DOVER - Proving conclusively their right to share the county Class B League's basketball title, 12th-Year Head Coach Earl Sundheimer's Sugarcreek-Shanesville High School Pirates came from behind to nose out the Tuscarawas Broncos 42-40 in a quarter-final game at the county tournament at Memorial Hall on Saturday night.
With a crowd of nearly 1,600 held riveted to their seats in one of the most thrilling early round games the tournament has ever produced, the Pirates beat the Broncos under the wire to qualify for the lower bracket semi-final where they will play the Gnadenhutten Indians Thursday night at 7PM. The Strasburg Tigers and Baltic Eagles meet in the upper bracket semi at 8PM. In 2 other games Saturday night, the Dundee Bulldogs defeated the Bolivar Cardinals 48-38 and Midvale Blue Devils turned back the Stone Creek Golden Panthers 60-25.
Living up to its pre-game dope as a clash of titans, the Sugarcreek-Shanesville Pirates (2-0) (19-3) (40-24) and the Tuscarawas Broncos (1-1) (13-5) (22-27) game gave the fans every thrill promised them and a few more. A great 2nd period drive carried Tusky out front and with the Pirates unsettled,it appeared that the Warwick Township quintet of 2nd-Year Head Coach Jim Rogers would unseat the Bucs two-fisted attack in the 3rd quarter. But the latter hit back with a chukker, swung the pendulum back in their favor and then hung on through the final stanza, winning on a long shot fired from the side of the court in the last 5 seconds by Senior forward Bill Nett.
Neff's game winning shot broke a 10-all tie created by the Broncos' Dick (Rich) Bonvechio when only 30 seconds remained. Bonvechio, thus far the tournament's outstanding individual star and leading scorer, calmly tied up the game with a free throw shot in the midst of a bedlam of noise as the crowd screamed its approval and disapproval.
Coach Sundheimer's combine took a 7-3 lead in the 1st quarter as the rival teams felt each other out. At the start of the 2nd period the Broncos found themselves and with Bonvechio leading the way rolled up 14 straight points before the Pirates managed to get in a field goal and thus once led the Pirates 17-7. The rush brought Tusky 20 points to 10 for the Bucs with Bonvechio scoring 12 of them. In the 3rd stanza, Sugarcreek-Shanesville began early to whittle away the 6-point 23-17 edge of the Rogersmen and finally tied the score at 26 and again at 28 when only a minute and a half remained in the quarter. The count was tied again at 30 and then the Pirates gained a 32-30 edge as the period ended, finally taking a 15 to 7 bulge in the scoring for the period.
At the start of the 4th quarter Neff dropped in a long shot to up his team's lead to 34-30, but Bonvechio matched the score and then center Ernie Raber and Neff came through with field goals to up the Pirates' lead to 38-32, their longest of the period. Senior forward Chuck Lorenz hit for Tusky and Raber sank a free throw for the Pirates and then Bonvechio hit a field goal to make the count 39-36. With 2 minutes left, Bonvechio and forward Doyle Schumacher were fouled and each sank the effort. Then Lorenz hit another fielder for the Broncos.
Sugarcreek-Shanesville then resorted to a stall. Raber took the ball out of bounds when fouled by Junior center John Vesco, but the effort was broken up by Schumacher and Bonvechio again and the Tusky ace sank the score-tying heave which was followed by Neff's basket that clinched the decision.
Bonvechio's efforts netted him 22 points (7 field goals and 8 free throws) which with the 20 points he scored Tuesday night gives him 42 points and the honors in the individual race. Neff came out with honors for Sugarcreek-Shanesville tallying 14 points, Raber accounted for 12 points and Schumacher grabbed 11.
SUGARCREEK-SHANESVILLE PIRATES - 42
Bill Neff F 6-2-14
Doyle Schumaker F 5-1-11
Bob Lanzer C 0-0-0
Ernie Raber G 4-4-12
Ken Miller G 2-1-5
TUSCARAWAS BRONCOS - 40
Chuck Lorenz F 3-0-6
Rich (Dick) Bonvechio F 7-8-22
John Vesco C 1-0-2
Bob Schmaker G 1-0-2
Fred Walton G 3-2-8
Ellsworth Fox C 0-0-0
Monday, February 19, 1945
Clyde Shaffer, Sports Writer
The Daily Reporter
Dover, Ohio
THURSDAY 2-22-45
Port vs Dundee 6PM (C)
Gnaden vs Sugarcreek-Shanesville 7PM
Strasburg vs Baltic 8PM
Midvale vs Tusky 9PM (C)
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