48 - Right Down The Line

Thursday, February 26, 1948
The Daily Reporter
Dover, Ohio

ALTHOUGH THE STRASBURG TIGERS still have to play a very dangerous Midvale Blue Devils quintet before walking off the Memorial Hall boards with their 4th consecutive tournament title, one wonders if the Blue Devils may not find the Bengals a different team than the one they defeated 44-43 for the victory that won them the County League title.  One gets the impression that the Tigers improve with every game and Wednesday night's 79-46 victory over the Port Washington Purple Riders, a team given at least an outside chance of upsetting 5th-Year Head Coach Emmet Riley's combine before the tourney began, was scored with comparative ease.  The Blue Devils, on the other hand, have been hard pushed to remain in the winner's bracket at all.  First the Bolivar Cardinals gave 1st Year Head Coach Bill French's quintet a scare and last night a determined crew of Dundee Bulldog cagers nearly upset the Champions.  Strasburg has tallied the formidable total of 214 points in 3 games with the Sugarcreek-Shanesville Pirates, Gnadenhutten Indians and Port Washington, while Midvale has netted 96 in 2 contests.  And so, without too much doubt, Strasburg will be the odds-on favorite Saturday night when the Tigers meet Midvale for the tournament title.

MIDVALE had transportation difficulties last night and arrived about 15 minutes late for their engagement with Dundee.  The bus driver was late in finishing his run with school children and held Head Coach Bill French's cagers up.

THE HIGH POINT MARK of Junior Murray of the Bolivar Cardinals seems to be in jeopardy.  Last year, Murray garnered 77 points in 5 games, while Tom Haswell of the Strasburg Tigers already has 66 points for 3 games and has one tilt left yet.

WITH THE ELIMINATION from the tournament of the Mineral City Tigers and Stone Creek Golden Panthers, fans will miss the brilliant performances of 6-0 Junior center Dan Lechner and 6-1 Junior center Verle Buehler, a pair of boys who were as efficient on the hardwood as any players in the meet.  Lechner has been the mainstay of 2nd-Year Head Coach Bob Tawzer's Mineral City Tigers all year, while Buehler has consistently racked up points for Stone Creek.

FRED E. LINARD, former Port Washington Purple Riders cage performer and now quartermaster, Third Class, USN, played on the Atlantic Amphibious Force Championship Basketball Team.  Linard, who entered Naval service in June of 1946 received his recruit training at Naval Training Center, Great Lakes in Chicago, Illinois and is serving aboard the experimental landing ship USS 446.