the four-day
event, Reardan is close
enough to commute daily to the
games.

“But if we win,” high school
principal Wisdom promised,
"there'll be no school on Thursday."

Although Lions Club stickers
and printed posters advertising
the tournament were very much
in evidence all over town, there
were no banners or decorated
Store windows Tuesday. And no
Pep tallies or special events
have been held. The town was
busy making preparations to
leave.

Win or lose, the Indians will
be cheered to the last basket.

[photo]

'''Pep Sign Urges Reardan Victory'''

Diane Kohlieber and Ron Workman decorate bus.
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[[Category: Newspaper Clipping]]