By CHUCK GODBY
The Indiana High School Athletic Association crowned its first boys’ basketball state champion in 1911, creating a statewide tournament that would become renowned throughout the country. Six years after that inaugural tournament, representatives of eight of the 10 Hamilton County schools in existence at that time decided they wanted to crown a county champion, so the local county tournament was born.
The first eight county participants were Arcadia, Atlanta, Boxley, Carmel, Cicero, Sheridan, Walnut Grove and Westfield. Initially, Noblesville and Fishers declined to participate.
Cicero agreed to host the initial tournament and the winning school, it was announced, would receive a silver loving cup, presented by the Star Theatre of Cicero.
In an era when a jump ball followed each basket made, Cicero exploded for a 46-18 win over Sheridan in the very first Hamilton County Tourney game. Boxley followed with a 38-24 win over Walnut Grove, Carmel beat Westfield, 36-10, and Arcadia edged Atlanta, 21-15, to complete the first round.
Cicero topped Boxley, 21-15, in the first semifinal round game, and Arcadia needed overtime to get past Carmel, 28-24. Arcadia took home the loving cup, beating the host school in the inaugural championship clash, 30-21, played on Saturday, Feb. 17, 1917.
It was reported that 900 tickets were sold and gate receipts totaled $550. It was also noted by The Noblesville Daily Ledger that an all-tournament team was selected by an unnamed individual who watched all seven games. The five were Carey of Carmel, Eilard of Arcadia, Haworth of Cicero, Glunt of Boxley, and McGuire of Westfield. Sorry, but no first names were published.
The county tourney added two more schools a year later when Fishers and Noblesville decided to join the fray, but defending champ Arcadia was absent. The games were moved to Castor Hall, located in Downtown Noblesville, which could accommodate more fans than Cicero.
Fans were treated to two sessions of basketball on the first day and the admission price was 50 cents for both sessions. The opener was a nail biter with Boxley edging Atlanta, 14-13. The second game never happened.
Noblesville was declared the winner over Carmel by forfeit after the Carmel team failed to show. Carmel, it seems, was not able to field a complete squad after two players were suspended for tobacco use.
Westfield and Boxley would steamroll through the field and wind up in the championship game, where Westfield topped Boxley, 24-18.
The 1919 tourney remained in Noblesville’s Castor Hall, and for the second year in a row, Arcadia was absent. Host Noblesville powered through the field, beating Fishers, Walnut Grove and Cicero before topping Atlanta, 25-13, in the championship.
In case you are wondering, Castor Hall still stands today, located inside the Castor Block building at the northwestern corner of Tenth and Logan streets. According to Hamilton County Historian David Heighway, the basketball court was likely located on the second floor of building, which today would be directly above the popular restaurant Grindstone Public House. If you are as big a fan of Mr. Heighway’s historical work as I am, you probably figure, like I do, that he’s right.
A footnote to that 1919 season: The county schools would later participate at Anderson in one of the 13 sectionals played around the state, and all the schools would be eliminated there, although no one took a tougher beating than Boxley, which was stung by the host school, 94-3. The center jump ball-after-a-basket era would not end until the mid-1930’s. Ouch!
Next, Arcadia makes its triumphant return to the tourney and more details are available on how the tourney created so much excitement throughout all Hamilton County.