It’s tourney time again in Bangor and the Calais Girls begin their quest for another Gold Ball at the Cross Center. If they bring home the gold they join many other Calais teams who have won it all. In fact, the Calais girls won the first state girls basketball championship in 1931.
In 1931 high school basketball in Maine finally got organized and the first official girl’s state championship was played in Livermore Falls. Only part of the Calais Academy team could make the trip as the coach’s car could hold only seven players and, even then, two of the smaller players had to sit on folding chairs in the back seat. The trip took two days but the players stayed in shape by pushing the car out of several snowdrifts along the way.
Basketball Champs Calais 1931.jpg
1931 Calais Girls State First Official State Basketball Champions
They played three games, beating Stratton 31-4, Jay 37-17 and easily beating Oxford 37-21 for the title and were crowned the first girl’s state champions of the State of Maine. According to an article by Rex Nicholson in the Calais Times in 2000, the tradition of meeting the champions outside of town and escorting the team back to the school began when the 1931 team returned from Livermore Falls.
As far as we know it wasn’t until Bob McShane’s powerhouses of the 1990’s and 2000’s that the Calais girls brought home the gold again. Regardless, girls teams from Calais High have a long and storied history in the state and we’re sure this year’s team will, win or lose, play with the championship spirit and tradition established by those early teams from Calais Academy. Go Blue Devils!
