DOVER - Those of us who saw it, are still wondering how it happened...that upset of the Sugarcreek-Shanesville Pirates by the Philo Electrics at Zanesville last Friday night. To be very brutally Frank, we don't believe Philo belongs in the same gymnasium with the Pirates...but still the Electrics won. And on top of that they went right back on Saturday night and beat the West Lafayette Generals which was rated on even terms with Sugarcreek-Shanesville.
After trying to analyze the trouble and talking to Head Coach Earl Sundheimer, one thing stuck out more than any other: The Pirates were over-cautious in their play and because of their cautiousness in trying to avoid personal fouls passed up opportunities, not only to score themselves, but also to stop Philo baskets. This was particularly true under the Philo bucket where the Pirates went the long way around to avoid fouling.
Part of the trouble might have been caused by a bit of misunderstanding and mixup in the official score book which caused 3 personal fouls to be assessed against the Buc Star, Gene Mast, in the 1st half. The foul was the 1st called in the game and the officials very definitely called it on No. 6 signaling the number with their fingers and calling it out. The foul; nevertheless, was charged to Mast. Five sports writers unanimously charged the personal foul to Warren Craigo, who was No. 6. Mast's number was 9.
Some place along the line Coach Sundheimer found out about the foul being charged to Mast and called for an understanding. The official asked Al Hartman of Dover,one of the referees, about the foul and Hartman immediately declared it called on Craigo. Philo beefed, but the foul was changed. That put things back in order except for the fact that it probably left the Pirates a little upset and perhaps too foul-conscious. The press club, hastily organized in the corridor between halves and smokes, finally decided that Mast committed the foul, but that the official charged it to Craigo and that the scorekeeper was trying to correct the officials.
Another thing that didn't help the Pirates, but of course it may have been a handicap to Philo; although, not as much because they played their county tournament there, was the terrible baskets and bankboards. The baskets are so loose they rattle and the whole bankboard sways. It does a ball player no good to shoot a "dead" ball and expect to get a "break" from the bounces, because when the ball hits the ring, it knocks it away from the place where the ball comes down...and a very small fraction of an inch is the difference between whether the ball falls inside or outside. And this season they've been playing that the ball has to go inside.
A couple of other things worth noting about the Zanesville meet: Practically all of Sugarcreek-Shanesville and most of Walnut Creek were on hand for the games and many planned to stay over. But if they did, they turned in a good job of disappearing. Only the official high school parties were around the hotel Saturday morning. Virgil Harris, the Philo boy who threw 6 straight baskets from the middle of the floor...a thing that didn't help the Pirates much...wore spectacles during the game for the 1st time in his career. They seemed to do him some good, too. He hasn't missed yet.
Big Bill Shurtz, the West Lafayette center, is almost everything claimed for him by his No. 1 tub thumper...Howdy House of the Coshocton Tribune. Against Walnut Creek on Friday Shurtz showed almost everything; he's big, about 6-3, lightning fast, a good shot, a great team man and playmaker and knows how to tap the ball around the basket, a trick almost unknown in the Class B ranks. Bill's biggest weakness was on rebounds. The Cardinals did a mighty big job under the hoops, but Shurtz still tipped in about 3. Other than Bill's play, West Lafayette looked like "just another ball club;" one that the Pirates shouldn't have had too much trouble getting past...if they had just reached them.
Defeat at the hands of Philo last Friday night was the 1st ever suffered in high school basketball by Bob Lanzer, Ernie Raber and Junior Miller of the Sugarcreek-Shanesville Pirates. They were members of a Reserve Team that won 16 straight last season and their varsity was unbeaten until Philo.
Tuesday, March 14, 1944
Clyde Shaffer, Sports Editor
The Daily Reporter
Dover, Ohio
NOTE: On Wednesday, March 22, 1944, 2 members of the Sugarcreek-Shanesville High School's basketball team received Honorable Mention in the Annual Associated Press All-Ohio Class B cage selections. The two are center Robert Lanzer and forward Gene Mast.
NOTE: MCMASTERS RESIGNS AT BOLIVAR - Woodie McMasters, former Unrichsville High School athlete who coached the Bolivar High School Cardinals during the past basketball season, has resigned his post to go to the West Coast, Supt. Karl Muster announced. Since Bolivar has only intramural softball as a spring sports program, McMasters' place will not be filled for the remainder of this term and a successor will be sought to take over next fall at the beginningof the new term,
Muster said. Bolivar's Cardinals, Eastern Ohio District Champions a year ago, had only a mediocre season this year.
Members of the Mineral City graduating class, for which Commencement exercises will be held on May 19th are, FRONT: Maxine Martin - Annie Marie Houze - Caroline Houston - Melva Jean Steinbaugh and Marie Albert Reed. MIDDLE: Shirley Johnson - Donna Jean Knotts - Patricia Hoover and Betty Pealy. BACK: Donna Blasenhauer - James Johnson - Isabelle Collins and Ruth Dillon. James Johnson, the only boy in the class, who is pictured above, left May 2nd for service in the Army Air Corps. Baccalaureate services will be held May 14th.
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