KENT - The scoreboard clock in the Kent State University Fieldhouse showed 5 minutes and 24 seconds left to play in the game with the Strasburg Tigers (8-1) (26-3) leading the Vienna Mustangs (29-0) 50-39 Saturday night. Two minutes and 20 seconds later the score was deadlocked at 53-53 and the Mustangs went on with its tremendous comeback that brought a 60-53 triumph and the right to advance to the State finals in Cincinnati this weekend.
The Colts were outfought, out-shot and outplayed through more than 3 quarters of a hectic contest, but they pulled out of the tailspin with Rex Leach at the controls and were roaring away at the final buzzer. The Horsemen storybook finish saw Vienna mesh 21 points to only 3 for the Tigers in the last 5 minutes as the Trumbull County Champions caught fire and blazed into the victory column for the 29th consecutive time this season.
Head Coach Ken Newlon's Bengals played magnificent until the pace caught up with them in the stretch. The Cats forced the fast-breaking Mustangs to play their way and had the State's No. 1 Class B Team hanging on the ropes when the tide turned. Everything worked for the Orange and Black up until the stretch. The Colts' touted pressing defense slowed down the process of bringing the ball up court, but Strasburg's well coached offense made its way up through the clinging defense without a hitch.
The Tigers were out to shake the jinx which has dogged Bengal teams down through the years and the Cats came up with an outstanding exhibition of team play and they fought their way to what appeared to be a commanding lead. The defeat, a bitter one for what could well be the Orange and Black's best all-around quintet, was the 3rd of the season and it closed the pages on the highest scoring season in Strasburg history and a 26-3 record.
Leach, whose offensive ability was the high point of the Horsemen's victory, scored 18 points in the final quarter and totaled 38 for the contest to account for almost two-thirds of Vienna's entire output. The 6-4 Mustang Ace connected for 11 points in the 1st quarter as Senior Jerry Haswell, Senior Jerry (Goose) Von Kaenel, Senior Gene Hensel and Junior Jim Kuecher all scored for the Tigers in a nip-and-tuck exchange.
The Colts gunned to a 5-2 advantage, but the Bengals moved back into the contest with a rush and were on top through most of the initial stanza. Goose stole a Horseman pass underneath his own basket and laid it up to deadlock the score 16-16 at the period's end after Leach and Frank Catchpole had given the Mustangs a slight lead. The 2 teams traded baskets in the 2nd frame in a tight volley before Kukecher and Hensel shot the Cats ahead 28-25 at intermission. Hensel flashed as the top Orange and Black offensive punch in that 2nd period as he canned 3 field goals to put Strasburg out ahead, while the Colts' highly-regarded offense was limited to a slim 9 points.
Goose and Haswell started off a Tiger surge at the outset of the 3rd stanza and the Bengals had the crowd of 4,149 buzzing. The Goose dropped in 2 successive field goals and Haswell traded a couple with Leach as the Cats roared away to a 36-29 lead. Goose tipped in a rebound to up the count to 38-29 before Don McShane, scoreless from the field in the 1st half, dropped in 3 action shots to trim the advantage. Kuecher and Kensel restored the Orange and Black lead to 7 points, 42-35 at the close of the 3rd period.
Strasburg's star glowed brighter and brighter at the start of the final canto as Goose, who grabbed complete control of the boards, swished in 3 consecutive baskets to send the Tigers ahead 48-37 with little more than 6 minutes remaining in the contest. Leach dropped in his 2nd fielder of the period and Sophomore Jerry Forman sent the Bengal lead back up to 11 points with 2 free throw shots. That's when the Horsemen began to spin back into the picture.
McShane and Leach tossed in 5 quick points before Kuecher drove into the key for a layup to spin the scoreboard around 52-44 in favor of the Cats. Once again the McShane-Leach combination cut the total to 52-48 with 3 minutes and 35 seconds left. Kuecher then canned the Orange and Black's last and final point with one of 2 free throw shots at the 2:59 mark. It took Vienna just 54 seconds to erase that deficit. Leach connected twice from jump shots close in and Don Scott came up with his only offensive contribution of the game, a free throw, to deadlock the score at 53-53 with 2 minutes and 4 seconds to go.
Strasburg failed to score and Leach crashed an action shot through the nets from near the corner at the 1:40 mark to give the Mustangs its 1st lead since early in the 2nd frame and once again the Tigers failed to retaliate and the Colts went into a stall. Goose, desperately trying to break up the stall, fouled Catchpole with 37 seconds left to play. Catchpole made his 1st free throw shot and missed the 2nd and the rebound slithered off the fingertips of 2 Bengal players with the Horsemen regaining control and going back into the stall.
Catchpole added another free throw with 25 seconds left and Leach made the score 58-53 with 15 seconds to play as Goose committed his 5th personal. The final basket made by Leach just as the final buzzer sounded added an exclamation point to the Vienna victory. Goose's 18 points topped Strasburg with Haswell and Hensel each getting 12. Catchpole and McShane tallied 10 and 11 respectively to help Leach as the 3 accounted for all but one of Vienna's points.
VIENNA MUSTANGS - 60
Catchpole 4-2-10
Rex Leach 17-4-38
Don McShane 5-1-11
Rappach 0-0-0
Don Scott 0-1-1
Reibel 0-0-0
STRASBURG TIGERS - 53
Jerry Haswell 5-2-12
Jim Kuecher 4-1-9
Jerry (Goose) Von Kaenel 9-0-18
Jerry Froman 0-2-2
Gene Hensel 6-0-12
Will Rieger 0-0-0
VIENNA 16-23-35-60
STRASBURG 16-28-42-53
Monday, March 21, 1955
Art Cicconetti, Sports Editor
The Daily Reporter
Dover, Ohio
NOTE: VIENNA MUSTANGS
The Vienna Mustangs lost to Lockland-Wayne 64-54 in the semi-finals at State. Lockland-Wayne then went on to become the State Champions for 1955.
*Rex Leach of Vienna accumulated the most votes on the All-Ohio 1st Team.
NOTE: TUSCARAWAS COUNTY CLASS B ALL-OHIO
The Strasburg Tigers' Jerry (Goose) Von Kaenel (1st Photo) who closed out a 4-year basketball career in the Tiger's defeat by the Vienna Mustangs 60-53 Saturday night, was named on the Associated Press 3rd Team in the Class B All-Ohio ratings released on Tuesday March 22, 1955. Senior Terry Deems (2nd Photo) of the Tuscarawas Broncos was given Honorable Mention as was Senior Tom Wise of the Dover St. Joseph Ramblers.
No comments:
Post a Comment