Tuscarawas County B Tournament (2-07-56)

WILL STRASBURG repeat as Tuscarawas County Class B Tournament kingpin? This question won't be answered until the night of February 25th, but already area cage fans are buzzing over the prospects for the rugged double-elimination shindig which is to be unveiled at Memorial Hall a week from tonight. One can't help but wonder what the annual tourney has in store. You have to remember that "Heartbreak Highway" can claim more than one favorite and that it is not too unusual when a weak-sister bobs up to smite "Mr. Big." Last year the four top-racking clubs were in one bracket, but the blind draw held last Saturday in the office of Supt. W.E. Laws tournament director, changed this. In the upper bracket we have the top-seeded Bengals and third-seeded Gnadenhutten, while in the lower bracket we have second-seeded Midvale and fourth-seeded Port Washington. You can be sure thrills and spills will be abundant in the 18-game cage carnival. We'd be willing to wager our last collar button that the three games opening night will be humdingers. Stone Creek and Sugarcreek-Shanesville, which open the tourney at 6:30 next Tuesday night, appear pretty evenly matched as do Mineral City-Tuscarawas and Dundee-Bolivar. And if Baltic has its shooting eyes sharpened the Eagles, we figure, could make matters tough on Port Washington. All teams in the first round games have met each other before. Stone Creek downed the Pirates 68-58, Tusky stopped Mineral City 73-69 in an overtime and Bolivar eked out a 61-59 nod over Dundee. Port Washington hit 103 points against Baltic, but the Eagles pitched in 73. If the tournament would run true to form the four seeded teams will be in the semi-finals with two of them going onto the titular struggle. The last three settoes could prove to be mighty interesting. Of the three top teams we've caught Strasburg, Midvale and Gnaden in action. Strasburg dropped both foes by comfortable margins, but neither the Blue Devils nor the Indians are ready to concede a single point. WE'VE HEARD PLENTY OF TALK ABOUT THE COUNTY POWERS AND STRANGE AS IT MAY SEEM THE COACHES FIGURE PORT WASHINGTON AS THE "TEAM TO BEAT." YOU TAKE IT FROM THERE.
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Tuesday, February 7, 1956
The Daily Reporter
Dover, Ohio