54 - Right Down The Line

RIGHT DOWN THE LINE
With Art Cicconetti, Sports Editor
Thursday, March 11, 1954
The Daily Reporter
Dover, Ohio

IT WAS A TREMENDOUS VICTORY last night.  Perhaps the win over the Strasburg Tigers in the County Tournament finals was a bigger one in the eyes of Tuscarawas fans, but they'll remember that one last night for a long time.  It was that kind of victory.  Trailing almost all of the 1st three periods, Tusky made a bid for victory in the last quarter against an undefeated team and got that triumph.

Tuscarawas was hurting when they went into last night's game.  Senior guard Ralph Vesco had the flu and so did Senior center Larry (Doofy) Myers.  Both were taking penicillin shots and both were very pale and obviously off form.  Vesco never did show the form he exhibited in tournament games at Memorial Hall in the past 3 weeks, but he was in there battling all the way.  Myers was a tremendous help under the boards after a shaky 1st quarter and it looked as though the Broncos' chances were finished when big "Doofy" was whistled to the bench in the 3rd stanza with his 4th personal foul.

TERRY DEEMS was the big gun in the Tusky attack.  It was his offensive spark that gave off the most glow, but it was a real team victory.  Deems couldn't beg, borrow or even steal a basket in the 1st quarter, but he came up with 4 in the 2nd frame and 6 more in the last canto.  That's real shooting.  The victory was no fluke despite the fact that it was garnered in the last 4 seconds of play.  From where we sat it appeared that Tuscarawas had more rebounding and more scrap then the Flushing Orioles had all the way.

That switch from a tight zone underneath to a man-for-man was probably the deciding factor for the Broncos since an 11-point lead in the 3rd stanza may have been a bigger obstacle to overcome than it was in the 2nd period. 

THE BIGGEST BLUNDER of the game was committed by one of the brightest stars.  The Orioles had the ball and a one-point lead with 30 seconds left in the game.  Guard John Fitzgerald was wasting the time away and he began some fancy dribbling with the Tuscarawas defense pressing him back.  Fitzgerald kept moving back, giving way to the pressure until he stepped across the 10-second line and lost the ball with 13 seconds left in the game.

That was the chance Tusky needed and it was almost a natural occurence for the crucial shot to be made by Deems.  He got the break and cashed in on it.  They couldn't write a better finish in any fiction book.

THIS REALLY SETS THE STAGE for the finals.  The Tigers of Strasburg will be out to avenge their defeat at the hands of the Broncos in the County Tournament finals and Tuscarawas will be trying just as hard to prove that victory was no fluke.  It was just 9 years ago that Tusky and the Bengals met in the District Tournament finals at Zanesville with the Tigers winning out by a 47-44 count and going to the Regional Tournament finals at Athens before losing by one point 32-31 to the Worthington Cardinals.

Strasburg was undefeated in 26 games before that meeting with the Broncos.  In fact 3 of the Tigers' victories came over Tuscarawas.  It was 25-23 in the 1st meeting, 45-43 in the 2nd and 31-16 in the county tournament.  This year the Bengals will take a record of 26 victories into the game, but there's also that one defeat 64-60 put there by Tusky nearly 2 weeks ago.  This one will be for keeps.  There won't be a 2nd chance for either team.  It should be a real game.

54 - Flushing Falls...61-60 (3-10-54)

Senior Guard Ralph Vesco of the Tuscarawas Broncos goes up for a jump shot with Forward John Fitzgerald of the Flushing Orioles attempting to make the stop in last night's hectic contest.  Junior Forward Terry Deems and Senior Center Larry (Doofy) Myers of the Broncos move in at left, while Senior Guard Jim Henry of Tusky goes in at right.

Six-four Senior Center Harry Thompson of the Tuscarawas Broncos fires a shot at the basket in last night's game with Forward Ray Ornouski (18) attempting to stop the attempt and the Orioles' Forward John Fitzgerald and the Broncos' Senior Center Larry (Doofy) Myers waits under the bucket.

Junior Guard Rich Davis of the Tuscarawas Broncos flies down the floor on a fast break as he goes in for 2 points , while Guard Chuck Campanizzi and Forward Ray Ornouski of the Flushing Orioles chase him.  Senior Guard Ralph Vesco of the Broncos trails his teammate down the floor.


BRILLIANT - The Tuscarawas Battling Broncos really earned that title last night as they kept alive their reputation as record spoilers by edging the Flushing Orioles 61-60 in the Class B District Tournament at Brilliant.  Junior forward Terry Deems, tow-headed Junior forward, was the lad who turned almost certain defeat into glorious victory as he grabbed a rebound and flipped the ball through the nets with 4 seconds remaining in the contest.

