DOVER - Winning their semi-final games last night before a crowd of 2,000 which jammed Memorial Hall until the walls seemed to bulge, the Strasburg Tigers and Midvale Blue Devils today were sitting on the Tuscarawas County Class B Basketball throne...ready to plunge at each other tonight in a struggle for the Championship. The Tigers dark horse of the tournament, turned back a gallant Baltic Eagle team last night 46-40 in a game which kept the crowd on its feet, while the Blue Devils, rated as tourney favorite, was unimpressive in downing the Tuscarawas Broncos 29-25.
As a result the fans today had placed Strasburg, which completed its League season with its worst record in years (5-5), in the role of the favorite, giving the Tigers a better than even chance to take their 9th tourney Championship in the last 17 years. Midvale has won but once. In the Consolation games last night, the Bolivar Cardinals sent the Port Washington Purple Riders home for good by a 32-28 score after a hard fought battle and the Gnadenhutten Indians eliminated the Sugarcreek-Shanesville Pirates 45-36 in a game which was close until the last period.
The Midvale Blue Devils (3-0) (29-14) and the Tuscarawas Broncos (2-1) (15-20) fracas failed to pack near the punch of the 1st semi-final contest as both teams went through the entire 1st period without a single field goal...Tusky grabbing a 5-2 lead.
Both teams found the basket in the 2nd period; however, and the Blue Devils captured a 14-13 nod at the half, coming back again in the 3rd period to sweep into a 26-17 lead and the game appeared on ice. But the final period saw Midvale hit the ceiling and they went scoreless as Tuscarawas cut the lead to 26-23 with only 3 minutes left. #6 forward Lew Daltau came through with a bucket and #4 guard Warren Leggett scored a free throw to give the Blue Devils a 6-point lead with 2 minutes remaining. The Broncos missed several opportunities to score, but counted 2 more free throws before the final gun.
Midvale made 10 field baskets, but only 9 of 27 free throws, while Tusky scored only 6 times from the field, but dropped in 13 of 23 free tosses. The Blue Devils lost #13 forward Frank Morrison and #9 forward Jerry Young, while #6 Junior guard Lester Meese and #7 Sophomore guard Angelo Cerqui were ejected for the Broncos.
Morrison and Leggett led the winners with 9 points apiece and #11 forward Charles Kohler scored 8 markers for Tusky.
MIDVALE BLUE DEVILS - 29
Frank Morrison F 3-3-9
Jerry Young F 0-1-1
Adrian Ford C 1-2-4
Bob Baldwin G 0-0-0
Warren Leggett G 3-3-9
Lew Daltau F 3-0-6
Al Turrin C 0-0-0
Bill Holmes F 0-0-0
TUSCARAWAS BRONCOS - 25
Ray Stull F 1-1-3
Charles Kohler F 1-6-8
Earl Myers C 1-4-6
Lester Meese G 1-0-2
Angelo Cerqui G 0-0-0
Clarence Eckhardt F 2-2-6
Warren Crites G 0-0-0
H. Myers G 0-0-0
Saturday, February 24, 1940
John Stratton, Sports Writer
The Daily Reporter
Dover, Ohio
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