50 years on, pioneering players look back at Minnesota's first state girls basketball tournament

Wednesday marks the 50th anniversary of the first Minnesota state high school girls basketball tournament, and Lisa Lissimore and Kathie Eiland Madison are reflecting on the history they made back in 1976.

"It was surreal then and it's surreal now thinking that was 50 years ago, and we were just young kids that got on a bus," Madison said.

The games were played at the Met Center in Bloomington, where Mall of America now sits — and that seemed big time to Lissimore and Madison.

"We stayed at hotels and we were playing in this huge, huge, back then, ice arena," Lissimore said.  

The footage is a bit grainy, but the memories are strong.

"You know, I tell people growing up, people always want to know why I never joined a sorority, and I said because my friendships are these women that are connecting through sports," Madison said.

What it created for them were friendships and opportunities they did not know would exist.

"We definitely wanted them to understand that … you can do more than coach and you can do more than officiate," Lissimore said.

And as they look back, it's not the wins that matter, it's bigger than that. It's the relationships that have lasted 50 years and are still going strong.

"For us it was just surreal to be able to have a tournament for the girls' tournament, and to meet lifelong friends for 50 years," Madison said.