Memories

As I continued to referee for several years, I was included in the top rating as an official. I was chosen for tournaments — the first being a Class C District A Tournament in Sidney, MT. Almost every referee looks forward to working a tournament. I believe the year was 1961 and the teams were Froid, Culbertson, Bainville, Brockton, Savage, Richey, Frazer, and Lambert. Some of these schools have now combined because of enrollment.

A memory from this tourney was that Mr. Kenneth K. Kins was the coach of the Brockton Indians. As reported before, Mr. Kins was my seventh and eighth grade teacher and basketball coach.

In 1963, Baker had a new high school and was awarded the 4-C District Tournament. Much to my surprise, I was chosen to work these games. I didn’t accept because Ekalaka was one of the teams and I had a brother, Gary, who was a senior and one of the players. I was later chosen to work a Class A tourney in Sidney, MT.

As I think of my brothers Robert and Gary I am reminded of the Townsend tragedy in 1963. Robert, who was the Chief of Police in Baker, was killed in a car accident close to Newcastle, WY. He left his wife, Ruth, with seven children, the youngest being eight months old. She never remarried and did a great job of raising the family. Three weeks after Robert’s death, Gary was killed in a farm accident on Beaver Flat, working with machinery.

My first state tournament was a Class C tourney held in Helena, MT. I don’t remember the year but I do remember two things about that experience. I do not recall which gym it was held in, but chairs were placed all around the out-of-bounds line, just like back in the good old Ekalaka days. I also remember that Sacred Heart of Miles City (with Dan Conners coach) was one of the teams. They took third or fourth place and I had three of their games.

My next state tournament was Class B and was held in Glendive, MT. I don’t remember the year or who the teams were, except for Cut Bank, MT. The reason for this is because Bob and Frances Smith, who lived there, came as spectators. Bob was a teacher and coach at CCHS once and I did referee work for him.

My last state tourney was Class A. The teams and who or when is forgotten, but I do remember one team was a Butte team. Their attitudes were different.

Among my last tournaments was a Class A Divisional in Miles City with the following schools: Glasgow, Sidney, Glendive, Miles City, Hardin, Billings West, Billings Senior and one other team, possibly Havre. Billings West and Billings Senior played for the championship and no teams ever had more competition. Introductions were given and their were some remarks made to each other as they passed by some players. I heard one player say, “let’s get those dirty so and so’s.”

The game started wild and wooly and about after three or four minutes, a player had blood running down the side of his head. We called them together and told them “play ball or be sitting on the bench.” The game leveled off and Billings West won by 20 points. It was different when the two teams met at state with Billings Senior winning the championship.

Well one of the players on the West team was Mike Loken and he was a tremendous basketball player. Guess who his dad was? Carsten Loken—a 1942 Carter County High School Graduate who married Myrna Anderson, both from the Capitol and Albion area.

Carsten spent a short time in the army, some of which was in Germany. He returned home and later moved to Billings. Two things, among others, I remember about Carsten was his love for basketball (he was a good player), and that he had the largest feet of anyone I ever knew. I played independent basketball part of one winter with him.

A little more next time..