BY KYLE LOVERN
FOR THE CITIZEN
INEZ — It could have been a movie script similar to “Hoosiers” where a small Indiana high school won a state basketball championship against a much bigger urban school.
The 1954 Inez High School basketball team did just that going up against much bigger high schools on their way to winning it all. Hailing from the small, rural Eastern Kentucky county of Martin, Inez was led by Coach Claude Mills.
After a fine regular season, the Inez Indians would find themselves playing in mid-March at Memorial Coliseum in Lexington along with 15 other schools in Kentucky’s famed Sweet 16, a state tournament that puts all schools against each other no matter what size or classification. Some of the other larger high schools that competed in the state tourney were Ashland, Newport, Lafayette, Bourbon and Louisville Male.
Inez had an enrollment of about 120 students — again, much like that of Hickory High in the movie “Hoosiers.”
The Indians, known as “The Iron Men of Inez,” were led by 6-foot-2 senior Billy Ray Cassady and 5-foot-8 Herby Triplett. Cassady went on to live a dream of most youngsters growing up in the Bluegrass State, playing for the University of Kentucky.
Cassady, a forward, won a national title with the Wildcats in 1958 playing for the legendary Adolph Rupp. That team was loaded with players from within the Bluegrass State, with Cassady being an integral part of the squad.
Before the Inez squad headed to Lexington for the state tourney, they had to win the tough 15th Region Tournament. The Indians downed Salyersville in the semifinals to set up a match with always-tough Pikeville High School.
Pikeville had defeated Inez in the 1952 region final to knock them out of a chance to go to the Kentucky boys’ state basketball tournament.
But this time, Inez won an exciting 82-80 overtime thriller over the Panthers to claim the 15th Region championship and a trip to the state tourney.
Inez went into the 1954 Kentucky state tournament with a 32-2 record and won the first-round game in Lexington by defeating Central City 72-57.
In the quarterfinals the Indians beat Combs Memorial 64-52.
In the afternoon semifinal game, the Martin County team squeaked by Adair County 70-68, which proved their closest contest in the state tourney. Orville Blankenship hit a couple of big free throws in the final seconds to help Inez pull out the win.
That win in the final four put Inez up against Newport in the championship game.
Newport had beaten a good Ashland team in their semifinal contest.
The Martin County “hillbilly” team downed Newport 63-55 to claim the title as the best basketball team in the Bluegrass State.
The game was played before more than 12,000 screaming fans, a far cry from the small hometown gym in which Inez usually practiced and played.
Inez only trailed once in the game, 2-0 at the start of the first quarter. Once the Indians took the lead, they never relinquished it again.
The Murray Ledger and Times reported, “They were amazingly cool under fire in their big games. They were especially well coached, taking advange of little weaknesses, able to rally when in a little trouble. They were well balanced.”
Billy Cassady scored 18 points. However, Herby Triplett, a sophomore play-making point guard, led Inez in the final game scoring 25 points. Other scoring in the title game had Omar Fannin with nine, Dale Moore and Orville Blankenship with four each and Bobby Williamson with three points.
Cassady and Triplett were voted to the all-tournament team.
Other squad members were Evertt Horn, J.C. Blankenship, Wade Perry, Ira Crum, Charles Davis, Donald Ray, Bobby Mills, Carroll Justice and Cliff Perry.
The late Russell Williamson, coach of the 1941 state championship team, was the principal of Inez High School in 1954 and traveled with the team. Many say Williamson continued to help Mills during practices and at games.
In an archival article, Coach Mills praised his team’s defensive effort and work on the boards. Mills only used six players in the championship game.
Coach Mills led Inez to a dream season. But Inez playing in the state tourney during that era was not uncommon. Between 1934 and 1954, the Inez Indians reached the state semifinals six times, winning it all twice in 1941 and 1954.
When all was said and done, Inez brought home the big trophy to Martin County and had bragging rights as the best high school basketball team in Kentucky in 1954.
The accomplishment brought recognition to the City of Inez, Martin County and all of Eastern Kentucky.
(Note: Part 2 of this series will be on the 1941 Inez Indians team that also won a state championship.)