Hooping It Up Big in the Cornbelt

The invaders descended, 100,000-strong, on Des Moines early in the week, overflowing hotels, buying up every Teddy bear and Barry Manilow record in sight and lining up three-deep at Babe's and Scruffy's for pizza and sandwiches. In a scene straight out of American Graffiti, cars cruised downtown streets. Above, a local radio personality buzzed the cavernous Veterans Memorial Auditorium in a plane with wing lights that flashed GO, RAMS . . . HAWKETTES . . . TROJANETTES. Inside the arena thundered a cacophony of horns, shrieks and stamping feet, while medical technicians wearing vests decorated with red hearts hovered in the wings, alert for coronary victims. The 58th Iowa State High School Basketball Championship for Girls was under way, and TIME Correspondent Richard Woodbury was there to observe the fevered five-day rite. His report:

Girls' basketball is an old and proud tradition in Iowa. Youngsters from such towns as Elkader, Creston and Ida Grove have been sinking baskets on makeshift barnyard courts since 1898. The first Iowa girls' championship, in 1919, was contested two decades before the National Collegiate Athletic Association organized its championship tournament for the fellas. Today all but six of the state's 503 high schools field girls' basketball teams.

All of them operate under the jurisdiction of the Iowa Girls High School Athletic Union, which has an annual budget of nearly $1 million. The 16 teams that make it to the Des Moines finals must fight their way through a grueling, complex schedule, playing as many as seven play-off games. It is a journey that in some Iowa families has been made by two and three generations of players. Says Guard Chris Jenison, 18, of the Belmond Broncoettes: "I've lived all my life just to get here."

Sweet Sixteen. Unlike most women's basketball contests, which are now played under the same rules that prevail in men's games, the tournament contests are still played by traditional women's rules: six-to-a-side basketball in which a team's three forwards and three guards are restricted to opposite ends of the court. The guards play defense and pass the ball across the midcourt line to the forwards, who work it in for good shots. While half-court rules restrict basket-to-basket flow, they also place a premium on passing and shooting. Other regulations boost the pace and scoring. Guards may not tie up the ball unless a forward is either in the lane or taking a shot. Players are restricted to two dribbles and must pass off. shoot or take their requisite two bounces within three seconds of getting the ball. The result is a fast-paced, intricately patterned contest. Scores in the 90s are not uncommon in the 32-minute games.

This year's "Sweet Sixteen" lineup was greener than usual--only eight of the teams had been in the finals before. But the talent was topflight. Two teams had gone through the season undefeated, and most had lost no more than two of their scheduled 21 games. College scouts were there to check out players such as Rae White, a forward from Southeast Polk High in suburban Des Moines, who averaged 38 points per game, and 6-ft. 4-in. Marlena Mossbarger from Kennedy High in Cedar Rapids.

Tournament week is an official holiday for many schools, and the players, their chaperones and supporters checked into hotel rooms that had been booked for a year. They commandeered entire floors, lugging hair curlers, stereo tape decks and stuffed mascots. One coach brought along a toaster to ensure breakfast for his flock. Between forays to Frankel's clothing store to gawk at the array of trophies--including the 3ft.-high bronze totem for the winning team--the girls decorated hallways with flowers and telegrams sent by fans back home.

Tiny Belmond upset the tourney favorites, Ankeny, in the first round, then succumbed to Southeast Folk's sharpshooters. In the other half of the draw, Defending Champ Lake View-Auburn survived the first round but was then outgunned by Kennedy of Cedar Rapids. Saturday night, the Southeast Polk Rams and the Kennedy Cougars prepared to battle for the title. The Rams, led by Rae White's deadeye shooting, were the more polished and experienced players, but Kennedy had the towering Marlena Mossbarger and her "little" (6ft. 2 in.) sister Mona.

The 15,000 fans in the arena and the estimated 2 1/2 million who watched on a nine-state television hookup saw a game to remember. The Cougars' guards managed to contain Folk's White, but Forward Sharon Blake benefited from the defensive attention lavished on her teammate, sinking 22 points. Kennedy's Sisters Mossbarger, alternately swapping guard and forward positions, proved devastating under the boards. The lead changed hands 14 times before the half ended in a 26-26 tie, and seesawed again in the second half until, with 44 seconds remaining. Blake sank a basket and a free throw to win the game for Southeast Folk's Rams, 51-48.

Jubilant Rams rooters streamed onto the court while both winning and losing players exchanged tearful hugs. As proud parents pumped his hands, Rams Coach Bob Merkle summed it up: "A dream come true." With that, the new champions and the runners-up moved to a fried-chicken victory dinner. But for the Rams, the real celebration came later that night. The champions of Iowa girls' basketball, holders of the state's most prestigious athletic prize, retired to a school gym across town for a slumber party.

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