County Tourney Champ To Be Crowned Tonight (2-25-56)

PHOTO: Ed Bates, Port Washington, All CountyTeam.
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THEY WON'T BE using the red carpet, but Tuscarawas County will pay tribute to its best in Class B Basketball with appropriate pageantry at Memorial Hall in Dover tonight. Gnadenhutten and Port Washington take the floor at 7:30 to settle the consolation title and a berth in next week's sectional. At about 8:45 Strasburg and Midvale, already assured of spots for the second stop in the tourney grind, match shots for the county tournament championship. The doors will open at 6:30. A packed house is expected. There will be no reserved seats with some 1,300 general admission tickets being available at the door. Following the titular struggle between the unbeaten Bengals and the smooth-operating Blue Devils gobs of team trophies and individual awards will be presented. Here's a list of trophies:
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League champion, Daily Times; tourney champion, Daily Reporter; tourney runnerup, City Auto Co. of New Philadelphia; consolation winner, S. Toomey Co. of Dover; tourney ball, Godfrey Electric of Dover; best cheerleaders, Schwartz Clothing of Dover; sportsmanship, Schreiner Insurance of New Phila.
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The Daily Reporter will award trouphies to 10 players picked for the coaches' all-county team while 12 members of the championship team will get miniature gold basketballs donated by Marsh Wall Products of Dover and Fairfield of the runnerup team will receive miniature silver basketballs donated by Stone Creek Brick Co. The Daily Times will give the Most Valuable Player trophy. Both the Strasburg and Midvale coaches, Ken Newlon and Pete Hilliard, will be going with their usual lineups which are as follow (with names):
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STRASBURG TIGERS
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Forward Jim Kuecher 378
Forward Willie Rieger 164
Center Ronnie Gray 220
Guard Lloyd Deibel 127
Guard Jerry Froman 289
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MIDVALE BLUE DEVILS
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Forward Larry Swinderman 384
Forward John Columbo 215
Center "Chuck" Seldenright 86
Guard Dick Leggett 410
Guard John Beans 239
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The talented Tigers will be seeking their 19th victory in a row and their 15th tourney crown, while Midvale will be going for its 18th win in 23 starts and its seventh tourney title. These two clubs, meeting in the final for the second straight year, clashed twice during the regular season and the Tigers, pressed all the way both times, captured 69-58 and 71-62 decisions. In the tourney Strasburg has beaten Sugarcreek-Shanesville 76-66 and Gnadenhutten 76-59, while the mighty Middies have downed Dundee 97-55 and Port Washington 71-69.
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BATTLE EXPECTED
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Gnadenhutten, runnerup team in 1953, and Port Washington, which has never crashed the Big Three, are expected to wage a terrific battle in tonight's opener. Gnaden, with a 20-3 record, beat the Purple Riders (14-7) twice during the regular season. The scores were 64-63 and 64-58. Dick Scott of the Indians will start Eldon Miller and Tommy Roth at forwards, Lloyd Porter at center and Glen Hines and Larry Clark at the guards, while Coach Bray Toot will counter with Ed Bates and either Tom Jones or Bob Welsch at forwards, Nick Frank at the center and Bill McConnell and Denver Glazer at the guards. Hines has counted 354 points, Porter 326, Roth 224, Miller 344 and Clark 102, while for Port Ed Bates has bagged 453, Bob Welsch 200, Denver Glazer 184, Bill McConnell 159, Nick Frank 306 and Tom Jones 286. The sectional is to be played at Memorial Hall, February 29, March 1-2-3. Pairings for the cage carnival will be made at Helmkamp's Restaurant in Dover Sunday evening.
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Saturday, February 25, 1956
The Daily Reporter
Dover, Ohio