Seconds before that it appeared that Orioles' unbeaten skein was intact and the Broncos had failed in their bid for a victory, but a quick change of events reversed the picture and the perfect record of the Belmont county Champions lay shattered after 21 straight victories.  Head Coach Chuck Lorenz's charges had to fight their way from behind throughout most of the game and the only lead they had held prior to the last period was a brief 30-27 edge at the very outset of the 2nd half.

The Blue and White proved equal to the task and vaulted into Friday's finals with the Strasburg Tigers to assure Tuscarawas County of another Class B District Basketball Title.  The final canto was a hectic, see-saw affair that saw the lead change hands 11 times, the Birds had taken a 60-57 lead with 45 seconds left in the contest and it looked as through the Orioles had it all wrapped up.

Deems shot changed all that and Tusky was swamped with well-wishers as the final buzzer sounded with Flushing vainly trying to get the ball up the long floor for just one crack at the basket. 

The Tuscarawas Broncos (6-0) (21-2) experienced a bad case of the jitters in the opening quarter, when despite almost full control of the backboards, the Tusky could not score, even from underneath.  The Flushing Orioles (21-1) whose forward John Fitzgerald and guard Chuck Campanizzi literally had a field day with the tight Broncos' zone defense and shot the Orioles out to a 19-8 advantage.

Head Coach Lorenz switched into a man-for-man defense in the 2nd frame and the Riders galloped back into contention as they held the Birds to a slim 8 points, while they tallied 18.  Deems and Senior center Larry (Doofy) Myers gave the Blue and White a big edge under the boards over Flushing's center Carter Howell and the 2 accounted for 14 of Tuscarawas' 18 markers in that period.

Fitzgerald was all the offense the Orioles had in that 2nd frame and the clever forward made difficult shots look easy as he swished the ball through the nets with a flick of his arm.  The Birds' spark plug drew his 3rd personal foul midway in the 2nd stanza; however and was lifted for the stretch drive.

That's where Tusky really moved as the Broncos whipped in 9 straight points to cut a 10-point margin of 27-17 down to a slim 27-26 at halftime.  Tuscarawas appeared to be moving swiftly into the drivers' seat as they scored 3 points at the outset of the 3rd stanza to take their 1st lead of the game 30-27, but Flushing quickly deadlocked the count and moved back ahead, running their advantage to 5 points as Fitzgerald and guard Gary Dale connected from action.

Senior guard Ralph Vesco, Deems and Junior guard Rich Davis sliced that edge to 2 points as the quarter ended with the Orioles ahead 40-38.  Doofy drew his 4th personal foul midway in  the stanza and Coach Lorenz experimented with several combinations in order to regain the board control that had been his with Myers in the tilt.  The 4th Canto was all Deems for Tuscarawas with 6-1 Senior center and Davis chiming in with baskets at crucial times, but it was Deems who pulled Tusky into victory.

Deems canned 6 field goals and 2 free throws in that final period to offset a spurt of 9 points by Fitzgerald and Howell's only offensive show of the game.  Deems ended up the game with a total of 26 points, while Fitzgarald's total topped both teams at 27.  Howell, Flushing's leading scorer, came through with 11, 7 of these coming in the final canto.

TUSCARAWAS BRONCOS - 61

Larry (Doofy)Myers F 3-5-11
Terry Deems F 11-4-26
Dave Myers F 0-0-0
Ed Hill F 0-0-0
Harry Thompson C 3-0-6
Rich Davis G 4-0-8
Jim Henry G 1-1-3
Ralph Vesco G 2-3-7

FLUSHING ORIOLES - 60

Ray Ornouski F 1-2-4
John Fitzgerald F 12-3-27
Carter Howell C 2-7-11
Chuck Campanizzi G 3-0-6
Gary Dale G 4-1-9
Rinkes G 1-1-3


Thursday, March 11, 1954
Art Cicconetti, Sports Editor
The Daily Reporter
Dover, Ohio

54 - Strasburg Hands Jewett A 58-47 Loss (3-9-54)

The Jewett Wildcats' 6-4 Center Gary (Buck) Thompson clutches the ball firmly, while sitting down hard on the deck as the Strasburg Tigers' Senior Guard John Shetler, stretched out on his back, keeps his hand in the pileup with his teammate Sophomore Forward Jim Kuecher reaching in from the right.  Six-two Forward Gary Telfor of the Wildcats surveys the situation on the spot.  Junior Center 6-4 Jerry (Goose) Von Kaenel of Strasburg and 6-0 Forward Larry Townsend of Jewett are at left.

The Strasburg Tigers' 6-4 Junior Center Jerry (Goose) Von Kaenel goes up all alone to score 2 points for the Tigers in last night's 58-47 victory over the Jewett Wildcats.  Senior Guard John Shetler of the Bengals and 6-0 Forward Larry Townsend of the Wildcats comes in at right.

The Strasburg Tigers' Cheerleaders are pictured above as they led the yells for the Tigers at Brilliant last night.  Beulah Lewis is at left, Linda Kuecher and Vine Kratz at right.


