I remember those days fondly. My sister was an excellent player. I once asked if she’d rather play boys’ rules. She said Iowa girls’ rules made for a faster game. A girl could only dribble three times before they had to pass the ball on. Plus you were restricted to your half of the court. Three girls on your team were defense and played on your opponent’s side of the court. Three girls on your team were offense and were restricted to the side of the court with your basket. So the game was fast and each girl had to be an active player.
It’s too bad the rules changed. Girls’ basketball in Iowa was certainly a big deal when I was in high school.
My sister played in the 70s in OK, went to college, became a PE teacher/coach, coached the 6-on-6 game in OK in the late 70s and early 80s. She decided she really wanted to get into the full-court game as was being played elsewhere so she moved to TX. She only coached another 3-4 years and left the profession and teaching. She liked the game but the full-court game made the coaching more of a man’s profession with the attendant politics.
I knew a woman from Iowa who grew up in that era. She was close to six feet and a good athlete, but she hated 6 on 6 basketball and was glad when it went to the modern game.