(Hinton, IA) Upsets are a part of sports. Year in and year out a team that shouldn’t lose gets knocked off, with the most memorable upsets coming in tournament play. Locally a stunning defeat conjured memories of a game that resonates throughout the country to this day.

One of the most memorable upsets in college basketball history came in the 1983 NCAA Men’s National Championships game. The title contest pitted the high flying Houston Cougars and the crew known as “Phi Slamma Jamma” against upstart North Carolina State. Clyde Drexler and Hakeem Olajuwon were the stars on the nation’s top ranked team that were in the midst of a 25 game winning streak. They were matched up with the Cinderella North Carolina State Wolfpack squad and their vivacious Head Coach Jim Valvano. NC State had lost ten games during the regular season and was commonly referred to as the “Cardiac Pack” for their propensity to rip victory from the jaws of defeat. In fact, they had won 7 of their final 9 games after trailing with less than a minute remaining. That night in Albuquerque will forever be emblazoned on the consciousness of our nation for two reasons; the call by CBS Lead Analyst Gary Bender as NC State Guard Dereck Whittenburg launched a last second three point bomb that fell shy of the hoop only to be slammed home by Lorenzo Charles as time expired giving the Wolfpack the title, and also because of the spectacle of Coach Valvano sprinting around the arena floor looking for someone to hug in celebration of their unlikely achievement. What’s lost in the memory of this titanic upset is the reaction of heavily favored Houston. As the cameras focused on Valvano and the hordes of Wolfpack faithful flooding the court they missed the devastated Cougars and their inability to get out of the arena fast enough. The memory of that night surely haunts them to this very day. While the Lawton-Bronson girls knocking off Hinton didn’t rock the basketball establishment the way NC State did that night in ’83 it was still shocking to see the score as it was delivered the night of February 13. While the pain and disappointment lingers and many have already begged the question “How?” this team is worthy of a retrospective look and what they have accomplished the past three seasons.

In a two year span these ladies have won 46 games with only 3 losses. A year ago this team made an undefeated run into the state semifinals before Cascade finally tripped them up. That night the Blackhawks were pulled to within three points with 1:41 remaining in the contest when Super Sophomore Ashton Moody nailed a huge three pointer. While the team would get no closer that night, they certainly made an impression on the biggest stage available to Iowa High School Girls Basketball players. It was a season highlighted by defeating Class 4A opponent Sioux City East (69-43) as well as knocking off defending Class 3A State Champion and eventual State Runner-Up Bishop Heelan (48-38) in front of a raucous home crowd. There was certainly no question that Hinton would be back for more in 2009-10.

The Blackhawks entered the season ranked 7th in Class 2A and would reach as high as 4th in the state rankings despite only losing one game the entire regular season. November was highlighted by two of the most lopsided victories of the year with victories over LeMars (52-19) and River Valley (91-10). A December 4th battle with Akron-Westfield brought this team its first true test on the court with the Blackhawks coming away victorious 43-41. Hinton would race to an 8-0 record before the Sergeant Bluff-Luton Warriors welcomed the Blackhawks to town. Mackenzie Small’s lay in with six seconds remaining closed the door on SB-L and gave the Blackhawks their first hard fought road victory. This team would not be tested again until SB-L came to Hinton with the result the same. Lost in the shuffle was a Hinton victory over Lawton-Bronson 59-43 on January 4th. In that game Hinton featured three girls in double figures (Small-21, Moody-18, Mallory Thoreson-10) as well as a suffocating defense which ripped 20 steals from an overmatched L-B squad. A 75-37 setback at the hands of Class 3A #1 ranked Bishop Heelan only focused this group on the task at hand, returning to Des Moines. They finished up the regular season with two solid victories over Remsen St. Mary’s (77-29) and a feisty West Sioux club (52-42). The ill-fated rematch with Lawton-Bronson was to be the launching point for the return to Wells Fargo Arena, but the Eagles had other ideas.

The game featured a slowed pace precipitated by Lawton-Bronson. They intended to keep the tempo under control and the scoring low. This approach was staggeringly effective as the Eagles led at the end of every quarter. With a two-point lead Hinton stepped to the charity stripe with an opportunity to extend the lead to three and virtually put the game on ice. Unfortunately, the free throw rolled out and L-B grabbed the rebound. They then found Kristi Grau, a senior who had only made seven three point baskets to this point the entire season, alone in the corner and in an instant Hinton’s season came to a stunning end. While Lawton-Bronson celebrated a 46-45 victory the Hinton Blackhawks, much like Houston in 1983, couldn’t get off the court fast enough.

While the season ended prematurely this squad remains one of the best in the state and will likely end the year ranked in the top ten of Class 2A. The statistical rankings bear the proof. They finished the season ranked 11th in Class 2A in scoring, averaging 61.5 points per game. That pales in comparison to their point differential which was 7th in the entire state by averaging 24.2 more points a contest than their opponents. Not only could this team score, but they could flat out distribute. They finished 2nd in the state in assists with nearly 20 assists a night. Their 400 steals were good enough for 7th in the state. On the average they grabbed over 17 steals a night. This was all accomplished with only one senior on the roster, so the future remains bright.

Senior Mackenzie Small will certainly hear her named called multiple times following the season when the All-State teams are announced. She finished her career ranked 12th in 2A with an average of 17.5 points per game and crossed the 1,000 point threshold in a victory over Remsen Union in January. Her brilliance is not on the offensive end however. Small is undoubtedly among the best one-on-one defenders in the state and her 138 steals puts her second statewide. Proving that the best players are those that make everyone around them better, Small handed out 149 assists which was third in the state. While Hinton’s only senior was their best player, the core of this team will be back on the court in 2010-11.

Ashton Moody returns for her senior campaign and will look to finish her career as astutely as Small did. Averaging 15.4 points per game, Moody bettered virtually all of the statistical numbers of her stellar Sophomore season. Look for her to have a monster Senior season. Mallory Thoreson also returns after playing a pivotal role the past two seasons. She will step into a much more prominent offensive role next season. Junior Jenna Riediger also returns after starting all 23 games this winter. The next Hinton hoops star was also born this season in the form of Freshman Sadie Shuck. Averaging 9.0 points per game, Shuck led the team with 55 blocked shots and finished third on the team with 111 rebounds. In short, this team is not going away anytime soon.

While the sting of the early exit from the playoffs will only dull with time, everyone in Siouxland should take time to stand up and recognize a team and program that has reached unprecedented heights the past two seasons. They are certainly among the best and will not soon be forgotten.