BRILLIANT - The Strasburg Tigers' smooth functioning cage machine passed another milestone in the drive for the Eastern Ohio District Crown as it ran down the Jewett Wildcats in methodical fashion at Brilliant's sparkling basketball layout last night.  Head Coach Don Martin's crew had the upper hand all the way after taking the lead in the opening quarter, but the Tigers really clinched their 27th triumph with a 4th canto that exploded the Wildcats right out of the picture 58-47.

A near capacity crowd saw the defending Class B District Champions take the lead just at the end of the 1st period and held it all the way through; although, Jewett threatened to overcome the advantage on several occasions.  Lanky 6-4 Junior center Jerry (Goose) Von Kaenel, whose hand was still badly bruised and sore at game time, was the big gun in the Bengal's attack and it was chiefly his control of the backboards that gave Strasburg their big advantage in the contest.

Senior forward Eldon (Zeke) Mullett of the Strasburg Tigers (6-1) (26-1) was tagged with 4 personals early on.  He played the 1st quarter and part of the 2nd, but he sat out the rest of the contest until Goose fouled out with a minute and 35 seconds left to play in the game and the Bengals leading 58-44.  Senior guard John Shelter and Junior forward Jerry Haswell came in to aid Goose under the boards along with 6-0 Sophomore forward Jim Kuecher, but the big center came through with timely tip-ins to throw back a Jewett Wildcat (21-5) threat more than once.

Zeke was one of the chief threats for Strasburg in his brief stay in the game.  The stocky Senior pushed in 2 baskets from underneath just at the end of the 1st quarter to give the Tigers its 12-8 lead.  Five-ten Guard Bill Cerett and 6-2 forward Gary Telfer were the 2 scorers for Jewett in the opening stanza with 4 points each with 6-4 center Gary (Buck) Thompson "covered like a blanket" by the Bengal defense.

Zeke came up with his 3rd and last field goal just as the 2nd quarter began rolling and Goose led Strasburg to a 7-point lead before Buck and Townsend, Jewett's 2 big guns, came through to pare the margin to 23-15 at halftime intermission.  Buck and Townsend continued to hit for the Wildcats, but didn't get too many chances at the basket as Strasburg, spurred offensively by Shetler, stayed on top with the lead fluctuating between 7 and 3 markers.

The Tigers were still setting the pace 38-35 going into the final canto when they uncorked a drive that threw Jewett off stride and clinched the decision in the last 4 minutes of the battle.  Haswell, Kuecher, Goose and Shetler shared in the final period surge, rolling to a 45-39 advantage in the 1st 3 minutes as the Wildcats hung on tenaciously.

Haswell then drove in for a layup and a short time later Kuecher added another basket on a fast break and the Bengals had its biggest lead of the game, 49-39.  Strasburg traded a free throw shot with Jewett and Goose grabbed a rebound and layed the ball up for a basket that gave the Tigers a 52-40 advantage and then seconds later tossed in a push shot from the side to make it 54-41,

That was the game and with little more than 2 minutes remaining, the Bengals went into a semi-stall and picked their shots as they kept the Wildcats on the ropes.  Goose ended up with 19 points for the top Strasburg scoring effort, while Shetler's offensive surge brought in 13 and Haswell collected 10.

Buck, whose twisting jump shot was Jewett's chief offensive threat, came up with 17 as he hit on 6 of his specialities and added 5 free throw tosses.  Townsend came through with 15 for the Wildcats.  Strasburg will defend its District diadem Friday night at 8:00 at Brilliant against the winner of tonight's tussle between The Tuscarawas Broncos and the Flushing Orioles.

Tickets for the Championship fracas may be obtained at the Strasburg High School or Houghtan's Drug Store in Strasburg.  The price of the ducats is 75 cents for both students and non-students. 

STRASBURG TIGERS - 58

Jerry Haswell F 3-4-10
Eldon (Zeke) Mullett F 3-0-6
Jim Kuecher F 3-0-6
Gale Huffman F 0-0-0
Jerry (Goose) Von Kaenel C 8-3-19
Fred Peters G 2-0-4
John Shetler G 4-5-13

JEWETT WILDCATS - 47

Gary Telfer F 2-4-8
Larry Townsend F 6-4-16
John Coutts F 0-0-0
Gary (Buck) Thompson C 6-5-17
Busby G 0-0-0
Larry Telfer G 0-0-0
Bill Cerett G 2-0-6


Wednesday, March 10, 1954
Art Cicconetti, Sports Editor
The Daily Reporter
Dover, Ohio

NOTE:  At the beginning of the tournament I gave Strasburg an additional win.  Strasburg's record is  26-1 at this date in time.

