50 - Right Down The Line

Tuesday, February 14, 1950
Dover, Ohio


ELEVEN TUSCARAWAS COUNTY BASKETBALL TEAMS will drag their heavy artillery into line this week at Memorial Hall in an attempt to dislodge the Midvale Blue Devils as the Tuscarawas County Class B Basketball Tournament Champions.  Two, possibly 3, quintets stand more than an even chance of success.

Strictly on the basis of the League Record, Midvale might be established as the tournament favorite.  The Blue Devils won the title with a 9-1 mark, their only defeat coming at the hands of the Strasburg Tigers 40-31.  For reasons which are perhaps indefinite, we are going to depart from the League Record and name either the Strasburg Tigers or the Sugarcreek-Shanesville Pirates as the winner of The Daily Reporter Tournament Trophy.

Second-Year Head Coach Don Martin's Strasburg Tigers have been showing steady improvement and although they dropped their last 2 games to non-county teams like the West Lafayette Generals and Dalton, we have a hunch they will be hard to beat at Memorial Hall.  First-Year Head Coach Gerald Straley's Pirates, after a slight relapse near the end of the season, seemed to find it again last week when they thumped West Lafayette 90-54.  This game, even though a home county battle, may have been the tip-off on the Bucs.

West Lafayette defeated both Strasburg and Midvale and added the Class A Newcomerstown Trojans to their record.  The Pirates trounced the Generals soundly on their own floor.  This is the same Pirate team which was picked to win the League title.  Midvale surged back after a slow start and nosed the Bucs out of this spot, but the tournament is another story.  Both the Tigers and Pirates have offensive ability.  The defensive edge probably goes to the Tigers, but the Bucs apparently possess more offensive punch when they get their guns unlimbered.

The Bucs are in the upper bracket with Midvale and will have to settle the issue with the Blue Devils before reaching the finals.  The Tuscarawas Broncos are also in that bracket, but the Broncos do not figure to have enough over the route.  Strasburg is in a bracket with the Bolivar Cardinals, Stone Creek Golden Panthers and the Gnadenhutten Indians, all teams capable of pulling an upset.

Stone Creek, the county's top offensive team, might find themselves again in this tournament after faltering in the stretch drive 2 weeks ago.  If 2nd-Year Head Coach Ken Newlon's Panthers do stage a comeback, they could make it very interesting for any team in their bracket, including Strasburg.

Bolivar has a team which, if defeated in the winner's bracket, might go through in the Consolation Division.  One thing is nearly certain.  The tournament will not be a breeze for the top seeded teams.  There is enough power in the lower divisions to keep the favorites moving at top speed.  Close, hard-fought battles are a safe prediction.

MIDVALE, STRASBURG AND SUGARCREEK-SHANESVILLE each placed 2 men on an All-League Team picked by the County League coaches this week.  Bob Sherrell and Carl Pissocra of Midvale were given births as were Dick Froman and Jim Huffman of Strasburg and Ike Hostetler and Glen Zimmerman of Sugarcreek-Shanesville.  Others named to the All-Star combine included Dale Adams of Mineral City, Harold Ridenour of Stone Creek, Maurice Lundenberger of Bolivar and Bill Tharp of Tuscarawas.