A royal double: State championship and 30 wins
During the 1957 basketball season in South Dakota there were a trio of teams — Cresbard, Alexandria and Lake Norden — that all reached the exclusive 30-win plateau. They combined to amass an overall record of 101-6.
Cresbard won the Class B state championship that year, after being runner-up the previous season. The Comets finished 38-1 in 1957. The 38 victories registered by Cresbard has been recognized as the national single-season record. Alexandria took third place in the tournament and went 30-1. Lake Norden was sixth and wound up 33-4.
Winning at least 30 games in a season was rare. But several other teams throughout South Dakota history, in addition to Cresbard in 1957, have capped their seasons by achieving the unique double of claiming Class B state championships and reaching 30 victories. Among teams that have accomplished that feat were Arlington (31-0) in 1938, Emery (30-1) in 1950, Harrold (33-2) in 1951, Hayti (32-2) in 1954, Howard (31-4) in 1956, and Cheyenne Agency (31-3) in 1959.
Comments (2)
Louis G. Geditz
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My first visit to the HoF online. Cannot wait to visit the real thing. The 1956-57 Cresbard Comets contained many of the fathers and uncles of my contemporaries when I attended that fine school (graduated 1982). I did not realize their 38 wins was a national record.
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Terry Jordre
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Corona was the 1957 runner up team having defeated 30 game winner Lake Norden 59-55 in the first round and then undefeated 30 game winner Alexandria 65-57 in the semi-finals! The third 30 game winner Cresbard then defeated Corona 62-57 in the finals! Corona finished with a 26-5 record in 1957 before gaining a 30-3 record in 1958 and placing 2nd in the 1958 B tourney falling to Canistota in the final game!
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