The atmosphere inside Barton Coliseum in Little Rock was electric and the crowds were on their feet as the Vaster High School Pirates and the Little Rock Central High School Tigers started the third quarter on the basketball court. The stands were filled with cheering Vaster and Central students, parents, Moscow townsfolk, and some who just loved rooting for the underdog.
This was the 1973 State Overall Championship final to determine the state's top dog in basketball. Central wore black and gold uniforms while Vaster wore blue and gold.
Already in the three-day tournament, March 8-10, the Class B Vaster boys beat Morrilton, a Class AA high school, that Thursday night; and Conway, a Class AAA school, on Friday. But on Saturday, they squared off against Central's powerhouse players -- higher classified, defending AAAA and overall champions, and taller.
In a March 10 Pine Bluff Commercial article, a young Frank Lightfoot, later the owner of the White Hall Journal, described Central as having "superior height," with three players between 6-feet-4 and 6-feet-6, but he was impressed with Vaster's "press," whether employing it or running against it.
Vaster was from Moscow, a rural Jefferson County community of maybe 600, while Little Rock was an urban center with nearly 250,000 residents. That meant Central had a larger athletic pool to draw from than Moscow. Not to mention, it was the Vaster head basketball coach's first year at the newly formed high school.
Most believed the game was an easy win for Central, but they didn't know the Vaster players had spunk.
On Feb. 1, 2023, the players will be honored at the Pine Bluff Country Club with a reception and dinner starting at 6 p.m. It's an invitation-only affair.
HOPE RAN HIGH
The championship game was tight, back-and-forth throughout the third and fourth quarters. Central would pull ahead, then Vaster gained the lead. It was heart-stopping play.
Most of the Vaster boys had played together since 10th grade and were a talented, cohesive fighting force.
"They were a special group. ... If you took on one player, you took them all on," remembered Herbert Pryor, then Vaster head basketball coach.
As the clock raced toward the end of the game, Central led by a single point, 75-74. Then with 12 seconds left, Vaster was awarded a free throw. However, the player missed the shot, which could have tied the game.
Despite defeat, the crowd cheered for the Vaster boys. Maybe a few tears were shed but not by the Vaster players.
They stood tall. It was three hard fought days and they gave it their best.
In one sense, Central didn't really win the game but instead Vaster's misstep cost the team the title.
Central Coach Johnny Greenwood dismissed the game, saying in a Pine Bluff Commercial article, it was "anticlimactic," and blamed their poor performance on a few players having the flu. Then adding, "We really haven't won anything."
Maybe not.
Coach Pryor and his team saw the game differently.
"I was really proud of my team. Each one did their best. I look back at those times and I am speechless. It was a very exciting moment in my life," Pryor said.
Homer Jackson, who played forward and guard that night, said, "We got beat, but still, we felt like we won."
HONORING THE PIRATES
David Beck was a Vaster High School fan back in 1973 and as the years rolled by, each time he drove south on U.S. 65 near Moscow, he thought, "Someone should do something to honor the [basketball] team."
Beck, formerly of Pine Bluff, was referring to the 15-man team that nearly beat Central.
"I followed the team. I loved the team," said Beck, who now lives in White Hall and has served on the City Council for more than 20 years.
As he once drove by the defunct Vaster school building in March 2021, he thought as always, "Someone should ...," but this time was different and he received instruction from God, "You do it."
He had no idea how to start.
Again, it was his faith that intervened. When mentioning Vaster to a fellow First Baptist Church at White Hall Bible study group member, Larry Turntine said he attended school there. He would get Beck in touch with former players and the coach.
They formed a committee that included Pryor and Homer Jackson, a team member that year, along with Ricky Williams, Pine Bluff Jefferson County Library System director.
Both Pryor and Jackson were excited and got to work, reaching out to the players, collecting yearbooks and sharing old newspaper articles.
Williams would handle research and archival of printed materials, as well as interviews, done by a local videographer at the committee's request, with the eight remaining team members.
Beck asked anyone who has any old yearbooks or other materials related to the 1973 game to consider donating them to the Pine Bluff Main Library.
Matt Soto, a well-known emcee, suggested they hold an invitation-only dinner instead of a luncheon.
To pull all this off, they needed a little financial help.
Getting people on board wasn't a hard sell because, Beck said, "People love their story." But Beck is careful to clarify their intentions, saying, "The dinner is not a fundraiser. We're just trying to cover our costs."
He approached Chuck Morgan, Relyance Bank CEO and chairman, who said 'Yes' before he finished his question, Beck said.
Chad Pittillo, Simmons Bank Community president, and Nick Makris, M.K. Distributors Inc. owner, were also eager to help.
Pittillo said he and Beck had attended a meeting together, and afterward he told Beck, "Simmons Bank is on board. Whatever you need."
He added, "No one wants credit for this but we all want to help anyway we can. ... It's a great story."
Local artist James Hayes designed and produced glass bowls, done in Vaster's purple and gold colors, to be presented to each of the players at the event, and the old trophy is being restored.
They decided to hold a reception and dinner at the Pine Bluff Country Club -- the only venue large enough to hold 200-plus players and guests.
Earlier in the day, there will be a private luncheon for the players and the coach.
Beck said they decided on that day because it is the first day of Black History Month.
"This story is bigger than the 50th anniversary of the Vaster game. It's about winning even when in the face of defeat," he said.
MORE THAN A GAME
Pryor said he has a sense that "our story is bigger than ourselves."
It's about the underdog mustering up the courage to face a larger-than-life opponent, like David going up against Goliath, and it's a story at least as old as the Bible.
This story is also about overcoming the limits of color. Pryor, Turntine and Jackson are Black and Beck is white, but they all talk about how this "almost" 50-year game brought them together for a cause.
Jackson added, "It's a perfect opportunity for people to work together."
Highlighting local heroes is a fitting way to celebrate Black History Month, the men all agreed.
Turntine, who is also Black, said, "We can love each other and work together, Black or white."
Sam Biley (44) of Vaster tries to reject a shot by Danny Garrison of Conway in a 1973 State Overall Tournament game at Barton Coliseum in Little Rock. (Arkansas Democrat-Gazette file photo)
The Vaster Pirates' state basketball trophies from the 1972-73 season. (Special to The Commercial/Deborah Horn)
The campus of Vaster High School is pictured in a yearbook. (Special to The Commercial)
The 1973 Vaster High Class B state championship trophy is being restored for the Feb. 1 dinner honoring the team. (Special to The Commercial/Deborah Horn)