Large turnout at Concrete anniversary hoops night

La Conner High School's annual basketball road trip to Concrete on Friday covered more than the usual hour-long drive time.

This one spanned seven decades.

La Conner fans filled the visitors' bleachers on a night commemorating the 1952 opening of the iconic Concrete High School gymnasium and the century-old hoops rivalry between the two Skagit County schools.

The evening was billed as the "70-Plus Years Celebration" of the Concrete gym. And it was only fitting that the host Lions had La Conner on the schedule.

La Conner and Concrete have competed in basketball since the 1920s. They were paired in the first-ever game at the Concrete gym 72 years ago.

Thus, history repeated itself Friday night.

The La Conner and Concrete boys' teams warmed up to classic '50s music. La Conner High School alumnus David Alvord, who played in the gym's inaugural game in 1952, was introduced as the Braves' honorary coach. Fellow La Conner alumni Gail Thulen and Andy Otis were honored along with Concrete's Tyler Clark as all-time Skagit County scoring leaders.

In the main hallway adjoining the basketball court, banners bearing images of Concrete and La Conner players from 1952 were displayed and proved a popular gathering spot for dozens of fans throughout the evening. All were happy to see photographs of family members and friends from their teen sports years.

In addition, La Conner graduate Dean Swanson, who also attended Concrete Schools, was a sponsor of the community dinner hosted by Concrete's booster club that preceded tip-off of the La Conner-Concrete girls' varsity contest.

Concrete boys' team assistant coach Paul Bianchini, who helped organize the anniversary festivities, welcomed the large crowd and cited the historical significance.

"A century-old rivalry led to tonight's ball games," Bianchini said. "We're here to celebrate 72 years of basketball in this magnificent gym and all the people who have played here."

Leading up to the Jan. 5 program, Bianchini conducted exhaustive research into the history of the Concrete gym and the enduring La Conner-Concrete basketball competition by poring through the archives of the Concrete Herald newspaper and consulting with sources in both Concrete and La Conner.

Bianchini said he had learned 800 or more spectators attended the Jan. 4, 1952 matchup in what was then the Lions' brand-new gym.

Alvord and the Braves were led on that night by their legendary one-armed head coach Jack Whittaker, for whom La Conner High's lighted athletics venue is named.

"I hope," said Bianchini, "that we have close to 800 or more people here tonight. Because tonight we honor those of you who have played on this floor. And we celebrate the thousands more who will walk through these doors and follow in the footsteps of the 1952 class."

Alvord and Bill Newby, who served as Concrete's honorary coach, received loud applause as did others representing members of the 1952 Lions team.

At halftime of the boys' game, Thulen, Otis and Clark were feted for their respective scoring marks.

Thulen, a 1956 La Conner graduate, scored 1,712 points for the Braves, including 41 in a state tourney game. His total led all Skagit County players for nearly 45 years. Otis set a new county standard in the late 1990s when he graduated having scored 1,914 points. Clark, who scored 50 points or more in three games, established the current county scoring record of 2,081 points in 2012.

First-year Braves head coach Lance Lopez realized the importance of the ceremony. He made sure his team was at courtside and not in the locker room when the trio of honorees was recognized.

"We wanted to be involved with everything that was going on," Lopez said, "because the father of one of our players (Kaleb Otis) was being honored."

Bianchini stressed that last week's celebration at Concrete was one in which all who attended could share in the accolades.

"This night," he insisted, "is for all of us."