FIRST CREEK TIGERS
The First Creek Tigers basketball team from Blue Diamond in Perry County started basketball play in the 1924-25 season under Coach Jeremiah Park Strother, who would continue at the helm through the 1928-29 season. That first season the Tigers were 4-7 and continued in the single digit wins until the 1930-31 season, the second of three seasons for Coach Joe Charlton Harper. In 1932-33 Robert T. Smith coached the boys for that year only.
Then it was Cecil A. Washburn who took over coaching duties for two seasons. H.C. Mitchell guided the guys for two seasons- 1935-36 and 1936-37. E. Arnold Mattox then took over as coach for one season. Mattox was followed in 1938-39 by Adrian M. Ritchie who would continue at First Creek as coach thru the 1941-42 season. Alex H. Spencer would be the coach thru the war years of 1942-43 thru 1944-45. Nick Poppas followed Spencer but stayed only for the 1945-46 season. His record of 21-7 was the second best in school history. James Franklin Buckner took over in the 1946-47 season and guided the Tigers through the 1949-50 season. The last two seasons saw Warren Harding Cooper taking the Tigers to a school best 26-2 1950-51 season and a 15-17 record in the school’s last year.
The 1950-51 team that lost but two games found one of those losses when they fell to Hazard in the 54th District Tournament, ending their season. The final loss in school history was in the 1952 54th District Tournament played at Hazard that year: Hazard 63- First Creek 55. The eight point loss in the first round to Hazard proved to be the closest anyone would play Hazard in three games Hazard played in the District and two of the three games Hazard played in the Regional Tournament that season. Hindman defeated Hazard in the Region championship game 54-52 and went on to the semifinals of the Sweet 16 where they fell to eventual state champs Cuba in a double overtime game, 44-42.
The 1940 team shown in the photo had a record of 17-16.
According to The Kentucky High School Basketball Encyclopedia by Jeff Bridgeman the school joined Combs, Hardburly and Robinson to form M.C. Napier.
Photo from The Kentucky Explorer Magazine, March, 2006