54 - The Tuscarawas Broncos (20-2) At District

DOVER - The Tuscarawas Broncos faces a stern task of stopping another undefeated club when the Broncos of Head Coach Chuck Lorenz run up against the Flushing Orioles at Brilliant on Wednesday night.  The Orioles are unbeaten in 22 games.  Tusky, who snapped the Strasburg Tigers' skein at 24 in the Tuscarawas County Tournament finals, will be about equal to the Belmont County leaders in the height department with the only big difference coming in the center position.

Manning the pivot post for Head Coach Walt Bahorek of Flushing will be Carter Howell, 6-4, Black, who has ripped the nets with 502 points in the Orioles' 22 games this season.  Tickets for Wednesday night's game may be purchased at the Tuscarawas High School for 75 cents.  There will be no reserved seats, but tickets can also be purchased at the door.

Despite the fact that Howell is the leading scorer, Flushing's top operative is said to be 6-2 forward John Fitzgerald, who has been on the All-Eastern Ohio team selected by Ohio River sports writers.  A transfer from Holloway, Fitzgerald is the top rebounder and all-around team player for the Orioles with 5-11 Gary Dale leading his southpaw support to the forward post.  At the guards, Flushing will have 5-11 Ray Ornouski and 5-7 Charles Campanizzi with 6-0 Gary Rinkes as the 6th man.

The Orioles, in addition to the victories over Jewett, defeated the Freeport Raiders 78-59 and the Hopedale Comets 64-61.  Freeport holds one of the 2 victories over Tuscarawas.  The Red Riders upset the Broncos 59-58 at the tail end of the season.  Two opponents tried the control tactics on Flushing, but the Orioles kayoed both, defeating Lafferty 27-17 and Bethesda 37-18.  Flushing also tripped Lafferty 75-42 and 56-49 in 2 other meetings while downing Bethesda 76-39 and 72-45 on 2 other occasions.

The Orioles' other victories came over New Athens 88-41 and 79-38, the Centerville Elks 76-51 and 96-41; Belmont 83-67, Alumni 102-41; the Mt Pleasant Mounties 74-44; Holloway 92-59 and 76-57; Powhatan 62-40 and the Dillonvale Night Riders 52-49.


Tuesday, March 9, 1954
The Daily Reporter
Dover, Ohio

54 - The Strasburg Tigers (26-1) At District

DOVER - The Strasburg Tigers' defending District Class B Champions face a clawing band of Jewett Wildcats (21-4) in the opening tussle of the 1954 Eastern District Class B Tournament at Brilliant tonight.  The doors to the new Brilliant Auditorium will open at 7:00 with the contest slated to get underway at 8:00.  Admission will be 75 cents for students and non-students alike.

Head Coach Leonard Mosser's Wildcats will be out to get revenge for the 59-57 setback they suffered at the hands of the Tigers at Memorial Hall last year.

Jewett has the same combination back from last season with big center Gary (Buck) Thompson still the offensive sparkplug of the high-scoring Wildcat combination.  The J-Cats took their 1st Harrison County League title in 17 years with a 9-1 mark.  That lone defeat was suffered at the hands of the Scio Panthers who had dropped a 65-44 decision to Jewett earlier in the campaign.

Strasburg's hopes of victory will depend upon how well Junior center Jerry (Moose) Von Kaenel can use his left hand.  The Tiger's All-County pivotman suffered a bad bump in a last-minute scramble in the Millersburg Knights' contest and his hand was stiff swollen today.  A series of X-rays taken revealed no fracture and whirlpool treatments have been used in an effort to bring down the swelling and loosen up the stiffness in the fingers.

Head Coach Don Martin's charges, unable to loosen up in their last few outings, will be shooting the works for the victory with their chief defensive target being the 6-4 Thompson.  Thompson has totaled 488 points this season to lead the Wildcats in their drive that racked up a 21-4 record.  The 4 defeats were suffered at the hands of the Dellroy Blue Jets 68-63, the Scio Panthers 68-54 and the Flushing Orioles 62-56 and 65-59 in overtime.

Jewett's other victories came over the Blue Jets 82-67, Franklin Wildcats 89-47 and 65-53, Conotton Valley Hawks 49-38 and 98-50, Springfield Township Tigers 60-40 and 64-55, Stone Creek Golden Panthers 62-58, Gnadenhutten Indians 77-55, Wayne 75-41 and 103-55, Hopedale 58-55 and 56-53.

The Freeport Raiders fell before the Wildcats 4 times, twice in the regular season 52-50 and 51-39 and twice in the tournament 72-59 and 78-57.  Jewett also drubbed Franklin 98-67 and the Conotton Valley Hawks 70-44 in the county tournament.

Thompson has plenty of help from a pair of tall forwards, Gary Telfer 6-2 and Larry Townsend 6-0, guards Bill Cerett 5-10 and John Coutts 5-3, with Larry Telfer 6-1 as the 6th man.


