Women's colleges promoted exercise for their students, but stressed that physical education should not interfere with Christian ideals of womanhood. Basketball was a good fit for rural Iowa because it needed limited equipment and could be played indoors in the winter. The winning team had to host a dinner for the defeated team.
In the 20th century, Iowa high school girls basketball was HUGE but it was not the game we know today. In 6-on-6 basketball, the three forwards only play offense. And the three guards only play defense. No one is allowed to leave their assigned half of the court. 6-on-6 still uses the full length of a basketball court, but in a different way than 5-on-5. In 6-player, three forwards from one team and three guards from the opposing team play at one end of the court. Meanwhile their teammates wait at the half court line. This basketball variant made for high scores, quick action, and the girls who played it were local superstars.
Six-on-Six Basketball