Celebrating 50+ Years of Conestoga Girls Basketball

Conestoga High School is holding a halftime event during the last regular season home game on February 4, 2025, against Haverford High School. Inspiration for the event was a tribute recently penned by Theodore "Ted" Dahlburg (CHS Class of 1974) from the 1973-74 Conestoga Boys Basketball team to the 1973-74 Conestoga Girls Basketball team, winners of Conestoga's first of many Central League Championship in girls' basketball (see article below).

Not only does this tribute--or love letter of sorts, if you will--come just in time for Valentine's Day, but next Tuesday's event also dovetails nicely with National Girls and Women in Sports Day, which is being recognized on Wednesday, February 5. As recently expressed by Coach AJ Thompson, current coach of the Conestoga Girls Basketball team, "In a time when women's sports and in particular women's basketball is experiencing a well-deserved rise in popularity, it's great to recognize the women that made it all possible and appreciate the sacrifice and hardship they endured so that our girls have the chance to play the game they love."

Guests of honor at Tuesday's halftime event will include members of the 1973-74 team, as well as players and coaches who followed in their footsteps from various Conestoga girls' basketball teams over the past five decades, from athletes who played for by Coach John Jones during his 18-year tenure dating back to 1996, to more recent teams under the leadership of Coach Thompson.

As the last regular season game for Conestoga and Haverford, two of the premier girls' basketball teams in the Central League, Tuesday's tip-off offers a wonderful opportunity for fans of this rising sport to come out and enjoy an exciting game as well as a timely halftime festivity: Celebrating 50+ Years of Conestoga Girls Basketball.

"Pioneering Superstars

Paying Tribute to the Conestoga High School Pioneers Girls' Basketball Team of 1973-1974

As girls’ and women’s basketball enjoy unprecedented levels of participation and popularity in 2024, it’s entirely fitting to enthusiastically recognize and applaud the Conestoga High School (CHS) Pioneers Girls' Basketball Team of 1973-1974. Now celebrating its 50th anniversary, this sensational team from suburban Philadelphia, Pennsylvania produced historic results and soared to great heights and prominence in one storybook season.

Conestoga High School Pioneers Girls’ Basketball Team of 1973-1974
Tredyffrin/Easttown School District
Berwyn, Pennsylvania

From December of 1973 to March of 1974, the “Stoga” girls’ basketball team strung together dominating performances and results:

· Undefeated on their home court
· Seven wins and just one loss in league play
· Holiday Tournament Champions
· Central League Champions
· Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association (PIAA) District One Runners Up

While their on-court prowess is noteworthy enough, these groundbreaking CHS girls (and their classmates on other CHS girls’ teams) also served as early and powerful embodiments of the promise and potential of Title IX. Title IX, of course, was the landmark 1972 Federal legislation that, among other things, helped assure and provide equal and meaningful opportunities for girls and women in interscholastic competitive sports at schools and universities.

I recall a tournament we won in 1973- the D.H.S. Lettermen’s Club Holiday tournament. It is the only trophy I ever received in my life! And I still proudly display it in my office.
Team Member

The players on the CHS Girls’ Basketball Team of 1973-1974 were beneficiaries of the mandate and they reveled in the chance to play team sports and represent their school, families, and community. They fully understood the enormity of this responsibility and instinctively carried themselves as exemplary student-athletes and role models. In effect, they became the foundation and inspiration for future generations of young girls to actively pursue participation in organized, interscholastic team sports.

That season is easily the highlight of my high school years. It always felt so special to be a part of that group of talented athletes.
Team Member

The final combined season record of the CHS Girls’ Basketball Team of 1973-1974 was an exceptional 13-2. This highwater mark cemented them as one of the most feared CHS sports teams of the 1973-1974 school year and as one of the most celebrated CHS Girls’ Basketball Teams of all-time.

A Tradition of Excellence Conestoga High School Motto

Distinguished by their signature Garnet and Gray tunics, the squad was a perfect blend of juniors and seniors, many of whom excelled at other sports such as field hockey and lacrosse. Its roster included “Twin Tower” rebounders and shot blockers, skilled ball handlers and pinpoint passers, deadly shooters, gritty defenders, spirited bench replacements, and vigilant team managers. Chemistry and camaraderie were the hallmarks of the tightly knit team.

Such a great group of women on that team-I have such good thoughts of them and how we were such a bunch of team players.
Team Member

I remember hanging out at Burger King on Lancaster Avenue with the team after games and feeling proud to be a part of this amazing group of girls.
Team Member

By 1974, girls’ and women’s basketball employed a format that virtually mirrored the boys’ and men’s game and it had dropped the outdated half-court, 6 players vs. 6 players format where, generally speaking, each team was represented by 3 forwards restricted to the frontcourt and offense and 3 guards restricted to the backcourt and defense. This equal footing allowed the lady hoopsters to fully blossom and showcase their own skills, character, and exciting brand of basketball.

