A little state tournament basketball trivia

Ok, here are the 16 teams that competed in the 1976 state tournament (with scores). Can someone tell me what currently sets this tournament apart from every tournament before it?

Tournament trail: First round: Shelby Co. 74, Apollo 68; Paducah Tilghman 75, McCreary Central 60; Edmonson Co. 77, Betsy Layne 72; Harrison Co. 75, Green Co. 54; Henry Clay 74, Holmes 65; Ballard 95, Hazard 67; Christian Co. 67, Ashland 63; Shawnee 85, Clay Co. 57

All the schools are still in operation?

No private schools?

All the schools are still in operation?

Dang Dragon, can't get anything past you. Yep, that's the first state tournament to have 16 teams/schools still in existence today. There was one just a few years earlier that would have fit this bill 3-4 years ago, but Monticello has closed in that time frame and they wee in the tournament.

That's definitely a good trivia bit! I'd be curious what the last Sweet 16 was that had a school in it that is now defunct.

That's definitely a good trivia bit! I'd be curious what the last Sweet 16 was that had a school in it that is now defunct.

Looks like Lone Oak (now pat of McCracken County) in 2005.

Not exactly. McCreary COUNTY made the Sweet 16 in 1976. That school had originally been known as Whitley City High, changed to McCreary County, and then absorbed Stearns High in 1959, all the while keep their McCreary County Indians name.

However, there were still two schools in the county - the aforementioned McCreary County and Pine Knot High School. Pine Knot and McCreary County consolidated to form the McCreary Central Raiders in 1978.

Therefore, McCreary County and McCreary Central are not the same school.

Not exactly. McCreary COUNTY made the Sweet 16 in 1976. That school had originally been known as Whitley City High, changed to McCreary County, and then absorbed Stearns High in 1959, all the while keep their McCreary County Indians name.

 

However, there were still two schools in the county - the aforementioned McCreary County and Pine Knot High School. Pine Knot and McCreary County consolidated to form the McCreary Central Raiders in 1978.

 

Therefore, McCreary County and McCreary Central are not the same school.

McCreary Central is the school listed in the 1976 tournament and is the school still in operation. Is the school listing for 1976 wrong? By the way the teams listing is from a Lex Herald article.

That was my graduating year. Sure doesn`t seem like 41 years ago. Where has the time gone?

I don't know GC. Compare:

In the fall of 1962, Hanson (a tiny school) became part of Madisonville High School...and the name was changed to Madisonville-North Hopkins. The name change coincided with the formation that year of West Hopkins...a consolidation of Nebo, Charleston and Dalton. Folks in the rest of county (which had already seen Mortons Gap and Nortonville become South Hopkins) didn't want Madisonville to be the only school in the system with their town on it...so the "North Hopkins" part of it was a compromise. There was no change in facilities at Madisonville for another six years.

On the surface, the only difference between these two events...is that McCreary changed its nickname. "Maroons" stayed with the other consolidation.

In my research, I don't remember reading: was there a new school building put up to house the McCreary consolidation?

BigV,

We broadcast the 1976 state tourney, and all the paperwork we had called it McCreary County. I'm guessing the list you saw was "typed" at a later time, and the typist didn't know the difference between the two names.

I don't know GC. Compare:

 

In the fall of 1962, Hanson (a tiny school) became part of Madisonville High School...and the name was changed to Madisonville-North Hopkins. The name change coincided with the formation that year of West Hopkins...a consolidation of Nebo, Charleston and Dalton. Folks in the rest of county (which had already seen Mortons Gap and Nortonville become South Hopkins) didn't want Madisonville to be the only school in the system with their town on it...so the "North Hopkins" part of it was a compromise. There was no change in facilities at Madisonville for another six years.

 

On the surface, the only difference between these two events...is that McCreary changed its nickname. "Maroons" stayed with the other consolidation.

 

In my research, I don't remember reading: was there a new school building put up to house the McCreary consolidation?

Yes, they built a new building in Stearns, a small town between Whitley City (where the original school was) and Pine Knot.