On Friday, Jan. 30, the Collinsville community will be celebrating the 70th anniversary of a milestone event in the history of the local schools. It was in March of 1956 that the Collinsville girls’ basketball team went all the way to the state tournament and won the Class B girls basketball championship.
The event actually was the crowning achievement of a girls’ basketball winning decade. Some have even referred to the girls’ record as a winning dynasty during the 1950s. The girls won six consecutive district titles from 1953-1958 and went all the way to the state championship game twice, as winners in 1956 and state runner-up in 1958.
The 1956 season was one that many long-time Collinsville residents will never forget. The team was made up of girls from a very rural Collinsville area and included several girls from farm families. At that time the population of the town was barely over 600. Many remember the old tin barn that was the gymnasium of the ‘50s. It was cold in the winter and hot in the summer, but it had a regulation wooden basketball court with adequate bleachers for the crowd. By today’s standards it was pretty sad, but the basics of championship basketball were learned there.
The team was undefeated all season and went all the way to the state championship game in Austin, where a dozen state records were set in their win over Sulphur Springs North Hopkins, 83-75. This was, by far, one of the biggest things that had ever happened in the small town of Collinsville. Virtually, everyone who was able made the trip to Austin to watch the final playoffs. Some remember that Collinsville was a ghost town during those few days. It was certainly an awesome experience for that group of young women, most of whom had never been to Austin or even stayed in a motel before.
The final playoffs were held in the Gregory Gym on the University of Texas campus. The games themselves were memorable, setting records some of which are still standing in the UIL state archives. The star of the Collinsville team was Juvean (McWhorter) Snell who grew up on a farm in the Ethel community and mastered an overhead shot that was almost unstoppable by opposing teams. At that time, girls’ basketball was played with half-court rules. There were three forwards on one end who made all the goals, and three guards on the other end who tried to prevent the other team from scoring. The 12 state-tournament records the team set in 1956 were:
(1) High individual score in 1 game – old record: 53; Juvean – 68.
(2) High individual score in a series (3 games) – old record: 118; Juvean – 168.
(3) Field goals by individual in series; old record: 46; Juvean - 70.
(4) High team score in 1 game – old record: 74; Collinsville – 83.
(5) High team score in series – old record: 203; Collinsville – 219.
(6) High team score in championship game – old record: 66; Collinsville – 83.
(7) High individual score in championship game – old record: 53; Juvean – 68.
(8) High team score in championship series: old record: 203; Collinsville – 219.
(9) High total in championship game: Collinsville vs. N. Hopkins – 158.
(10) Most field goals by a team in a game – Collinsville – 34.
(11) Most field goals by an individual in 1 game: Juvean – 28.
(12) Most field goals by an individual in 3 game series: Juvean – 70.
Juvean was named to the All-State Girls Basketball team at the conclusion of the tournament.
Coaching the team during these years was beloved principal, Milton Pearce, formerly in the military, who expected nothing but the best from his team. Joining Juvean on the state playoff roster were her cousin Linda (McWhorter) Hall, Marsha (Scoggin) Roberts, Nancy (Boren) Parker, Clova (Wood) Schenk, Wanda (Click) Stowe, Charlsie (Hite) Stiles, Irene (Hite) Paasch and Betty (Dolezalek) Graham. Also on the travel team were Gloria (Ragsdale) Coxwell and Linda (Carney) Mitchell. Team managers were Anna (Heffley) Cline, Nim Voelkle and Velva Koebelen, the girls’ adult chaperone. There were many other girls who were not on the travel team but who played a vital role in helping the team succeed.
Juvean’s total points for the entire 1955-1956 season was 1358. On May 17, 2014, Juvean was inducted into the Texas High School Basketball Hall of Fame, an honor that has never been matched by any Collinsville High School athlete. Later, Juvean’s jersey number was retired by the CISD basketball program.
The following year (1956-57) the girls’ team won district again and progressed to the playoffs but were unexpectedly disqualified and forced to drop out of the series. In a best of three playoff series against Howe, Collinsville lost one game forcing a third game to complete the series. After meeting with local officials who approved this playoff series, the Howe team notified the UIL who determined that it was against UIL rules to play more than two games in a week. As you can imagine, it was a devasting time for the entire Collinsville community, since this team was well on its way to state again.
Then in 1958, the girls made it all the way back to the state championship round and again faced their nemesis, North Hopkins who eventually won the series. Players on the 1958 team were Marsha (Scoggin) Roberts, Linda (McWhorter) Hall, Irene (Hite) Paasch, Betty (Dolezalek) Graham, Gloria (Ragsdale) Coxwell, Shirley (McCorkle) Halff, Doris Ann (Rector) King, Alma Bell, Beth Rector and Zoretta (McWhorter) Smith. At the end of the state championship tournament, Betty (Dolezalek) Graham was named to the all-state team.
On a side note, North Hopkins was on its way to a dynasty of its own. They went on to win the state championship three years in a row, 1958, 1959 and 1960. It is notable that in those days winning a state championship gave the team a gold ball trophy for the trophy case, but that was about it.
“There were no rings, no individual trophies and no special monuments, but as players we could not have been more excited,” Betty Graham said. “When we came home to Collinsville, our bus was met by the Collinsville fire truck at Crossroads and we were escorted into a town that was erupting with enthusiasm and excitement. It was such an incredible experience!”
Of this group of incredible athletes, only one went on to play college basketball on a scholarship. Marsha Scoggin received a scholarship to Wayland Baptist College in Plainview, Texas and played for the world famous “Flying Queens.”
In an effort to commemorate these special accomplishments, there will be a special program at the Collinsville High School Gym on Jan. 30, 2026 at approximately 5:30 p.m., just before the varsity girls’ game. A banner documenting these events will be hung in the gym and several of the remaining players from these teams will be honored.