Breathitt County High School's fourth straight State High School Basketball Team in 1961-62. This team probably had the best chance of any of our great teams to win the tournment, except for bad luck in the regional tournament at Hazard. The Hazard High Bulldogs in our region also had one of their all-time best teams. They had beaten the Bobcats three times during the season, each time by large margins. But in the first game of the 14th Region Tournament held at Hazard our Bobcats pulled out a 53-50 win. The next night our star center Earl Stevens broke his leg in a win against the Carr Creek Indians. But we easily won the regional. Without Stevens our chances were slim. Mighty Louisville St. Xavier was the favorite at State held this year in Louisville. To get to them we had to win two games. We faced a tough Bloomfield team, beat them. Then another mountain team from the 15th Region, Virgie, stood in our way. Again victory. Then in the quarter finals we faced St. X and their star Mike Sillliman. During the first half BHS held its own, actually leading at times. However, without our star center Stevens our team faded in the second half and lost out.

The team: front row, l-r: Lucinda Landrum, Joyce Watts, Beverly Back, Sally Kay Brown, Delores Callahan, and Louise Howell. Inset photo: Earl Stevens. Back row, l-r: Mrs. Marie R. Turner - superintendent, ? Conway - manager, Jackie Fugate, Eugene Turner, James Turner, Tommy Turner, Mackie Turner, Henry B. Combs, Reuben Spicer, Doug Allen, Lee Hounshell, Richard Sallee, Bruce Childers, E.B. Clemons - manager, Mr. Millard Tolliver - principal, and Fairce Woods - coach.