March 5, 2019
By: Dwayne Page
DeKalb County has cause to celebrate with the DCHS Lady Tigers preparing to make a state tournament run Wednesday but there is another reason to celebrate.
Sixty years ago the 1958-59 DeKalb County (Smithville High School) girls basketball team made it all the way to the State Championship game before losing to Porter 47 to 46 while the DeKalb County (Smithville High School) boys team advanced to the quarterfinals of the State Tournament before losing to Dobyns-Bennett 53 to 35.
The girls team finished the season 24-2.The two defeats included a 50-49 loss to Lebanon during the regular season and the loss to Porter in the state championship game.
DeKalb County’s 1959 run in the state tournament included wins over Centerville 49 to 34, Walland 32 to 28, and J. Northside 49 to 46, before falling to Porter 47 to 46 in the state title game.
For the boys, DeKalb County defeated Litton 42 to 40 and then lost to Dobyns Bennett 53 to 35 in the state tournament. The 1959 boys state champion was Alcoa. The DeKalb County Tigers finished the season at 18-5.
Members of the 1959 DeKalb County Tigerettes were Jimmie Taylor, Erma Puckett, Helen Faye Young, Kathleen Cantrell, Hilda Puckett, Joyce Wilson, Bessie Johnson, Evon Turner- Manager Linda Haas, Jackie Bing, Ellene Taylor, Lois Ann Vaughn, Jeanette Cripps, Doris Foster, and Cecil Thweatt. The coach was Everett Lee Mitchell.
The 1959 DeKalb County Tigers were Troy Jones, Jerry Hibdon, Harold Hale, Kenneth Hawkins, Ken Rayburn Adcock, Harold Luna, Grady Ray, Wayne Evans-Manager, Willie Walker-Manager, John Parker, Frank Herman, Donald Puckett, Terry Redmon, Bobby Wright, and Winfred Murphy. The coach was Everett Lee Mitchell.