48 - Right Down The Line

Friday, February 27, 1948
The Daily Reporter
Dover, Ohio


FOUR SURPRISES have developed so far in the 26th Annual Tuscarawas County Class B Basketball Tournament, some of them mild and others not so mild.  Probably the biggest surprise has been the failure of the Port Washington Purple Riders to maintain their position as tournament "dark horses."

Another of those surprises that are common to all tournaments is the courageous manner in which 2nd-Year Head Coach Bill Ortt's Sugarcreek-Shanesville Pirates have rebounded after being crushed by the Strasburg Tigers last week.  The Bucs definitely established themselves as strong contenders for Consolation Division honors last night when they all but routed Port Washington.

Dundee's terrific battle with the Midvale Blue Devils was another surprise and 1st-Year Head Coach Fritz Jacobs' Bulldogs continued to play a great brand of ball in eliminating the Gnadenhutten Indians Thursday night.  Dundee is the smallest school represented in the tournament with only 35 students in the top 4 grades.  Of these 35 students, 21 are boys and all but 5 of them were candidates for the cage squad this year.  The Bulldogs, by the way, played the Midvale game without the services of Sophomore Wayne Flynn, a starting forward, who is ill with the mumps.

The 4th surprise is the powerful offensive shown by 5th-Year Head Coach Emmet Riley's Strasburg Tigers; although, this is not at all unexpected.  Those Bengals, if they continue at their present pace, are going to be hard to stop.

THE ATTENDANCE for 5 sessions last year is a little above that for the same number of sessions this year.  In 1947, a total of 5,563 had witnessed 5 sessions of the tournament, while this year 5,241 were counted at the 1st five sessions.  However, last year's smallest crowd of 477 for the 5th round was less than the 597 fans who attended last night's session.  There have been 2 sessions this year; however, with only 597 attending.  Last Friday only 597 were there.  Largest crowd to date this year was at the 1st session when 1,428 packed into Memorial Hall.  Last year the top crowd was 1,454 at the 4th session.

KEN MAST, former Sugarcreek-Shanesville cage star and captain of the Heidelberg Student Prince's quintet this year, has chalked up 10.8 points per game to lead his team in scoring.  Bill Yackey of Dover follows with an average of 7.4 per game.