Pictured are #5 Center Adrian Ford, hero of the final game, when the Midvale Blue Devils nosed out the Strasburg Tigers for the tournament Championship 28-26 and #7 Guard and Captain Bob Baldwin of Midvale with The Daily Reporter Trophy awarded the Champions. Ford pitched the winning basket. Both he and Baldwin were named on The Daily Reporter's All-Tournament Team.
Big moment of the year in Class B League and Tournament circles is pictured above with team captains grouped around the trophies presented Saturday night at Memorial Hall. In the photo are: Harold Lahm of Baltic - Russ Eberly of Bolivar - Bob Baldwin of Midvale - Bud Ross of Bolivar - Don Hershberger of Sugarcreek-Shanesville - Dean Mills of Gnaden and Fred Yenny of Strasburg. O.H. May of the Y.M.C.A. and County Superintendent W.E. Laws made the presentations.
Midvale Blue Devils #4 Guard Warren Leggett was awarded game honors for dropping in 12 points (5 field goals and 2 free throws) and leading his team in defeating the Strasburg Tigers 28-26 for this years 18th Annual Tuscarawas County Class B Basketball Tournament Championship.
For the 2nd time in the past 18 years the Midvale Blue Devils today had ascended the Tuscarawas County Class B Tournament throne after winning the Championship from the Strasburg Tigers on Saturday night 28-26 by a last-second field goal before a mob of 1,700 screaming fans who almost lifted the roof of Memorial Hall as the tourney came to an end. And with their beautiful tournament trophy already safely stowed away, the Blue Devils along with Strasburg and the Gnadenhutten Indians, which took the Consolation Championship by defeating Baltic's sensational Eagles 39-33, were preparing today for the Class B Sectional Tournament at Memorial Hall this week-end with eyes upon the District finals at Dennison the following week.
Midvale, only one of 3 co-winners of the current League race to remain in the tournament, fought an uphill battle to win the Championship final and it was not until Adrian "Payday" Ford, Blue Devil center, sent a following shot through the net in the last second that Head Coach M.R. Helwick's team finally won. Strasburg, dark horse of the tournament, was fighting for its 9th Championship in the 18-year old joust and its defeat by Midvale marks only the 2nd time that the Burgers have lost the final game. The Tigers have won the Consolation twice.
Coach Helwig of the Midvale Blue Devils (4-0) (30-14), fearing that personal fouls might take a heavy toll of his players left #9 forward Jerry Young and Ford on the bench as his starting lineup took the floor, but the Strasburg Tigers (2-1) (48-10) with #8 Senior center Fred Yenny hitting the hoop on 2 action shots and 2 free throws jumped into an 8-5 lead at the period end. Then Ford and Young came into the game and from then on Yenny, whose sensational pllay took the Tigers into the finals, was stopped cold as the Midvale zone formed around him and his teammates were unable to get the ball into the pivot.
The Tigers piled up a 13-6 lead in the middle of the 2nd period on 2 quick field goals by #11 Sophomore forward Walt Hanner, but Young dropped in 3 free throws and Leggett scored an action shot for Midvale to cut the Burger advantage to 13-11. Strasburg opened the 3rd period with a fast attack, sweeping through the Midvale defense for 7 points on baskets by #7 Senior forward Bill Shutt, Hanner and #4 Senior guard Ed Smith and midway in the quarter led by 20-14, but Midvale again retaliated. A basket by Leggett and 2 free throws by #13 forward Frank Morrison cut the Tigers lead to 20-18.
Midvale opened the final quarter with 5 free throws by Ford and a basket by Leggett to take a 21-20 lead, but Hanner plut Strasburg back on top with a bucket before the Blue Devils stasrted going away in a big drive which gave them a 26-22 lead. Leggett scored a basket, Baldwin a foul shot and Ford an action shot. But, Smith of Strasburg, jumped into the breach for the Tigers and sent 2 long action shots whistling through the nets to tie the score with less than a minute remaining.
Then Young, fouled #9 Senior guard Pete Welsch of Strasburg with only half a minute remaining and the Tiger supporters were in an uproar as he stepped to the line to shoot the shot. He missed, Midvale took it off the backboard and raced up the floor. Only 5 seconds remained when a heave at the bucket missed and Ford leaped high to take the rebound and banked an action shot through the net as the game took an abrupt end.
Ford was Midvale's hero of the evening, but Baldwin and Leggett were Midvale's big stars. Baldwin, Captain of the team, starred so spectacularly on defense that it seemed he had the ball glued to his fingers, while Leggett was the only Midvale player to hit the hoop consistently, leading all scorers. Hanner led Strasburg with 10 points, while Shutt, one of the Tiger star forwards and a consistent scorer, was held to a field goal as he went out in the 3rd period on personals after injuring his ankle in a tussle for the ball.
Personal fouls lost the game for Strasburg, the Tigers being assessed 15 penalties, while Midvale was charged with only 7. Strasburg made 4 of their 7 chances, but Midvale scored 12 of their 22 opportunities.
MIDVALE BLUE DEVILS - 28
Frank Morrison F 0-2-2
Lew Daltau F 0-1-1
Al Turrin C 0-0-0
Bob Baldwin G 1-2-4
Warren Leggett G 5-2-12
Jerry Young F 0-3-3
Adrian Ford C 2-1-5
Dan Johnson F 0-1-1
STRASBURG TIGERS - 26
Bill Shutt F 1-0-2
Walt Hanner F 5-0-10
Fred Yenny C 2-3-7
Pete Welsch G 0-0-0
Ed Smith G 3-1-7
Bill Schenk G 0-0-0
Gene Gordon F 0-0-0
Clyde Denzer F 0-0-0
Monday, February 26, 1940
John Stratton, Sports Writer
The Daily Reporter
Dover, Ohio
THE DAILY REPORTER ALL-TOURNAMENT TEAMS
1ST TEAM
FORWARD - Bill Shutt (Strasburg Tigers)
FORWARD - Adrian Ford (Midvale Blue Devils)
CENTER - Fred Yenny (Strasburg Tigers)
GUARD - Bob Baldwin (Midvale Blue Devils)
GUARD - Warren Leggett (Midvale Blue Devils)
2ND TEAM
FORWARD - Harold Lahm (Baltic Eagles)
FORWARD - Walt Hanner (Strasburg Tigers)
CENTER - John Metzger (Gnadenhutten Indians)
GUARD - Glenn Regula (Baltic Eagles)
GUARD - Earl Johnson (Gnadenhutten Indians)
HONORABLE MENTION
BALTIC EAGLES - Harold Snyder
BOLIVAR CARDINALS - Bud Ross and Warren Klink
MIDVALE BLUE DEVILS - Jerry Young
PORT WASHINGTON PURPLE RIDERS - Henry Linard
STRASBURG TIGERS - Ed Smith
SUGARCREEK-SHANESVILLE PIRATES - Earl Smith
TUSCARAWAS BRONCOS - Earl Myers and Lester Meese
NOTE: Midvale High School today celebrated their victory in the Tuscarawas County Class B Basketball Tournament Saturday night when the Blue Devils beat the Strasburg Tigers under the wire 28-26 in the Championship game.
There was no school. Students took the morning off and staged snake dances through the village streets, over to Barnhill and back to the downtown section where they set off a huge bonfire and then cheered 7th-year Head Coach M.H. Helwick and his team.
They carried the 2 trophies won by the team, one for the County Championship of the League and the other The Daily Reporter Award for the tournament title on the marches. And thoughout the morning Midvale's curfew rang and rang and rang.
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