2 teams remain in The Herald’s All-Time High School Hoops Bracket. Vote for the winner
It’s title time, and your votes brought the 1997 Great Falls boys and the 1976 Lewisville boys together in the Herald’s All-Time High School Hoops Bracket final. Now, tell us who wins.
Championship round voting is live using the link below. It will run through noon Tuesday. Vote as often as you like. Share with friends, so they can vote. And while you’re here, check out bios on all 16 state championship basketball teams that made up our contest.
Here’s a look at how we got to the final:
1997 Great Falls boys
▪ What happened in real life: The 29-0 Red Devils completed a second straight undefeated season in 1997, winning the 1A title against Pleasant Hill 68-57.
▪ What happened in the bracket: The No. 1 Red Devils took out one of the most recent champions in the field, the No. 16 2021 South Pointe boys, in the first round with 60% of the vote. A devilish quarterfinal knocked out the No. 9 1967 Heath Springs girls, as the Red Devils topped the Blue Devils 57% to 43%.
The No. 12 2002 York girls, off a decisive quarterfinal win against the No. 4 1974 Fort Mill boys, fell to the Red Devils 69% to 31% in the semifinal.
1976 Lewisville boys
▪ What happened in real life: The 21-7 Lions won the program’s first state championship in 1976, with a 68-49 victory of Clio in the 1A title game.
▪ What happened in the bracket: The No. 2 2015 Lancaster girls never lost a game, but they lost a heartbreaker first-round matchup to the No. 15 Lions by a 51% to 49% vote. The Lions couldn’t sleep on their quarterfinal opponent, their in-school counterparts the No. 7 1959 Lewisville girls. The boys won 58% to 42%.
The final four matchup brought the No. 14 Rock Hill boys, who’d knocked off the No. 3 2004 Chester girls and No. 11 1975 Andrew Jackson boys in prior rounds. The Lions won 64% to 36%.
This story was originally published March 4, 2024 at 6:00 AM.
