As the NCAA tournament played out in cities across the country Saturday night, the destiny of Cinderella took the stage at the Kohl Center in Madison, Wis. No, this had nothing to do with the big-money college game but, rather, the power of a group of small-town teenagers and their coach…who may have just saved their school from extinction simply by winning a basketball game.
Benton rests in the southwest corner of Wisconsin and without a detailed map, you might think it’s in Illinois or Iowa. With less than 1,000 residents and only 86 students enrolled in the high school, Benton now is the smallest school ever to win a state basketball title in Wisconsin. The Zephyrs knocked off Wisconsin Rapids Assumption, 55-43, Saturday night, in the Division 4 final.
With deadly accurate outside shooting and a loyal fan base decked out in the school’s primary color, green, Benton crashed the party in Madison and showed it belonged. The entire village turned out for a party to welcome the squad back from Madison Saturday night with the gold trophy in hand. It played out like any small-town parade, shutting down the only road in and out of town (Highway 11).
It’s a long cry from what the basketball program looked like 10 years ago when former Benton High graduate, Jim Blaine, took over a squad that had just finished 0-21. Blaine stuck with the school, developed a talented class (this year’s seniors are 81-16 in their careers) and brought this tiny village something it never could have dreamed…a state title.
While players partied, coaches celebrated and the community came together, no one could be blamed for thinking this might be the last time Benton unites in the spirit of high school athletics. In these difficult economic times, small schools are being hit the hardest.
With money tight in the village, Benton High’s fate now rests in the vote on an April 7 referendum, which is attempting to allow the school district to exceed state revenue caps.
If the vote is “no” then Benton may have to look into consolidating its school with others. If that happens, this basketball state title would be the first, and last, in the village’s history.
“I’m obviously for it, as a taxpayer and a lifelong Benton resident,” said Blaine about the referendum according to an Associated Press article. “If a championship can swing one or two votes, or get a few people to come out and vote, then good, I’m glad. But that’s not what we were playing for.”
No one knows for sure the fate of the referendum on April 7 but, if it does pass, then a group of teenagers playing the game of basketball might just deserve the credit, which shows how powerful basketball truly is no matter what the stage.
