32 - Tournament Update

DOVER - The few county league officials who opposed ceded positions for the county tournament today were quietly chuckling.  The cause for secret merriment apparently lies in the fact that only 2 of the 4 ceded teams are still in the running for the championship.  Midvale on Thursday night fell before Bolivar 49-30.  Last night Tuscarawas arose to unexpected heights and eliminated Gnadenhutten 30-28.  The other ceded quints, Sugarcreek-Shanesville and Strasburg, are favorites with the betters to meet in the title tilt tonight.  Strasburg, which downed Baltic Thursday, 37-25, meets Dundee this afternoon in the 1st semi-final game.  Sugarcreek-Shanesville, after smothering Port Washington Thursday, 48-27, last night eliminated Bolivar, 40-23.  Today Sugarcreek-Shanesville clashes with Tuscarawas in the 2nd semi-final contest and the gamblers will tell you that they confidently expect to see Strasburg and Sugarcreek, 2 of the strongest rivals in the county league, clash in the championship game tonight.

But, don't take that stuff too seriously.  Midvale, a ceded team and certainly a fine team, was upset by Bolivar.  Gnadenhutten, quoted at odds of about 5 to 1, was eliminated by Tuscarawas, represented by its best aggregation in years.  Dundee, which managed to eke out a 24-18 victory over Mineral City, is expected to topple before Paul Roby's Strasburgers, champions of the league.  But, you may take that dope with 2 or more grains of salt.  And, Sugarcreek-Shanesville certainly looks like a stronger team than Tusky, but any quint that can overcome a big lead and battle away to a last-minute victory, relying chiefly on a speedy-breaking offensive, is to be reckoned with.

So far the Sugarcreek-Shanesville cagers have shown the best form of them all and in Junior forward Boyd Burkey, who has scored 31 points in 2 games, they have a brilliant floor man and sharp-shooter.  Strasburg's quint is well balanced and has plenty of power, but the Robymen were not in top form in their lone appearance in the tournament to date.  Strasburg won the league title without a defeat and has whipped every team in the league this season.

And lastly, Legion Hall last night was packed to the rafters and many were forced to stand throughout the 3 classy games.  The din was terrific during the Gnadenhutten-Tuscarawas fracas and officials had difficulty in clearing the floor for the next game after the thrilling conclusion.  Tuscarawas fans swarmed all over their favorites.  Victory that comes after all seems hopelessly lost is always cause for the most joy.

Saturday, February 27, 1932
Hall Jenkins, Sports Editor
The Daily Reporter
Dover, Ohio