When Hancock Ruled the Courts
You forget that tiny, picturesque Hancock once had a high school (located on School Street, at the site of the Conval District grade school). You forget that in the 1940s and early 1950s, Hancock was one of the smallest and most competitive high schools in the state (there were just 13 boys in the entire high school in 1952! See "The Hancock High 'Hoosiers'").
And you forget that when it came to girls’ basketball, Hancock was queen of the New Hampshire hill—41 wins in a row over three seasons.
On December 12, 1950, that unbelievable winning streak came to an end. Four years later, Hancock High closed and joined forces with Peterborough High, and in 1970, the two towns joined seven others in forming Contoocook Valley Regionsl High School.
Good to remember that our Conval hoop heritage, both boys and girls, is something worth remembering and cheering on!
From the Peterborough Transcript, December 14, 1950…
“The halls of Hancock High are draped in black today. For the first time since 1947, the girls of HHS have tasted defeat. As all historic strings must, this one of 41 games came to a halt at the hands of a flashing redheaded forward from Weare with a deadly eye—Bea Farwell, who tossed 35 points through the hoop to sink the hopes of the Blue and White, 51-46. Tuesday night.
Sheila Adams, Shirley Otis and Sheila Joynt did their best to keep the string alive with 28, 10 and 10 points respectively, but in the final analysis, the large floor on which Weare plays its games was too much, and the Hancock defense was penetrated time and again for crucial baskets. The change in perspective also hampered the timing of Hancock’s scoring plays as they battled to keep in the game.
Right up until the final period, the score see-sawed back and forth, with never more than a three-point difference between the clubs. But in the final stanza, the Farwell sisters put on their best and outscored their opponents, 14-8.
A defeat such as this was a staggering blow, but the Hancock girls took it like the champions they are, smiling a bit grimly, warmly congratulating the victors, and mingling cheerfully with their foes after the game was over.
There were no alibis. Aggie Smit was still not dressed, but Coach Grace Campbell took the defeat in stride, praising the work of both her own charges and the doughty Weare outfit.
“Our defense needs a little brushing up,” she added. “We’ll give them quite a battle in the return game in Hancock.”
Quite a battle is right! That return match with Weare in late January should be one for the books.”
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In a rousing rally, and with the return of standout Aggie Smit, Hancock came from way behind to tie (yes, tie) Weare in the return match in Hancock.
“This department sticks with Aggie Smit as the outstanding defensive player in these parts,” opined Peterborough Transcript reporter John W. Danforth, “but with no trouble at all. you can find supporters for Shirley Adams or Janice Engstrom. Proponents of the two girls argue with considerable strength that Shirley’s tigerish persistence results in more intercepted passes and stolen balls, while Engstrom fans hold that she is most adept at the important task of always being at the right place at the right time. Perhaps the real unsung heroine of this group is the substitute, Jo Otis, who although good enough to make most of the teams in the area, plays only rarely, coming as she does behind three such capable performers.”
As the regular season wound down, Hancock and Hollis were neck-and-neck for the league crown. In the first of two crucial games, Hancock defeated the Cavaliers, 60-49, setting up a rematch in Hollis a week later. “Enthusiasm is running so high for this tilt in Hollis that it is expected two busses will leave from Hancock for the game,” the Transcript reported.
Fouls, however, bugged the girls all night and Hollis emerged with a 60-49 victory, ending Hancock’s season at an outstanding 11-2-1.
“Small consolation for the Hancock followers is the fact that not one girl is to be lost from this squad by graduation,” said the Transcript.
“The entire team returns to the wars next season, and it looks as though in this case, ‘wait ’til next year’ is a lot more than just sour grapes!”
