1943-1944 ARTHUR HILL STATE CHAMPIONSHIP BOYS BASKETBALL TEAM
Arthur Hill High School’s 1943-44 boys’ varsity basketball team captured the Saginaw Valley League championship with a perfect 14-0 record under first-year head coach Kenneth “Wild Bill” Kelly. The Lumberjacks began Class A tournament play with a 40-30 win over Midland High School in the regional semifinal contest. Arthur Hill then toppled Flint Northern 33-18 to win the regional championship. In quarterfinal play the Hills bested Flint Central, 40-35, before knocking off Detroit Catholic Central 30-24 in the semifinal tilt. Arthur Hill won the Class A state championship by defeating Kalamazoo Central 44-39 behind 21 points by senior center Dick Rifenburg. The game was played before a crowd of 5,500 at Lansing’s Boys Vocational School Field House. Rifenburg, the Lumberjacks’ 6-4 center, was named the tournament’s best player. He scored 352 points for the season for an 18.5 points-per-game average. Other Hillite players included Jackie Mott, Dean Ousterhout, Mel Sternhagen, Gerald Robinson, Mel Baumgartner, Gene Glick, Robert Symons, James Michel, Dan Haft, Ray Mason, and Don Kushmaul. The Lumberjacks finished 19-0 overall while compiling a 26-game winning streak over two years and captured back-to-back Saginaw Valley League titles. For the season AHHS tallied 800 points (42.1 average) while opponents scored 579 (30.4). Rifenburg and Robinson earned Saginaw Valley League first team honors with Mott named to the second team. Baumgartner was an honorable mention selection.
Regular Season
Arthur Hill 38, Jackson 28
Arthur Hill 42, Bay City 16
Arthur Hill 29, Flint Central 18
Arthur Hill 48, Owosso 28
Arthur Hill 40, Pontiac 22
Arthur Hill 50, Saginaw 39
Arthur Hill 34, Flint Northern 29
Arthur Hill 33, Flint Central 27
Arthur Hill 60, Midland 29
Arthur Hill 60, Owosso 27
Arthur Hill 43, Saginaw 37
Arthur Hill 36, Pontiac 25
Arthur Hill 37, Flint Northern 32
Arthur Hill 48, Bay City 31
Regional
Arthur Hill 40, Midland 30
Arthur Hill 33, Flint Northern 18
Quarterfinal
Arthur Hill 40, Flint Central 35
Semifinal
Arthur Hill 30, Detroit Catholic Central 24
State Championship
Arthur Hill 44, Kalamazoo Central 39