×
×
homepage logo

MHS Celebrates 100 Years Of Basketball, 1913-2015

By Staff | Jan 28, 2015

(Note: This is the first of a five-part series. This article covers the 1913-39 era.)

Boys’ basketball has been on the scene at Magnolia High School since 1913.

And, after 100 schoolboy seasons, it’s time to celebrate the long tradition and history of the teams, players, and coaches who wore the Gold & Blue.

The boys’ roundball sport tipped off on March 15, 1913 when Herbert L. Smith, a teacher/coach who graduated from W. Va. Wesleyan, organized six students to travel to nearby Folsom and play an independent team, the Folsom Giants, in the first of two games.

Since eligibility issues were not present, the lineup included the biggest student, seventh grader Clem Kiger, who would play six years for the team. Magnolia won the opener, 29-26. The team captain was Howard Moore.

Six days later, the first-year team played its only home game and defeated Smithfield, 35-15. The season, and spring activities, came to a halt when a major flood hit the area.

Basketball interest around the state picked up in 1914 when W.Va. Wesleyan sponsored the first state championship game between Wheeling and Elkins high schools. A year later, the Buckhannon-based college started to host an open state tournament to any interested schools. This lasted through 1929 and Magnolia competed from 1916-21 and 1924, after no basketball was contested for two seasons (1922-23) because of no available home gymnasium.

When B. M. Snodgrass, a W.Va. Wesleyan graduate, took over the coaching reins in 1916, he took Magnolia to four straight tournaments. Three of those teams were led by Kiger, who would become Magnolia’s initial first team all-state honoree in both 1917 and 1918, his senior year. Kiger would go on to letter four years at West Virginia University and serve as captain in 1922. He also lettered two years at WVU in football.

In 1916, Magnolia defeated Richwood 37-30 for its first state tourney win before bowing to Elkins, 34-33. A year later, Magnolia defeated Grafton and Clendenin before losing to Charleston in the quarterfinals. In Kiger’s senior year, the locals won three games over Sistersville, Salem, and Rivesville before losing in the semifinals to Buckhannon.

Magnolia’s won-loss records from 1916-18 were 13-3, 15-5, and 13-9. Other standouts from the 1916-20 period included Clarence (Bum) Harman, Herb Combs, John Forbes, and John McCaskey.

Between 1924 and the state Class AA title team of 1961, the only state tourney appearance Magnolia made was in 1930 while the Bassell Liggett-coached squad won the sectional qualifier with victories over Smithfield, Sistersville, and Cameron before bowing to Ceredo-Kenova, 30-19 in the state event.

That 17-5 record team was led by top scorer and captain Dillon Smittle. The 1931 and 1932 teams were captained by OVAC Hall of Fame Legend John Wood, who later played football at Pitt. A 1927 graduate, Ed Bartrug earned five letters at WVU – three in football and two in basketball. Another standout in 1932 and 1933 was Glenn Kiger.

The 1934-39 period produced four teams which won sectionals and advanced to regional events, including the Mont McIntire-coached 1935 team, which set a school mark with a 20-3 record and ended with a regional final loss to Benwood Union. That team was led by two juniors, top scorer Bob White (306 points) and captain Howard Frye. As sophomores, the team went 14-4 under coach Orville Kiger. The 1936 team was 15-6 before the 1937 team ended 16-6 with a regional berth.

In 1937, the team was led by Walter Smittle, who later played freshman ball at WVU, and junior Bob Emch. White also competed at WVU, but in football.

The 1938 and 1939 teams were led by Raymond Durig with the ’39 squad going 17-5 and advancing to the regional tournament. Bert Harbert was the coach from 1937-41. (Note: Next week, the series will focus on the period from 1940-59.)