Tuesday, March 9, 1954
The Daily Reporter
Dover, Ohio

54 - Right Down The Line

RIGHT DOWN THE LINE
With Art Cicconetti
Tuesday, March 9, 1954
The Daily Reporter
Dover, Ohio

IF THE STRASBURG TIGERS is to advance into the finals of the Eastern District Tournament and defend the crown they fought for and won so zealously last year, then the Tigers must stop the Jewett Wildcats' central figure center Gary Thompson.  The bespectacled pivotman was touted as the Wildcats' top scorer last year before the 2 teams, almost identical in personnel, met at Memorial Hall.

Thompson, who also has a habit of drawing fouls quickly, did just that in last year's meeting and he set out part of the game.  He scored only 8 points in the 1st 3 quarters, but then came back in the 4th canto and racked up 12 of Jewett's 15 points.  That was the difference, but the Tigers held on and won 59-57.

THOMPSON has a jump shot, similar to that of Senior forward Harry Thompson of the Tuscarawas Broncos, but he has a twisting motion that is even more dangerous.  The Jewett hot-shot starts with his back to the bucket many times and twists all the way around and fires.  His height, 6-3, makes him a good rebounder and he has plenty of help in this department from Gary Telfer and Larry Townsend, who were also top performers for the Wildcats in last year's contest here.

Townsend tallied 12 and Telfer 7 points, while both helped give Jewett control of the boards for a brief time against Strasburg's team of Sophomore center Jerry (Goose) Von Kaenel, Junior forward Elden (Zeke) Mullett and forward Max Bonifant of last year's Tigers.

THE ONLY member of last year's Jewett's team not on hand for this contest is Ed O'Toole, the slick-moving guard who scored 10 of the Wildcats' points.  Strasburg had Max Bonifant and forward Jim Weinmann last season, but the 2 members of this year's starting five, Senior guard John Shetler and Senior guard Fred Peters, moved effectively against Jewett in that game.

Shetler scored 5 points as a substitute, while Junior forward Jerry Haswell and Goose were the 2 big point-makers with 19 and 17, respectively.  Last year's tussle was just that.  A close, hard-fought game.  This year's game promises to be another of the same.

JIM HUFFMAN, All-County performer for Strasburg in the 1949-50 season, played center for the Argentia, Newfoundland Naval Air Base Team that won the Navy's All-Atlantic Tournament at Norfolk recently.

54 - Tusky Unloads on Dennison St. Mary In The Last Canto 80-61 (3-6-54)

Senior Center Harry Thompson, whose accuracy was the big factor in the Tuscarawas Broncos' victory on Saturday night, goes up for one of his jump shots with Senior Forward Al Amicone (73) and Junior Forward Frank Morrison (72) of the Dennison St. Mary Blue Waves attempting to stop him.

Senior Forward Larry Myers is the Tuscarawas Broncos' top rebounder.  The 6-2 rim-finder has been a starter for the Broncos for the past 3 years and his prowess under the boards has been a boom to the Tusky offensive and defensive play.  Larry, nicknamed "Doofy" by his teammates, has also been a scoring threat all season.


DOVER - The Strasburg Tigers (26-1) will tangle with the Jewett Wildcats (21-4) in the Class B District Basketball Tournament at Brilliant on Tuesday night at 8:00,while the Tuscarawas Broncos (20-2) face the Flushing Orioles (21-0) in Wednesday night's battle.  The 2 winners will clash at Brilliant Friday night for the District Championship and the right to the Regional Tournament at a site yet to be announced.

The Tigers and Broncos won the right to participate in the District jousts this week when they emerged victorious from the Sectional Tournament finals at Memorial Hall Saturday night.  Head Coach Don Martin's Bengals quintet had a slashing fight with the Baltic Eagles before subduing the Eagles in the last 4 minutes and winning 60-53, while the Riders had an easier time of it in smothering the hopes of the Dennison St. Mary Blue Waves 80-61.

Tickets for Tuesday night's game may be purchased at the Strasburg High School or the Houghlan Drug Store in Strasburg.  A total of 500 tickets, selling for 75 cents each with no differentiation between students and non-students, were brought back from the drawings by the Strasburg officials yesterday.  There will be no reserved seats.  Tickets may also be purchased at the door.  Tickets for Wednesday night's game are on sale at the Tuscarawas High School.

The Dennison St. Mary Blue Waves (17-5) fell behind in the 1st quarter and trailed the rest of the way, but the Blue Waves were never really out of it until they lost their center, Senior John Fondriest, in the 1st minute of the final canto.  The Tuscarawas Broncos (5-0) (20-2) led by a 57-47 margin when Fondriest was thumbed out on a personal foul and from then Tusky continued to gain momentum and were out in front by as much as 23 points before a last minute barrage by 5-10 Junior guard Ron Ross cut the margin down to 19. 

