GRAND MEADOW — Imagine having a team win 94 games in a row and then being told they couldn’t play anymore.

That’s exactly what happened to the Grand Meadow girls basketball program, which went undefeated and outscored its opponents on average of 38-12 over that stretch.

The team dominated from 1929 to 1939 before girls basketball was outlawed in Minnesota. The sport didn’t return until Title IX was passed bringing back girls high school sports in 1972. That Grand Meadow group was inducted into the initial class into the new Minnesota High School Basketball Hall of Fame and honored during a Minnesota Timberwolves game in Target Center Monday.

Beulah “Travis” Ankeny who was on that team was the only one from the team who could make the ceremony and she was a little blown away by the standing ovation she received.

“It was overwhelming,” Ankeny said. “My daughter escorted me onto the floor and there was a lot of noise. Everybody stood up and clapped, probably because of my age and I can still stand up and walk on my own.”

Ankeny and GM former team members Mae “Harvey”Gross and Hazel “Peterson” Blanchard were in GM High School Wednesday, reflecting on past years. The women, who are all in their late 90s, recalled having to provide their own jerseys, wearing purple and white wool shorts, and walking from the high school to the town hall and opera house for their games.

Gross, who was a senior when girls basketball was ended, was not being very happy about giving up her sport.

“I was mad. They told us we could be cheerleaders for the boys and that’s what made us mad,” Gross said. “I did it, but they didn’t go hog wild on cheerleading then. I would’ve rather played basketball. It was good exercise and we had good coaches.”

The game of basketball was much different back then as three guards stayed on the defensive end of the court and three forwards stayed on the offensive end of the court. When a team had possession, a player was allowed just one dribble before she had to shoot or pass. What separated GM from other teams is they practiced on a regular basis and had good leadership from their coaches, including Lila Reiersgard, who coached the first seven years of the run. Ankney, Gross and Blanchard described Reiersgard, an English teacher as “strict.”

While the team did win, there wasn’t as much put into the game as there is now, where players sometime train year-round to focus on high school sports.

“We weren’t as excited about sports as they are now,” Gross said. “We weren’t aiming for anything, except we wanted to win.”

Former GM head girls basketball coach Dawn Baudoin was thrilled to see the three former Superlarks back in GM High School. Baudoin brought her 1992 team up to the state capital when the Superlarks of the 1930s were honored on National Girls and Women in Sports Day.

“I’ll never forget that day. There were many of them living at the time and a lot of them were in their 70s. My team at the time went with them and I really treasure that day now because I was able to hear from many of them,” Baudoin said. “These gals were doing it many years before title nine.”

As the former Superlarks came back to GMHS, a few current GM players were looking on. While a plaque is placed at the high school honoring the team from long ago, the current GM players are still learning about the history of the team that is now in the Hall of Fame.

GM sophomore Isabelle Olson said much of her life revolves around sports and she couldn’t imagine being told her only option was to be a cheerleader.

“That would suck to not be able to play sports and 30 years [without girls sports] is a long time. It definitely makes us appreciate it more,” Olson said. “It’s very inspiring to think [the GM girls team from the 1930s coming back here] could be us someday in 80 years.”

GM junior Riley Queensland had her younger sister do a fifth grade report on the history of girls basketball and Riley has also learned a lot about the GM team that blazed the trail for female athletes nearly nine decades ago.

“As we’ve been growing up over the years, we’ve learned more and more about their team,” Queensland said.

With a strong group of returning athletes, the GM basketball team is feeling excited about its chances of bringing back some glory to the hardwood. Skylar Cotten said it motivated her to learn about the team that won 94 games in a row, but was never allowed to play in a postseason tournament.

“It pushes us harder to know that they accomplished so much,” Cotten said.