DOVER - What a tournament folks, what a tournament! The fastest and best games in years, so they say. Anyhow, Dundee, Gnadenhutten, Strasburg and Midvale came through unscathed yesterday in the opening day of play and by tonight, it will all be over but the shouting with a new county champion named and the beautiful Daily Reporter Trophy awarded.
For thrills and startling upsets, hats are off to the game crew from Dundee. Underdogs at the start, they mowed down Mineral City 24-23 and then tackled Port Washington, winning 28-26. They clash this afternoon with Gnadenhutten at 3:30 in the 2nd semi-final game. Dundee plays hard basketball, but their attack is far from being the smoothest in the tournament. Their utter determination to win, their plugging, have brought them to the semi-finals. And, one mustn't forget forward Sliffe a slim little lad, who brought that Port Washington game out of the fire in the final minutes. Port Washington earned the right to be eliminated by Dundee by the disposing of Baltic 29-21, in a well played tilt. Gnaden easily took the measure of Tuscarawas 33-18, earning the right to compete in the semi-finals against Dundee with no further effort. Speaking of the thrills of this tourney, Strasburg and Bolivar, two arch rivals furnished more than plenty of action in the 1st game of the evening session. Bolivar led all the way until middle of the final period when Strasburg took a 25-24 advantage. And then, the Tigers began clicking like mad. They tossed in basket after basket. Strasburg found themselves on the long end of a 36-25 score. The expected struggle between Midvale and Sugarcreek-Shanesville turned out to be something else again. The big, fast Midvale crew easily took the measure of the smaller fighting opposition 35-19. Midvale and Strasburg, probably the 2 best cage machines in the tournament, meet in the 1st semi-final game this afternoon at 2:30.
The afternoon session was well attended, but in the evening...no such crowd has ever stormed the Legion Hall gates as this season! They were packed and standing on the rafters and sitting on the floor. Downstairs, tournament officials found it necessary to quit selling tickets and turn some 200 fans away. Referee "Monk" Gross, who by the way was working one grand tournament from the standpoint of officating had difficulty in making his whisle heard above the roar of the crow. Cheerleaders worked the fans into chants for their respective teams. Such enthusiasum! Men borrowed each other's hats to crumple and tear. Women and girls and there were plenty of them, dropped their vanity cases. High school boys got excited over what their team was doing or not doing and stood up in front of irate fans behind them. Everywhere was confusion except out on the playing floor where teams battled with the best that was in them for the honor and the trophy that signifies champions.
Saturday, March 1, 1930
The Daily Reporter
Dover, Ohio
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