We were the stars that year and the student body came out to support us en force! I recall my parents telling me they heard people raving about how talented the girls teams were and how exciting the game was.
Team Member

That 23 (Kim Tumilty) was super. Her performance (22 points) was all the more remarkable because she was ill.
Opposing Coach

Truth be told, the team enjoyed one unique advantage: they sometimes scrimaged against the nearby Immaculata College (now University) Women’s Basketball Team. Led by Head Coach Cathy Rush and stars such as Theresa Shank Grentz, the legendary “Mighty Macs” were AIAW National Champions for three consecutive years (1972, 1973, and 1974). Playing and practicing with the nation’s top female basketball players undoubtedly helped the CHS girls be their best and hone the mental and physical aspects of their game.

I remember practicing with the Immaculata team-they were a powerhouse in those days-and how exciting it was to be in their presence.
Team Member

I had a smart club because they adjusted so well.
CHS Head Coach Ms. Judy Owens

Leading these talented and driven basketball players were the team’s outstanding Head Coach, Ms. Judy Owens (CHS Physical Education Department), and Assistant Coach, Ms. Kathleen Clark (CHS Foreign Language Department). Coach Owens headed up the CHS Girls’ Basketball Team from 1970-1975, and she possessed special gifts, not just in conducting rigorous practices and teaching X’s and O’s, but also in instilling a great sense of pride and self-worth in her players.

We moved into the area in October of our senior year. It was not easy for us to make this transition into a class of nearly 600 students. Coach Owens realized our situation and allowed us onto the team. We will always be grateful for the privilege of playing on that team.
Team Member

At the end of the season, Coach Owens pulled me aside and told me that she was proud of me and how I had improved that year. It was a very special moment for me-she always made me feel valued.
Team Member

Among many avid fans and supporters of the team were:
· Players’ parents and family members
· Fellow CHS students
· Dr. John Rittenmeyer (Principal)
· Mr. John Beatty (Assistant Principal; Athletic Director)
· Dave Wolle* (Basketball King)
· Kenny Campbell* (CHS Athletic Hall of Fame Member)
· John Waldeyer (The Suburban and Wayne Times reporter)
· Ed Carroll* (The Suburban and Wayne Times photographer)
* 1974 CHS graduate

My Dad showed me how to shoot my jumper. He also said that if we lost, he couldn’t come to see me play again. We just had to win.
Team Member

As we now observe the 50th anniversary of the CHS Girls’ Basketball Team of 1973-1974, a keener perspective and greater appreciation for their remarkable accomplishments come into focus. Without question, these young ladies created an incredible legacy for the Conestoga High School community and they are richly deserving of our praise and adulation. And as the individual team members went on to achieve success in their athletic, professional, and personal lives beyond their high school years, we can be certain that they undoubtedly drew from their valuable experiences and lessons learned as teammates, and that they always hold close cherished memories of their magical season of 1973-1974.

With deep admiration, Conestoga High School Pioneers Boys’ Basketball Team of 1973-1974
· Mr. Gerald Gasser (Head Coach; 1953 Tredyffrin-Easttown High School graduate; and CHS Athletic Hall of Fame Member)
· Mr. Ed Bialous (Assistant Coach)
· Hartley Connett* (Captain)
· Ted Dahlburg* (Manager)
· Maureen Kincade* (Basketball Queen)
* 1974 CHS graduate

Conestoga High School Pioneers Girls’ Basketball Team of 1973-1974

Season Results
Downingtown High School Lettermen’s Club Holiday Tournament
· Conestoga 62–Downingtown 17
· Conestoga 48–Garden Spot 46
Regular Season
· Conestoga 41–Haverford 24
· Conestoga 56–Upper Darby 34
· Conestoga 47–Springfield 43
· Conestoga 42–Radnor 37
· Lower Merion 42–Conestoga 38
· Conestoga 39–Marple Newtown 28
· Conestoga 54–Penncrest 29
· Conestoga 54–Ridley 44
Central League Championship
· Conestoga 41–Lower Merion 31
PIAA District One Playoffs
· Conestoga 49–Jenkintown 44
· Conestoga 51–Coatesville 48
· Conestoga 40–Central Bucks East 38
· Plymouth Whitemarsh 53–Conestoga 49

Sources: Conestoga High School 1973-1974 Yearbook; The Suburban and Wayne Times; Personal Interviews"