Pictured above are the victors dividing the "spoils" in the Tuscarawas County 23th Annual Class B Basketball Tournament which closed on Saturday night at Memorial Hall with the Strasburg Tigers winning the bunting. The photo shows 2nd-Year Head Coach Emmet Riley and his Tigers flashing their victory smile in the dressing room after the game.
This photo shows the presentation of the trophies: Captain center Ernie Raber of the Sugarcreek-Shanesville Pirates, Co-Captains Seniors forward Gene Bayer and forward Don Neidenthal of Strasburg, County Supt. W.E. Laws, Captain Senior forward Rich Bonvechio of the Tuscarawas Broncos (Consolation Division Winners); County Music Supervisor James Baker who was Master of Ceremonies and J.A. Godfrey, President of the Dover Chamber of Commerce, who made the presentations.
DOVER - To a great Strasburg High School Basketball Team...one that refused to commit itself to the type of ball its opponent tried to play...today went the spoils of the Championship of the 23rd Annual County Class B Tournament.
Playing before a crowd of only 1,700, which fell below the standard set in the semi-final round, the Tigers of Head Coach Emmet Riley carried off the banner and The Daily Reporter trophy by defeating the Sugarcreek-Shanesville Pirates 51-38 at Memorial Hall Saturday night. It was a great triumph for Coach Riley and his Bengals, giving them a 2-out-of-3 margin over their ancient and traditional rivals from Sugarcreek-Shanesville and extending a winning streak started during the season to 15 straight games.
The Sugarcreek-Shanesville team the Tigers defeated has been one of the best teams in the section all season and shared with Strasburg the League Championship gained over the long pull of the season. The Pirates of 12-Year Head Coach Earl Sundheimer were never really out of Saturday night's Championship game until the clock ticked off their doom, but their lapse in the 2 middle quarters, coupled with the apparent strategy of trying to force the game into a free-scoring scramble which Strasburg refused to recognize, caused their downfall. Both the finalists and 2nd-Year Head Coach Jim Rogers' Tuscarawas Broncos, who defeated the Gnadenhutten Indians 42-36 in the Consolation Division final which preceded the Championship game, qualified for the North Eastern Ohio Sectional Tournament which will be staged at Memorial Hall on Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights.
Drawings for the Sectional in which those 3, Dover St. Joseph, Dennison, Millersburg, Walnut Creek, Berlin and Magnolia will compete, will be held at Dover High School at 7:30 tonight in charge of Dick Poling, Assistant Dover High School Coach and Tournament Manager. The winners will advance to the Eastern Ohio District finals at Dennison next week.
The county tournament which closed Saturday night will go down as one of the best in the event's long history, despite the fact that the attendance fell below the all-time mark set last season. It produced almost no upsets, but steadily furnished fans with thrill-packed games and individual stars to create all the color essential to the success of a tournament.
Coach Sundheimer's Sugarcreek-Shanesville Pirates (3-1) (20-4) (41-25), dead-shots to a man, started early to bang the baskets with everything they had from all angles. During the 1st quarter they outscored the Strasburg Tigers (3-0) (20-2) (61-17) 11 to 9, but their lapse which started in the 2nd period when their shooting eyes dulled, paved the way for the Tigers to take away a 14 to 6 advantage in the scoring and take a 23-17 lead the Tigers never lost.
The Pirates' scoring lethargy extended into the 3rd stanza and Strasburg continued to pour it on, taking a 12 to 8 advantage there...35-22 Strasburg. Sugarcreek-Shanesville snapped out of it in the stretch drive and banged in 16 points, but the Tigers clinched the decision by matching them point-for-point.
When Strasburg refused to commit themselves to an all-out scoring spree such as the Pirates tried to dictate, they played their ace. It led them to a more restrained game, but an extremely effective one which, with their height advantage, gave them control under both bankboards. And Sugarcreek-Shanesville a little below par in the shooting department, the game was made to measure for the Tigers.
Big Raber, Pirate ace, and Neidenthal, star Tiger forward, shared scoring honors, albeit Raber topped Neidenthal by one point, 15 to 14. Raber hit only 2 field goals, but pitched 11 of 14 free throws for his total. Neidenthal had 6 field goals and 2 free tosses. Senior guard Jack Rieger added 11 to the Strasburg total and Senior forward Bill Neff got 10 points for the Pirates.
STRASBURG TIGERS - 51
Gene Bayer F 3-2-8
Don Neidenthal F 6-2-14
Junior Yackey C 4-0-8
Jack Reiger G 5-1-11
Bob Haas G 3-1-7
John Garver F 1-1-3
Tom Haswell F 0-0-0
SUGARCREEK-SHANESVILLE PIRATES - 38
Bill Neff F 4-2-10
Doyle Schumaker F 3-2-8
Bob Lanzer G 0-0-0
Ernie Raber G 2-11-15
Ken Miller G 2-1-5
Immel C 0-0-0
Monday, February 26, 1945
Clyde Shaffer, Sports Writer
The Daily Reporter
Dover, Ohio
THE DAILY REPORTER ALL-TOURNAMENT TEAMS
1ST TEAM
FORWARD - Rich Bonvechio (Tuscarawas Broncos)
FORWARD - Bill Neff (Sugarcreek-Shanesville Pirates)
CENTER - Ernie Raber (Sugarcreek-Shanesville Pirates)
GUARD - Don Neidenthal (Strasburg Tigers)
GUARD - Jack Reiger (Strasburg Tigers)
2ND TEAM
FORWARD - Gene Hawkins (Midvale Blue Devils)
FORWARD - Elmer Lindard (Port Washington Purple Riders)
CENTER - Max Regula (Baltic Eagles)
GUARD - Bill Frankhauser (Dundee Bulldogs)
GUARD - John Vesco (Tuscarawas Broncos)
SECTIONAL TOURNAMENT THURSDAY 3-1-45
Walnut Creek Cardinals (18-4) vs Millersburg Knights (10-10) 7PM
Dover St. Josephs Ramblers (21-4) vs Strasburg Tigers (20-2) 8PM
Sugarcreek-Shanesville Pirates (20-4) vs Dennison Railroaders (3-16) 9PM
SECTIONAL TOURNAMENT FRIDAY 3-2-45
Tuscarawas Broncos (16-5) vs Magnolia Panthers (15-6) 8PM
Berlin Blue Jays (19-5) vs Walnut Creek-Millersburg Winner 9PM
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