Senior forward Dean Huprich of the Baltic Eagles takes to the air in last night's losing battle against the Big Prairie Bulldogs. Also in the photo are guards Don Gindlesberger (11) and Rex Dye (99) of the Bulldogs. Baltic dropped the tilt 73-53 to become the last county tournament entry to be eliminated from Sectional Tournament play at Memorial Hall.
The Big Prairie Bulldogs Basketball Team for 1952. Photo shows: Gene Mosher - Roger Wells - Harold Stutzman - Howard Smithhisler - Jim Fishburn - Chuck Mulhall - Vaughn Campbell - Dick Cayhoe - Don Gindlesberger - Bob Flinner - Rex Dye and Dick Lee. Jim Snell (Manager) and Bob Lee (Head Coach) are shown in the center of the team.
DOVER - Diminutive Head Coach Joe Banks wore practically all the fuzz off a nice new towel last night at Memorial Hall as his Millersburg Knights (11-9) unleashed a battle-royal. Exhausted and limp, the towel was last seen soaring toward the roof after his cagers came far from behind to grab a 55-53 decision over a rugged Killbuck (15-3) quintet. And after that the Baltic Eagles, a high-class ball club in county cage circles, ran into a snarling pack of Bulldogs from Big Prairie and were drubbed 73-53, to become the last County Class B League combine shunted to the tournament sidelines.
Thus, Tuscarawas County's hopes rest with hoopsters from the exempted village, Independent and out-of-county quintets. But the teams falling by the wayside can find consolation in that they gave cage fans here the most colorful tournament in 30 years. And to top it all, the Baltic Eagles' can say today that they ran into more seasoned cagers on a single team last night than they collided with all season long. Those Holmes County Champion Bulldogs are big, rough, rugged...and good!
The next step forward in the sudden death Sectional Tournament tonight will see arch-rivals the Dennison Railroaders and Dennison St. Mary blue Waves clash at 7:30 with the Dover St. Joseph Ramblers hitting the floor in the night-cap at 8:45 against the Malvern Green Hornets, Carroll County champions. Winner of the former tilt will tangle with Millersburg Saturday night at 7:30, while the victor of the latter will clash with Big Prairie at 8:45. A berth in the Eastern District Tournament at Toronto March 6,7 and 8 will be at stake.
Although the Baltic Eagles (2-2) (14-8) whose hotshot Junior center Jim Syler had to be replaced early in the 1st quarter by Freshman center Errol Jacobs after he had suffered an ankle sprain, Head Coach Doyle Shumaker's Eagles completely out-classed the Holmes County Champions in the opening round to soar into the 2nd frame with a 14-10 edge. But that was before the Big Prairie Bulldogs (24-2) whose rangy, string-bean center, Vaughn Campbell, started to click. After he got warmed up to the battle, Baltic began to lose ground...and it kept falling behind the rest of the route. Pacing the Bulldogs with 18 points, the scrappy center controlled the boards at both ends of the floor. A large share of his total came from smooth tip-ins. Had it not been for the sake of his artistry, Baltic would have made it a rugged skirmish.
The Eagles; however, managed to maintain its lead in the 2nd frame until the last minute and a half. During that interim Baltic ran the count to 27-20 and apparently were on their way to victory but Campbell kept Big Prairie in the game. But at that point things began to happen with explosive action...and they just didn't stop the rest of the game. The Eagles stopped its scoring feats at that point as the Bulldogs' guard Rex Dye, guard Dick Lee, forward Gene Mosher and Campbell combined to snap Big Prairie in front 28-27 just as the buzzer sounded. And it was Campbell who netted one before the intermission signal.
Syler returned to the fray in the 2nd frame to spark Baltic with 6 points. With Campbell, Mosher, Dye and guard Don Gindlesberger setting the pace in the 3rd stanza, the Bulldogs raced to a 37-27 advantage before Syler dunked Baltic's 1st basket of that quarter. After that, with the Bulldogs stealing the ball at every turn and uncorking a fiery fast break, it was just a matter of piling point on point.
But, Coach Shumaker's crew didn't throw in the towel. They stayed right in there, going into the final canto on the short end of the stick, 52-38. The Eagles scored 3 straight baskets after Campbell tipped in a rebound. But Baltic couldn't keep rolling consistently. Top scorers in the fray were Campbell and Dye who meshed 18 and 17 points respectively. Dean Huprich paced the Eagles with 16, while Syler had 11 and John Torgler 8.
BIG PRAIRIE BULLDOGS - 73
Bob Flinner F 4-0-8
Gene Mosher F 4-0-8
Dick Cayhoe F 2-0-4
Jones F 0-1-1
Jim Fishburn F 0-2-2
Vaughn Campbell C 8-2-18
Dick Lee G 0-2-2
Rex Dye G 7-3-17
Howard Smithhisler G 1-0-2
Don Gindlesberger G 3-0-6
Harold Stutzman G 2-1-5
BALTIC EAGLES - 53
Dean Huprich (400) F 7-2-16
Paul Reidenbach F 2-2-6
Jim Syler (309) C 5-1-11
Errol Jacobs C 1-1-3
John Torgler G 2-4-8
Tom Ott G 2-1-5
Fred Huprich G 0-1-1
Don Farnsworth G 0-3-3
Friday, February 29, 1952
Ray Stull, Sportswriter
The Daily Reporter
Dover, Ohio
NOTE: THE REST OF THE STORY
On Friday, February 29th, the Dennison Railroaders beat the Dennison St. Mary Blue Waves 48-43, while the Malvern Green Hornets got by the Dover St. Joseph Ramblers and Dennison bested the Millersburg Kights 61-50. Dennison and Big Prairie won the Northeastern Sectional Tournament and headed for the Eastern District Tournament held in Toronto.
THE EASTERN DISTRICT TOURNAMENT
The Dennison Railroaders lost to the Dillonvale Night Riders (23-1) 49-38 and Big Prairie knocked out the Holloway Blue Devils 56-50 on Thursday, March 6th. On Saturday night, March 8th, the Big Prairie Bulldogs fell to Dillonvale (24-1) 54-39. Dillonvale went on to the Regional Tournament where they did not survive! The Waynesburg Mohawks crushed the Night Riders (24-2) 63-40.
STATE ALL-STARS
Freshman Bill Jones of the Tuscarawas County 1952 Champion Stone Creek Golden Panthers and Junior Dick Tolloti of the Midvale Blue Devils made the Ohio State High School Honorable Mention Team.
WHAT A YEAR THIS WAS...I BET ALL THOSE TUSCARAWAS GAMBLERS LOST PLENTY THIS YEAR...BUT REALLY...WHAT A GREAT YEAR THIS WAS FOR TUSCARAWAS CLASS B BASKETBALL...LOOKING FORWARD TO 1953
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