St. Mary's played the favored Broncos to a standstill in the 1st period with only Senior guard Ralph Vesco able to break through.  The All-County Senior tallied 7 points as Tuscarawas took a 15-13 edge at the 1st turn with the Blue Waves' scoring evenly distributed.  Junior forward Terry Deems and Junior guard Rich Davis took up the slack for Head Coach Chuck Lorenz's outfit in the 2nd frame and kept Tusky in the lead despite a heavy barrage by Senior guard Paul Cush of Dennison St. Mary.

Senior center Harry Thompson caught fire just before the half ended and tossed in 2 jump shots to give the Broncos a 37-28 advantage at the intermission.  Thompson really hit his peak in the 3rd stanza and in the 1st part of the 4th canto when he tossed in 22 of his 29 points.  At one stage he had accounted for 17 of 18 points for Tuscarawas with only a break coming on a free throw shot by Vesco.

St. Mary's withstood Thompson's slick one-man scoring tactics; however, with Fondriest, Senior forward Adolph Gastaldo and Cush leading the Blue Waves to an 18-point spree and cutting one point off the Tusky lead.  The Broncos held a 54-46 edge at the start of the final period, but once Dennison St. Mary lost their rebound power, Tuscarawas moved away easily.

Vesco had 14, Deems 12 and Davis 10 for Tusky to add to Thompson's 29 points, while Cush paced the Blue Waves with 15, Ross had 12 and Fondriest and Gastaldo each 11.

TUSCARAWAS BRONCOS - 80

Larry Myers F 1-6-8
Jerry Deems F 6-0-12
Dave Myers F 0-0-0
Theo Riggle F 0-0-0
Ed Hill F 0-1-1
Harry Thompson C 11-7-29
Ben Roth G 0-2-2
Don Decker G 0-0-0
Jerry Briggs G 0-0-0
Rich Davis G 4-2-10
Jim Henry G 2-0-4
Ralph Vesco G 4-6-14

DENNISON ST. MARY BLUE WAVES - 61

Neil Putman F 3-1-7
Adolph Gastaldo F 4-3-11
Al Amicone F 1-0-2
Frank Morrison F 0-2-2
John Fondriest C 3-5-11
Ed Moeller C 0-1-1
Ron Ross G 3-6-12
Paul Cush G 7-1-15


Monday, March 8, 1954
Art Cicconetti, Sports Editor
The Daily Reporter
Dover, Ohio

54 - 1st To Fall...Baltic 60-53 (3-6-54)

Strasburg's Senior Forward Eldon (Zeke) Mullett jumps high for an action attempt in the 3rd stanza of the Strasburg Tigers-Baltic Eagles contest on Saturday night with Senior Guard Andy Hoffman, Junior Forward Fritz Syler and Senior Guard Wayne Everhart trying to stop him.  Senior Guard John Shetler (30) of Strasburg, Junior Center Jerry (Goose) Von Kaenel of the Tigers and Senior Forward Tom Ott (14) of the Eagles watch for the rebound.


DOVER - The Strasburg Tigers (5-1) (26-1) and the Baltic Eagles (5-2) (22-5) both appeared to be tight in the 1st quarter of play and with the officials keeping a close check on the game, the 2 squads didn't loosen up until midway in the 2nd frame.  The Tigers got but one field goal on a tip-in by Junior center Jerry (Goose) Von Kaenel, while Eagles' Senior forward Tom Ott meshed 2 for Baltic in that opening period.  The Bengals claimed a 9-8 advantage and maintained the lead through the next 8 minutes.

With all of the starting 5 contributing to the Strasburg point-making, the Tigers began loosening in the 2nd frame and pulled away to a 28-20 lead at the halftime intermission.  However, Junior forward Jerry Haswell, who was assigned to cover Ott in the Bengal's man-for-man defense, picked up his 4th personal foul with still a minute left in the half and was removed by Head Coach Don Martin.

Haswell was joined on the bench by Senior forward Eldon (Zeke) Mullett after he had picked up his 4th personal in the 3rd stanza and the Eagles, chiefly on the surge by Ott, closed the gap at the outset of the 3rd period and stayed within range all the way.  Junior forward Jim Wallace swished a jump shot from the corner to give Baltic a 37-36 lead just as the stanza ended.  The final canto was a see-saw hectic affair with the advantage changing hands 9 times before Bengals finally went ahead to stay.  The Eagles lost their play-maker, Senior guard Andy Hoffman just after the final period got underway.

Head Coach Tom Bellville's crew stayed in the battle all the way; however, with Ott leading the way.  Haswell and Zeke came back into the game for Strasburg at the 4-minute mark and with Senior guard John Shetler, pulled the game out of the fire.  Shetler gave the Tigers a 46-45 edge at the 2:45 mark and 35 seconds later made it 48-45 with Zeke jumping the advantage to 50-45 in the next 10 seconds by tipping in a rebound.

