March 28, 2024

Granny Basketball raises $2,200 for Newton YMCA

Ballin’ Old School

Image 1 of 4

Even a strong three-point performance by Newton Chamber of Commerce Director Amanda “Easy Money” Price and Sen. Chaz “Diesel” Allen, Friday night wasn’t enough to hold off the Mustang Grannies textbook play at the fourth annual Newton YMCA Granny Basketball Fundraiser.

Led by Sue Manning of Monroe, the Mustang Grannies continued their four-year winning streak, edging out a 30-34 victory against perennial losers the Newton All-Stars in the annual charity basketball game.

Granny Basketball is played by 1920 rules and uniforms. Each player gets two dribbles before they have to pass, and no bodily contact. For the All-Stars, there was one additional stipulation — they could only handle the ball one-handed. The only exception was for a two-handed “granny shot.”

The Granny Mustangs include women ages 50 and older from throughout Jasper County. When the ladies are not playing Globetrotter-style exhibitions, they are a member of Iowa’s Granny Basketball League.

The league is split into three divisions — eastern, southern and western. The Mustang Grannies are in the western division and started play in March. The state tournament will be in Des Moines in June, followed by a national tournament in July in Norman, Okla.

Manning said the annual YMCA fundraiser in Newton is good for the team’s exposure, but the Mustang Grannies love helping the nonprofit.

“I’d rather do fundraisers than league games. I have more enjoyment because other people enjoy it too, and it’s always for a good cause,” Manning said.

At Friday’s game, the Newton All-Stars kept itcloser than in years past, but still struggled with the highly experienced Mustang Grannies. At the end of the first period it was a one-possession ball game, with the Grannies leading 3-6.

The first-half ended with a buzzer beater from Price, pulling the All-Stars within five of the Grannies.

During the kid’s free-throw contest and while gnawing on his third pretzel stick of the game at half-time, Newton coach Andy Karr thought his All-Stars truly had a chance to turn their loosing streak around, even with their one-hand handicap.

“I feel good,” Karr said. “I think our team is playing strong this year. We’ve played strong d(efense). We do need to tighten up a little bit. Our outside shots look great. Multiple threes, I think we’re 2-for-2 from behind the arch. We just have to keep at them. This is our year. I told the team before the game. This is our year. We’re gong to beat the Grannies. Even the Washington Generals won a game, so we know this year we’re going to win a game, too.”

But the Grannies never gave up their lead. At the end of the third quarter, the Mustang team was out front 22-26 over the hometown All-Stars. With 3:11 left to play and down by three, the All-Stars fouled and effectively sealed the win for the Grannies.

Newton YMCA Associate Executive Director Rhonda Robson said she boils down Friday’s loss to the ejection of Dr. Esgar Guarín who sported a dinosaur costume for the All-Stars.

But on a more positive note for the YMCA team, freewill donations from the Granny Basketball exhibition and the pie live auction raised $2,205 for the nonprofit. Robson said the funds will go to kickstart the Y’s annual support campaign, which helps the facility meet the needs of the community.

“The reason we do an annual campaign is due to the fact there is a gap between the Y’s annual membership and program income and it’s annual operational expenses,” she said. “The support we receive from our community through individual donations or business support helps to bridge that gap.”

For women interested in starting a second Granny Basketball team in Newton, contact Manning at 641-521-4931.

Contact Mike Mendenhall at mmendenhall@newtondailynews.com