Freelandville High School played in the state tourney from 1918 through 1963, but 1941 was the only time the school won a sectional title.

Let’s look back at that great season of 1940-41. The team’s future looked bright as they returned three full-time starters and some good "subs" for the 39-40 squad.

The "Dutch" won their first five game of the seasons to show much promise before losing to a fine Lyons Lions bunch by three points.

They went out and won their next six games, to give them a flashy 11-1 record as they headed into the Wabash Valley Tourney in mid-January 1941, which was held at Bicknell’s new gym.

They lost on a last second basket to Bruceville, a team they had defeated earlier in the season, 35 to 31.

After that Valley Tourney loss, Freelandville won only won more game heading into the sectional tourney at the Vincennes Coliseum.

To make matters worse for the "Dutch," they lost their last four scheduled games in a row, so things looked anything but bright for the 12-6 Freelandville team, as they held the IHSAA sectional pairings for 1941.

When the draw was released, there was no joy in Freelandville, a northern Knox county town of about 600 people.

The "Dutch" had drawn the host Vincennes Lincoln Alices. It was no small task for any team to beat Vincennes., who had not lost a sectional title since 1920. The Alices had won 76 sectional games in a row, and had never lost a sectional tourney game on their Coliseum floor.

To make the odds even worse for Freelandville, Vincennes had never lost their first game in sectional play.

On Friday afternoon, February 28th, 1941, the "Dutch" and the "Alices" played a whale of a ballgame.

The team from Widner Township led at all of the first three quarter stops, though they held only a one point, 26-25, lead heading into the final quarter.

Jimmy Ritterskamp scored seven of the "Dutch’s" nine fourth quarter point as the upset to end all upsets took place. Vincennes had been beaten, 35-34. Ritterskamp ended the game with 13 points and Ronald Brown added 10 for the Dutchmen.

It was the first time ever a school from Knox county had defeated the Alices in sectional play.

The tourney was not over, but the Freelandville fans ere totally overjoyed. The "Dutch" had little time to rest or to enjoy their huge victory, as that same Friday night they had to return to the hardwood to play Sandborn. This game turned out to be much easier for Freelandville, as they sent Sandborn home on the short end of a 46-28 score.

The next game for the "Dutch" was a date with Bruceville on Saturday afternoon. The Hilltoppers had taken two out of three contests with Freelandville, but in the game that really counted, Freelandville led by four points after three quarters, and held on to win, 23-17.

The win over Bruceville advanced the "Dutch" to the championship game of the sectional, where they would be opposed by the Monroe City Bluejeans. These two teams had not met during the regular season.

Freelandville led by only one point, 20-19, at half-time, but limited the Bluejeans to just eight second-half points, and won going away, 53-27, for their first and only sectional title.

Ritterskamp led the way with 17 points, George Jones added 14, and Brown chipped in with 10.

After being awarded the tourney basketball and cutting down the nets, the "Dutch" returned home to a wild celebration.

The team was met about two miles outside of town by the township’s only fire truck , and they rode in to the center of Freelandville, where a huge bonfire burned at the intersection of two state highways.

It was said by many present that close to 1,000 people were there to greet the new sectional champions.

Next up for the "Dutch" was the Washington regional, where Freelandville, the smallest school of the quartet, would take on the Winslow Eskimos in the second afternoon game.

Winslow, from Pike county, had defeated traditional powers Jasper and Huntingburg in the Jasper sectional, and had a 20-3 record going into their game with Freelandville.

After three quarters, things looked bad for Freelandville. They trailed by eight points, 38-30, and still trailed by that margin early in the fourth before reeling off 14 straight points, and pulled off yet another upset, 47-45.

That win put the "Dutch" in the championship game of the regional, against the host and fourth-ranked Washington Hatchets.

The team from Freelandville shocked the packed gym, leading 12-10 after one quarter, and midway through the third it was just a one point game. Washington pulled away late, and put an end to the Freelandville dream, 54-43. The Hatchets would go on to claim the state title.

The "Flying Dutchmen" were coached by a Freelandville High School graduate, Oscar Finke, who would late win a regional title while coaching at Mooresville.

Other Freelandville High School players other than those mentioned were Paul Begeman, Charles Bob Clinkenbeard, Fred Hagemeier, Robert Jones, Herman Pepmeier, James Wagner, and James Watson.