That was it!  Baltic stayed in the scrap, but the Bengals continued to pull away with Haswell and Shetler each counting from action twice with Senior guard Fred Peters adding one for good measure.  Shetler's 15 points, 10 of which came in the final canto, were high for Strasburg with Haswell getting 14 and Zeke 12.  Jerry (Goose) Von Kaenel, playing with a badly swollen hand injured in the Millersburg fracas Friday night, counted 9 and Peters had 8.

Ott's outstanding performance, his last in a basketball uniform for Baltic, brought in 29 points for the Eagle's cause, while Junior center Errol Jacobs added 11.

STRASBURG TIGERS - 60

Jerry Haswell F 5-4-14
Eldon (Zeke) Mullett F 3-6-12
Jim Kuecher F 0-2-2
Jerry (Goose) Von Kaenel C 4-1-9
Gale Huffman G 0-0-0
Fred Peters G 3-2-8
John Shetler G 6-3-15

BALTIC EAGLES - 53

Tom Ott F 10-9-29
Jim Wallace F 2-0-4
Fritz Syler F 1-1-3
Errol Jacobs C 2-7-11
Wayne Everhart G 2-1-5
Andy Hoffman G 0-1-1


Monday, March 8, 1954
Art Cicconetti, Sports Editor
The Daily Reporter
Dover, Ohio

NOTE:  Strasburg heads for the District Tournament!

54 - Strasburg Rebuffs Millersburg 89-72 (3-5-54)

The Strasburg Tigers bounced back against the Millersburg Knights 89-72 last night and turned in a decisive victory over the the Knights, who battled all the way.  In the photo is Senior Guard Fred Peters of the Tigers and is shown going up all alone for a basket after taking the ball in on a fast break.

Senior Guard John Shetler (30) of Strasburg gets set for a push shot, while Guard Ron Hoyman (10) of Millersburg attempts to stop the shot.  Junior Center Jerry (Goose) Von Kaenel of the Tigers and Forward Dick Weiss of the Knights move in at left.


DOVER - The Strasburg Tigers, defending District Class B Champions, bounced back into the win column last night by taking the Millersburg Knights down the losers lane 89-72 and the Dennison St. Mary Blue Waves spilled over into the finals of the Sectional Tournament by outlasting the Dellroy Blue Jets 61-55 in the action-packed nightcap at Memorial Hall.  Head Coach Don Martin's talented Tigers had a battle on their hands all the way down to the wire and they'll be expecting another rugged test from the Baltic Eagles in tonight's 1st game, slated to get underway at 7:30.

The Bengals and Eagles will vie for the District berth in the upper bracket finals, while the Blue Waves crew will run into the Tuscarawas Broncos in the scrap for the other ticket to Brilliant.  The biggest crowd of the week watched the 2 contests last night, both of which were crowd pleasures from start to finish.  Dick Weiss, Millersburg's hard-playing forward, came up with a new high in the scoring department as he tallied 32 points.

The Strasburg Tigers (4-1) (25-1) whose balanced attack was the key to the Tigers' superiority in the contest against the Millersburg Knights (10-12).  The Knights' Forward Dick Weiss scored an amazing 34 points, which was almost half his team's total and of which kept the Spartans in contention.  The Bengals; although, their defense faltered when it came to stopping the high-scoring antics of the bespectacled  Millersburg whirlwind, rushed to an early lead and were never seriously threatened with the Knights able to get no closer than 11 points, the same margin by which Strasburg took the lead at the close of the 1st quarter.

Senior forward Eldon (Zeke) Mullett tossed in 10 of his 13 points in the opening period as the Tigers, controlling both boards, whipped into an lead early.  The superiority under the boards paved the way for a fast-breaking attack in the 2nd frame and the Bengals, who had claimed a 26-15 1st-period edge, roared away to a 49-34 lead at halftime.  Senior guard Fred Peters and Senior guard John Shetler, back from Washington D.C. where he underwent a physical examination for entrance into West Point, led the attack in both the 2nd and 3rd quarters with plenty of assistance from Junior forward Jerry Haswell and Junior center Jerry (Goose) Von Kaenel.

Strasburg was far out in front at the far turn 73-53.  Millersburg moved to within 11 points with just under 2 minutes left to play, but the Tigers quickly eased away.  Weiss spaced his scoring evenly through the 4 cantos as he tallied 8, 11, 7 and 8 for his 34 total.  Guard Ron Hoyman was next for the Spartans with 11.  Strasburg was much more relaxed in last night's contest than they were when they suffered their 1st defeat Saturday and this showed up in the scoring as Goose had 22 markers, Haswell 19, Shetler and Peters 17 each.

STRASBURG TIGERS - 89

Jerry Haswell F 6-7-19
Eldon (Zeke) Mullett F 5-3-13
Jim Kuecher F 0-1-1
Jerry (Goose) Von Kaenel C 8-6-22
Gale Huffman G 0-0-0
Fred Peters G 8-1-17
John Shetler G 8-1-17

MILLERSBURG KNIGHTS - 72

Dick Weiss F 15-4-34
Blum F 3-0-6
Bob Oswald F 1-1-3
Metzler F 1-0-2
Meek C 1-1-3
Menucx C 2-0-4
Ron Hoyman G 5-1-11
Tom Money G 3-3-9


Saturday, March 6, 1954
Art Cicconett, Sports Editor
The Daily Reporter
Dover, Ohio

54 - Tusky Destroys The Ramblers 80-47 (3-4-54)

Senior Guard Ralph Vesco swings in around the Dover St. Joseph Ramblers' defenses to fire the ball at the basket for the Tuscarawas Broncos as Forward Capt Dick Devney of the Ramblers comes in for a possible rebound.  Senior Forward Larry Myers of the Broncos is in the background with Junior Guard Norm Recla of Dover St. Joseph tries to stop Vesco under the basket.

Senior Center Harry Thompson is a veteran cager for the Tuscarawas Broncos.  Harry was a standout as a Sophomore for the Broncos and last year made the Coaches' All-League Team.  This season he is one of the main cogs in the Tusky cage machine.  Thompson is 6-1 and has been moved to the center position just recently.


DOVER - The Tuscarawas Broncos and Baltic Eagles came through 2nd-round games in the Eastern Sectioinal Class B Tournament at Memorial Hall last night to advance to Saturday nights' finals and a crack at the berth to the Eastern District jousts at Brilliant next week.  The Broncos won easily over the Dover St. Joseph Ramblers 80-47, while the Eagles were forced to turn back a Killbuck Bucks' rally to come away with a 67-58 victory over the Holmes County Champions.

The Strasburg Tigers get back in action tonight as they tangle with the Millersburg Knights in the opener at 7:30, while the Dennison St. Mary Blue Waves roll back into the picture against the Dellroy Blue Jets.  Head Coach Don Martin's Tiger quintet defeated the Knights 42-22 in the regular season after the Spartans attempted to stall away to an upset victory over the then undefeated Bengals.  The Blue Jets met Head Coach Frank Razzano's Blue Waves last December and dropped a 57-48 verdict to St. Mary's at that time. 

The Dover St. Joseph Ramblers (10-11) stayed with the classy Tuscarawas Broncos (4-0) (19-2) for most of the 1st quarter last night, but the County Tournament Champions rode away from a 9-9 deadlock and had an 18-9 lead as the 1st period came to a close.  Senior guard Ralph Vesco, whose 21 points were high for the Broncos, began driving through the Rambler defenses in the 2nd frame and with some help from Junior forward Terry Deems, widened the gap even more as Tusky pulled far out in front 43-19 at intermission. 

Head Coach Joe Drotovick's charges couldn't find the range on the basket with Junior guards, Norm Recla and Tom Wise, were the only 2 Ramblers to score in the 2nd quarter.  The 2 guards connected for 19 points on 5 field goals, but could not pick up the lagging offense.  St. Joseph's rallied briefly at the outset of the 3rd stanza, but Tuscarawas took over and raced further out in front to lead by 61-32 at the far turn.

Coach Drotovick began substituting freely in the final period as did Head Coach Chuck Lorenz and the respective club's Reserve Teams finished out the last 4 minutes of the contest.  Center Andy Yosick and Devney, the 2 Seniors on the Ramblers' roster, were inserted into the lineup at the tail end of the game so that they could finish out in their last appearance on the hardwood under the Blue and Gold banner.

The action in the final canto was the slowest of the game with both teams getting 2 field goals.  Tusky collected 15 points on free throw shots in the final period, while Dover St. Joseph added 11 in that department.  Wise was high for the Ramblers with 17 points with Yosick getting 10.  Harry Thompson had 14 for the Broncos with Deems adding 10 as all but 2 of the 12 Bronco Busters in action scored.

TUSCARAWAS BRONCOS - 80

Larry Myers F 3-2-8
Jerry Deems F 4-2-10
Dave Myers F 0-1-1
Don Decker F 0-0-0
Theo Riggle F 1-3-5
Harry Thompson C 6-2-14
Ed Hill C 0-0-0
Ben Roth C 0-3-3
Jerry Briggs G 0-3-3
Rich Davis G 2-5-9
Jim Henry G 3-0-6
Ralph Vesco G 6-9-21

DOVER ST. JOSEPH RAMBLERS - 47

Jim Martinelli F 0-1-1
Capt Dick Devney F 1-0-2
George Milylor F 0-0-0
George Zifer F 1-2-4
Bill Rieger F 0-0-0
Andy Yosick C 3-4-10
Joel Spiker C 0-5-5
Leonard Zuchagno G 0-0-0
John Pace G 0-0-0
Tom Beraducci G 0-0-0
Tom Wise G 8-1-17
Norm Recla G 3-2-8


Friday, March 5, 1954
Art Cicconetti, Sports Editor
The Daily Reporter
Dover, Ohio